DREYFUS DEAD.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 164, 13 July 1935, Page 9

DREYFUS DEAD.

Victim of French Army

Scandal.

PASSED INTO HISTORY. (Received 2 p.m.) PARIS, July 12. The death is reported of Colonel Alfred Dreyfus, aged 70. The story of his trial and sentence to the living hell of Devil's Island for alleged espionage activities, with its subsequent revelation as a scandalous piece of political and racial intrigue, forms one of the most shameful pages in France's modern history.

Alfred Dreyfus, innocent victim of the biggest French political scandal of last century, was born in Alsace, the eon of a wealthy Jewish industrialist, who, after Alsace became German in 1871, left for Paris. Alfred joined the Army. He was promoted captain, ana in 1803 was appointed to the General Staff under General Boisdeffre. In September, 1594, the Secret Service secured evidence that documents had been handed by a spy to a German military attache, Scli\varzkoppen. The War Minister ordered an inquiry, without result. The staff then declared that the Jew, Dreyfus, must be the traitor. One of his colleagues, Do Paty du Clam, a relative of the War Minister, said the documents were in Dreyfus' hand, and though experts denied this, Dreyfus was subjected to a severe cross-examina-tion, after which Paty du Clam had him arrested because he had trembled, and the secret investigation went on. Dreyfus was not allowed to see anyone or to have an advocate. An attempt was also made to get his wife to incriminate him. The case first became public in November, and the result was a frantic anti-Semitic and Royalist agitation. Dreyfus was arrainged before a secret court-martial. The case was on the point of collapse when a document was put in stating that a certain "D" had sold secret papers to a foreign Power. Dreyfus was promptly found to be "D," and therefore guilty. On January 5, 1S!)j, ho was publicly degraded, and to an angry mob which , tried to lynch him, he cried: "I am innocent. Vive la France." He was sent to the dreaded Devil's Island penal settlement, French Guiana. Meanwhile, his brother Matthieu was organising an agitation to have the case reconsidered, and Picquart, who knew Dreyfus, had become head of the Secret Service. There fell into his hands a note from Scliwarzkoppen to Major Esterliazy, an Austrian in the French Army, appointing a meeting. Picquart noticed a strong resemblance between his writing and that in the iucriminating documents. Picquart told his chief, Boisdeffre, who was a rabid anti-Semite, with the result that Picquart was sent to Tunis, and Henry, one of Dreyfus' enemies, put in his place. This episode came out and causcd a great sensation. The new War Minister decidcd on a fresh inquiry, but when Henry produced letters obtained from a Jew named Lelimann definitely incriminating Dreyfus, the Premier, Meline, declared the matter closed. Then the "Figaro" reproduced a letter by Esterliazy in which he abused France. Matthieu charged the Austrian with being the real spy, and public opinion, which had veered round, forced the War Minister to court-martial him. The trial was secret, and he was acquitted. Zola, the novelist, now intervened decisively. On January 13, 1808, he published his famous "J'Aceuse." in which he branded the general staff as forgers and plotters, and dared the Government to prosecute him, declaring Ksterhazy had been acquitted by order. The Government did so, but could not keep Dreyfus out of the case. Picquart gave evidence that the incriminating letters had been forged by Lelimann at the request of Henry— a statement confirmed by the German and Italian Ambassadors. Soon afterwards Lelimann was found hanged. Cavaignac, the anti-Semitic War Minister then in power, was forced to arrest Henry, who confessed lie had had a hand in the forgeries, and next day he too was found to have died a violent death. Ca\ aignac and Boisedeffre had to resign, but the anti-Semites had Picquart charged with forging the Esterliazy papers. He was acquitted. Zola's campaign continued, and on September 28 the Supreme Court held that Esterhazv was "D." _ Dreyfus was court-martialied at in September, 1800, found "guilty, but with extenuating circumstances." and pardoned. It was not till July 12, 1906, that he was finally declared innocent by tlie_ court oi Cassation. To secure this re-trial lie had a long struggle, during which he published his defence. "Five Years of My Life, a book which made a profound impression. Ho was taken back into the Army, promoted major, and made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. But in June. 1908. while accompanying Zola's remains to the Pantheon, he was fired at and wounded by an anti-Semite. Dreyfus served during the war. and 6ince then has lived quietly in Paris.