TROOPS GUARD COURT

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 29, 29 October 1934, Page 9

TROOPS GUARD COURT

Trial of French Officer MAY BE NEW DREYFUS CASE (Received October 28, 5.5 p.m.) Paris, October 27. For the first time since the Dreyfus ease, troops are guarding the Law Courts at Belfort owing to fears of disturbance at the trial of Captain Froge, a French officer with a distinguished record, who- is accused of betraying secret army plans to a foreign Power. Captain Froge’s lawyer is demanding that the British Secret Service disclose documents revealing that the principal Mtness against Froge was a spy in the service <rt various Governments, and is therefore unreliable. Feeling in the army is very high, as Froge hitherto has been blameless, and it is felt that this may be another Dreyfus case.

"The hearing of the ease in secret is a pretext to cover the machinations of the French Intelligence Service,” declared Froge’s counsel. "There are obvious forgers on the French General Staff, which fears an open debate because the dossier is riddled with improper proceedings and it does not want to let. daylight thereon.” There is intense local feeling in favour of Froge and the precincts of the court were surrounded by demonstrators. Froge’s accusers are Geissmann, a deserter from the Austrian army, who turned police informer, and Krauss, a Polish ex-officer, who admits he has been a spy in the service of Germany. Froge has throughout protested Ills innocence and accuses Geissmann of forgery. Krauss states that ne paid Froge £2OOO for a plan of the air defences of Belfort and other frontier defences.