HERO OR TRAITOR? (Pal Mall Gazette.)

North Otago Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8160, 15 April 1895, Page 4

HERO OR TRAITOR? (Pal Mall Gazette.)

In a shorb time the convict Dreyfu* wil leave for his permanent and, 'ot ub hope, final desbiuatioo. lime, which is supposed to heal wounds, certainly loosens tongues, and thanks to this the scanty news of the wholo affiir can be supplemeuted now, for the firßb time, with important debails obtained from bouicbs as unquos tionabio as difllculb of access I am allowed to indicate these sources to tho editor of the Pall Mall Gazette as a guarantee of their authenticity ; for the resb a'l I need say is thab the information if not due to any subterfuge, bub has been volunteered ab once when I p inted oub bhab 80 long as tho Dreyfus affair remains shrowded in such complete mystery, grave doubts will be entertained as to the man's guilb ; while the ou'y precise debails communicated officially, the ceremony of the degradation and the accounb of subsequent illtreabmenb of the wretched officer, are calculated to provoke rather sympathy or pity than conbempt on his behalf. Ib seems bhab Dreyfus has never been a persona grata with his superiors, nnd thab he never had any friends among his comrades ; in fact, the only friendly liaison he had formed was with a young actor, sod of a celebrated ex-sociebaire of the Coniedie Franchise (M. Jean Coquelin). Nobody could say or prove anything against him, bub there was an atmosphere of mistrust hovering around the man, and his wholo manner and demeanour were considered as un-Frencb. Thrice ho had been signalled by his chiefs to the Ministry of War as "unrelisb'e,' and once the general in command (Qeneral do Vetdum) during the greab manoeu vres senb a direcb request to the Minister thab Captain Dreyfus should be recalled, as he would nob have him on b>s s tii lT. Another time he was reprimanded for putting to another commander a series of questions proving thab hia informations extend far beyond those pub ab the disposal of officers be'onging te his grade ; and ib was after a similar affair that one of his chiefs, knowing thab Dfeyfus was preparing for the Ecole de Guerre, Bimp'y riddled his papers with bad marks. Still, thanks to tho patronage of M. de Freycineb, Captain Dreyfus was admitted to the Ecole and appointed afterwards in the Ministry, under General Boiadeffrc, during General Merc er's tenure of oftioe. His former colleagues Bpeak of him as a studiouß officer, absolutely devoid of talent, bub possessed of an extraor dinary memory. He could repeat two or three pages of writing on any I Bubjecb after a B'.Dgle perusal of the document. The important posb ta which he was appointed in no way diminished the prejudice againsb him, and all his doings were carefully watched. One day a note containing most important) information as to the mobilisation plans of the French army in cisc of war — in fact, giving away the wholo thing -was "found"' in the cabinob of tho German Ambassador. The person who " made " the find— none other than one of the Becreb agents which exist in every embasy — brouohb the note to tbe Mini»tpr of War. Tho writing was wo'l known to General Boisdeffre, who wenb immediately to tho room whore Captain Dreyfus waß working, and, putting tbe document on his desk, said, " Capitaine Dreyfus voulez vouo me copier cette notel" " Toute de Buite, mon general," replied the other, bub hardly had he looked ab the paper than he grew frighbfally pale, and remained speecbles and motionless The General laid a revo - ver on the table and said : "Je vous laißse seul pour cinq minutes." When he returned be found D eyfus as bofore, and asked : " Uomrannt, ea n'esb pas fini ?" He received no answer, and the story of his arresb is known. Wh»b IB nob known is thab for a very long timo Dreyfus had a revolver within reach of hia hand, and thab he was implored nob to let things go before a courb martial. He would not, and that is why an especial place of confinement has b?en devised for him. Jb was felb thab be calculated on escape as nob an impossible thing, from New Caledonia, especially for a man with some L30,00Q of cash, and having the right to have bis wife and s rvants with him. It is reported bhat the man's strange fortitude forsook him entirely since he lesrnb the place of bis destination. During the trial he 13 reported to have held a deplorable attitude, almost in. aulbing the witnesses and the judges thi3 again, becauso ho know ho could nob be condemned to death. The point •Jeterves elucidation, and had it been done ab the time much useless speculation would have born saved Tho actual French law punishes with death only treason en /ace de I'cnnemi Had Dreyfus been condemned to death tho verdict would havo had to be made public, together wibh the motives, the of the crime, etc., and who would havebeen then I'ennemi, The other interested power would not have remainod indifferent at being called "l'onnomi" in time of pease, and heaven knows what the thing might havo led to. Thab is why Dreyfu«, though found guilty of treason against* hia country, wat nob condemned to death. A curious theory aboub tho whole affair finds now many grave adepts ! it is to the eflecb that) Dreyfus, more than a French traitor, is a German hero, a raattyr. He l( opted" for French nationality, onterod the military school, the army, the Ministry, all with one fixed purpose ; to serve Germany be loved against France be hated. Already, at 18 years of age, they say, he had fo-med thab pnijecb, and ho had forseen everything, oxcopt Les Isles dv Salut. And from this point of view it does not matter much whether Dreyfus is a hero or a traitor.

Ifc is abated that of every twelve coins dropped in the automatic machines, two are bad. Tiro Liverpool girli have found newapaperhawkiDg so prodtab'e tbab [bey hare banked L2OO e»eb,