In 1891 Esterhazy accused his brother officer, Captain Dreyfus, in
tile French artillery of having handed over a bordereau containing military secrets to Schwarzkoppen, the German military attaché in Paris. The bordereau was found in Schwarzkoppen's greatcoat pocket. It was said to be in the handwriting of Dreyfus. Dreyfus was tried, condemned, and sent to Devil's Island in French Guiana. It was not till two years later that Colonel Picquart, of the French War Office, found a suspicious telegram from Schwarzkoppen to Esterhazy and suggested that Dreyfus ought to be retried. Result —Picquart was removed from his post. Dreyfus's brother, however, accused Esterhazy of having himself written the bordereau. Esterhazy demanded a court- martial. He was acquitted. Picquart was then arrested. Next, Zola took up the cause of Dreyfus and wrote his famous and shattering pamphlet J'accuse. Zola was prosecuted and fled to this country.
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