The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-20
OPINIONS ARE CONFLICTING.
Mrs. Crawford Finds People Divided
as to the Outcome.

Will be. Townspeople who know Gen.
German and Gen. Lucas of this army
corps well think the decision viii be
against the accused. On the other hand,
at the Hotel Modere which is now the
great conversational news center, the idea
prevails of reluctant judgment in his
favor.
The tribunal certainly shares the feel
ings of the military witnesses, but there
are signs of coming around. I noticed
a member of the courtmartial watching
Dreyfus to-day with an expression of COM
passionate interest. Then again Col
Jouaust, the president. did not rebuke him
for apostrophizing Maj. Cuignet, who led
the procession of military witnesses to-
day, nor order him, as he was wont to
do, not to speak until he was addressed
Maitre Demange is more hopeful, al
though acknowledging The perverse use The
nauonallstists make OF the Schneider and
| Panizzardi kilograms to inflame patriotic
sentiment. That party now demands the
| full publication of the secret dossier so as
TO heap disgrace on the military attaches
and the Hustrious German prince involved,
a prince who lived long in Paris.
l should not be surprised at a tie. This
would enable the prisoner to leave the
court a free man. but would show that
half the judges believed him guilty.
The Seine der letter or telegram is re
scented by all but the Dreyfusites as an at
tempt to cast odium on the French army.
1t ought to benefit the prisoner but does
not. Military men say it would set the
face Of the courtmartial harder against
him The majority seem to adopt Capt.
Cuignets opin on 1t is thought, though
not expressed. mus:
That the military attaches have behaved
! abominably in the Dreyfus affair; that
the French government is in possession
of numerous specimens of Schneider's
| handwriting; that the document on which
Gen MERCER relied win bear every test
and that it has been accepted by every
minister of war since 1894 and been COM
pared with letters written to six of them
by Col Schneider.
How Cuignet Impressed Her.
Maj. Cuignet spoke with hollow voice.
quite different from that in which some
days ago he made his virulent attacks on
Dreyfus. His attitude, however, was a
assertive as before, though his language
was less SO. He is a fair, sandyhaired
man, with big red moustaChe and a res
onant, metallic voice, good for command.
He is among the few military witnesses
who have deposed while standing. To-
day his task was 10 destroy the effect of
the ques ions of Maitre Demange and to
set up again the demolished theory of
Gen. MERCER
Cuignet was in the fourth bureau of the
general staff when Dreyfus was in an
other bureau, but not under his orders
They were both employed in calculating
what work invasion would throw on the
railways but We're engaged on different
lines. Dreyfus, he said constantly came
to him for information, which he mad 10
cause to do. Cusnet kept refusing, until
he was tired Of the opportunities of the
accused. Then by degrees, he gave
n i'm mic al he ht.
himself had made. Dreyfus, according TO
the witness never returned the notes.
When search was made at his home
they were not found. What had become
of them? Dreyfus was not the man to
cast them away. Cuignet's insinuatiou
was that they were sent to Berlin. The
conclusion was far-fetcheda but the men,
bers of the courtmartial made note or
it.
Cuignet then defended Esterhazy against
Picquart and next against Du Patty de
Clam He gave fresh peeps a the secret
military dossier in which are so many
ordinary letters from women, opinions on
public men, and tittle-tattle of a spicy
source.
Cuignet said he was sorry the court had
not examined this voluminous dossier,
which throws a deal of light ION spies of
different categores, including military at
taches." The latter, he remarked, were
far from being the only spies regularly
kept up by foreign governments. II was
only natural, he argued. that the military
attaches should accuse Esterhazy but
they knew the traitor had been in the
very heart of the citadel, in the genera
staff 1.-THE traitor" he exclaimed. lis
not Esterhazy, but Dreyfus." Here Capt
Dreyfus lost his self-control Starting to
his feet, he violently aposuophzed Cuig
net.
But Cuignet did not seem stung to an