The Topeka state journal., 1899-08-09
THE SECOND DAY.
Of the Trial of Dreyfus as Reviewed
by Emily Crawford.

Copyright, 1889, by Associated Press.)
Rennes. Aug. 9.-Matrie Demange, the
principal counsel for Captain Dreyfus.
expressed himself as well satisfied with
yesterdays proceeding. Colonel Jou-
aust had to play the part of a severe
judge, but if his voice was rude and
his manner rough toward the prisoner,
his eye was kind and there were no at
tempts to press home the points raised
by the indictments.
M. Chanoine, the custodian of the fam
Gus secret dossier, said it would take
four days to examine it, as the examin-
alton would be behind closed doors, and
most of the witnesses have gone to the
easide-GeneraI De Boisdeffre to Di-
nard and General DiOnne to Param.
General NIercier remains here, the guest
of General Saint Germaine, who tells
his friends to be prepared for SenSa-
tiOnaI evidence that must crush Drey-
fus and many others with him. M
Cavagniac talked at lie Mars on his
way here. He said he expected two
coups de theatre. We now hear that
one will be an avowal by General Billot
that he said on his soul and conscience
Dreyfus was a traitor because he was
misled. The other will be MERCER
driven to bay. The latter will issue
from this trial ruined if DreyfIs is ac-
quilted. I hear he intends to throw
a searchlight on the secret councils of
the Depuy government, of which he
was a member in 1894, and to show
what diplomatic wires were pulled be-
tween the arrest of Dreyfus and his
embarkation for Cayenne. Mercier re-
fuses to be interviewed. He looks bowed
down from care. General BillOt, on the
other hand. seems to have taken out a
new lease of life. He, also, is eX-
tremely reticent, as indeed are all the
witnesses of note.
NJ Jaures arrived last night. He
claims to know much that is in the Sc
cret dossier. An intercepted corre-
spondence between two military at
,f7-
is said by Jaures to be a shame to hu-
man nature. These two officers wrote
under feminine names and in a strain
that might have shocked the young
courtiers of Nero or the ribald crowd
that gathered around Lots house in
the doomed city. Possibly-nay, prob
ably-the attaches in question never
wrote these scented AnacreCntic billets,
for such they are. lie Mercier Picard
was equal to the task of forging them
and he possibly did forge them for a
pecuniary consideration; hence, per-
haps, the mystery in which his suicide
is shrouded
The counsel fro Dreyfus met today at
his wife's residence with the heads of
the Dreyfusite party and consulted on
the present aspect of the affair. They
went there after they had examined the
document of the secret doSSier in the
judges room. They do not seen any
possibility of repeating the Judgment of
1894. Dreyfus was greatly fatigued
after yesterdays ordeal. He asked
anxiously today what the press and
public thought and was led to think
that public opinion was generally favor
able. This is true. The representa-
tives of nationalist journals here, who
judge harshly in print. express admir-
alton for the unfinching constancy he
has displayed.
Leading personages here for the trial
have much to say about the late Cen
eraI Annenkoff and Baron Frederick in
connection with Dreyfus, but General
MERCER and NJ. Hanotaus, former min
lister of foreign affairs, refuse to speak
on the subject. NJ. Hamotaux looks
detected. It will be curious to see
whether he and Mercier contradict each
other.
There seems danger that all evidence
relating to foreign diplomats win be
given with closed doors. The public
trial will be resumed on Saturday
Dreyfus, a member of his family tells