The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-08-20
AN ANTI-DREYFUS DAY.
Cuignet, Boisdeffre and Gonse, Officers of
General Staff, Tell Their Versions of
the Scandal-No Important Evil
dence Adduced Against Pris-
oner-Outbreak in Court.

Copyright, 1899, The Associated Press,)
Rennes Aug. 1s Opinions differ as
to what the judgment of the Dreyfus
tribunal will be. Townspeople who
know well Gen. German and Gen. Lu
cas- of this army corps, think the de-
cision will be against the accused. On
the other hand, at the Hotel Modere,
which is now the great conversational
news center, the idea prevails Of re-
luctant judgment in his favor.
The tribunal certainly shares the
feelings of the military witnesses, but
there are signs of coming round. 1 no
ticed a member of the court martial
watching Dreyfus today with an ex-
preston Of compassionate interest.
Then again, Col Jouaust, the presi-
dent, did not rebuke him for apostro-
phising Captain Cuignet, who led the
procession of military witnesses today,
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 nationalists make Of Schneider and
Panizzardi kilograms to inf1ame patri-
mands the full publication of the Sc
cret dossier, so as TO heap disgrace on
the military attaches and the illustri-
Gus German prince involved, a prince
who lived long in Paris. l should not
be surprised at tie. This would en-
able the prisoner to leave the court a
free man, but would show that half the
judges believed him guilty.
The Schneider letter, or telegram, is
,ka.l all rfs.- toe nc
an attempt to cast odium on the French
army. 1t ought to benefit the prisoner
but does not. Military men say it will
set the face of the court martial hard
err against him.
The majority seem to adopt Captain
Cuignets opinion. 1t is thought,
though not. expressed, thus: That the
military attaches have behaved abom-
inably in the Dreyfus affair; that the
French government is in possession of
numerous specimens of Schneider's
handwriting; that the document in
which Gen. MERCER put belief will bear
every test; and that it has been accept
ed by every minister of war since 1894,
and been compared with letters written
to six of them by Col. Schneider.
Captain Cuignet spoke with a hollow
voice quite different from that in which
some days ago he made his virulent at
ever was as assertive as before, though
his language was less so. He is fair,
sandy-haired man with a big red NOUS
tache and a resonant, metallic voice,
good for command. He is among the
few military witnesses who have depos-
ed while standing.
Today his task was to destroy the ef-
feet of the questions of Maitre De-
mango, and to set up a defence against
ba ne.C
Cuignet was in fourth bureau of the
general staff when Dreyfus was in an
other bureau there, but not under his
orders. They were both engaged in
calculating what work invasion would
throw on the railways but were engage
ed on different lines.
Dreyfus, Cuignet said, constantly
came to him for information which he
bad no cause to. Cuignet kept refus-
ing until he was tired out by the i'm
portunities Of the accused, Then by de-
grees, he gave him, Cuignet deposed,
all the notes he himself had made.
Dreyfus, according to the witness,
never returned the notes. When search
was made at his home, they we1e not
found. What had become of them?
Dreyfus was not the man to cast them
away lCuignet's insinuation was that
they were sent to Berlin. The conclu-
of the court martial made note of 1t.
Cuignet then defended Esterhazy
against Picquart, and next against Du
Patty de Clam. He gave fresh peeps at
the secret military dossier in which
are many ordinary letters from women
opinions on public men, and tittle-tattle
of spy sort.
Cuignet said he was sorry the court
had not examined this voluminous dos
sier which poured a deal of light, on
"spies of different categories, including
military attaches" The latter, he re-
marked, were far from being the only
spies regularly kept up by foreign gov
ernments. 1t was only natural, he ar
gued, that the military attaches should
accuse Esterhazy, but they knew the
traitor had been in the very heart of
the citadel, in the general staff; ''the
traitor" he declared, lis not Esterhazy.
but Dreyfus."
Here Captain Dreyfus lost his self
control. Starting to his feet, he vio-
lently apostrophized Culgnet. If he mad
been a fish torpedo he could not have
seemed more charged with electricity
But Cuignet did not seem stung to an
ger Cool as a toad, he went on with
ured and slow. He constantly drank
sweetened water TO moisten his palate
In speaking Of Col Picquart, he said
that nature intended him for a novel;
st that he was first rate at the con-
struction of a plot; that Gaborieau
did not touch him in this respect: and
that Picquarts deductions showed "ro-
mantle invention bordering on genius
No new fact was brought forward by
Captain Cuignet, and every one tired
Of him. When he turned to Col. Schnie-