The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-08-31
EXPECTED.
Military Splitting Up Into Many Coteries
Said That De Boisdeffre Will Be
Made a Scapegoat- Many Think
MERCER Will Admit Ester
hazy Wrote. Bordereau.

Rennes Aug. SO-The air of Rennes
this evening is filled with rumors of
conspiracies and predictions of coups
de theatre, but nothing precise can be
ascertained. Gen. Mercier's attitude
during the last few days has mystifled
his followers in the case. He is ex-
tremely clever, and the general feeling
is that he is preparing something, the
existence of which will be revealed in a
few days.
1t is now accepted as beyond question
that there is a serious division of opin-
ion on the part of the generals. While
the case was running smoothly against
Capt. Dreyfus they all pulled together,
but since the tide of evidence began to
turn in his favor, as was notably the
case during the testimony of Capt.
Freystaetter and Col. Cordier, which
proved much more damaging to the
general staff than the latter anticipat-
| ed certain dividing lines have become
manifest between the various ciques.
| Gen. Roget, Maj. Lauth, Capt. Cuig-
net and M. Gribelin, principal keeper of
coterie, Gen. Mercier and Gen. Gonse
form another and Gen. Billot and Gen.
De Boisdeffre a third. According to
one report the first two coteries intend
to throw over Gen. De Boisdef1re, whom
they feel to be faltering, and declare
that he is responsible, for all the errors
and illegalities of the court-martial of
1894, thus making him the scapegoat.
According to another report, Gen. Ro-
get, who was not implicated in 1894, and
who even fought against Dreyfus be-
cause he inherited from hts predecessors
the responsibility for so doing and
placed overconfidence in the accounts
of the matter furnished him by the gen.
eral staff, will cut himself loose from
Gems MERCER, Gonse and De Boisdeffre.
This is a plausible hypothesis, since
Roget has assumed throughout the role
of defender Of the army thus making
himself popular with the army and
large section of the. nation, and he pro-
badly would not lose by separating
himself from the wrong-doers OF 1894
and declaring that his opinion had been
changed by the evidence given during
the present trial
Yet another story is that the generals
are going to give way on the author
ship of the bordereau in view of the
strong expert evidence and will admit
that Esterhazy wrote 1t, alleging, how
ever that Dreyfus furnished the in
formation, not direct to Esterhazy, but
to third person, who acted as inter-
mediary without Dreyfus knowing Es-
terhazy.
In this connection it was asserted
this afternoon that Madame Rastian,
who was housekeeper for Colonel
Schwartzkoppen, the German military
attache in 1894, and who Is understood
to have acted as a French spy, has been
seen in Rennes and will be summoned
as witness concerning Schwartzkop-
pens espionage system.
ALI these rumors may be without
foundation, but in any event they are
symptomatic of the feeling in Rennes
that something is going on under the
surface and that. the complexion of the
trial may be altered by some coup at
any moment
In the matter of evidence today was
quite Dreyfus day, only the deposition
of the last witness, Gen. Deloye, being
unfavorable. The testimony of M. Pr
cot, member of the institute, is little
likely, however, to serve the cause of
the accused materially, If at all, be-
cause his Introduction of Col Schnei-
der, the Austrian military attache, as
a champion of Dreyfus, was rather
calculated to arouse resentment and
adversely influence the judges, espe-
cially as it was followed by Gen Ro-
gets tactful protest against Col
Schneideris uncomplimentary illusions
to French officers
Tomorrow's proceedings behind closed
doors will deal with the question wheth-
er Capt DreyfuS was in a position 10
divulge the information regarding the
artillery which was promised in the
bordereau. The session will be very
important and is bound to have a tre-
mendous influence upon the judges one
way or the other, because they are all
artillery officers and will be able to APP
preciate such evidence better than the
Topographic intricacies that have
been laid before them by the handwrit-
ing experts.
The Dreyfusards express confidence
that their artillery witnesses, Maj
Hartman and Maj. Ducres, will effect
ually satisfy the judges that Dreyfus
was ignorant of the matters mentioned
in the bordereau, or, as an artillery Of
ficer, would not have been guilty of
stating the errors which 1t contained.
The court room continues crowded.
and quite number Of ladies now sue
coed in obtaining admission. Town
loafers are making regular business
of forming queue outside the entrance
to the public park and court room as
early as 2 or o'clock in the morning
and selling places at from to francs,
according to position. The ordinary
public, arriving at or 6 in the morn