The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-08-09
ACQUITTAL OF DREYFUS
MEANS MERGERS RUIN
General Billot May Acknowledge That
He Wronged the
Exile

Copyrighted, 1899 by the Associated Press.
RENNES, Frence, Aug. 8.-Maitre De-
mango, the principal counsel for Captain
Dreyfus. expressed himself as well salts
fed with yesterdays proceedings. Colonel
Jouaust had to play the part of severe
Judge. but though his voice was rude and
his manner rough toward the prisoner mis-
eye was kind and there was no attempt
to press home the points raised by the in
dictment.
NJ Chamoine, the custodian of the
famous secret dossier, said it would take
four days to examine it. as the eXamina-
tion would be behind closed doors and
most of the witnesses have gone to the
seaside-General de Boisdeffre to Dinard
and General Dionne to Param. General
MERCER remains here, the guest of Cen
eral Saint German, who tells his friends
to be prepared for sensational news that
must crush Dreyfus and many others with
him.
NJ. Cavaignac 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 Mercier driven to bay. The
latter will issue from this trial ruined if
Dreyfus is acquitted. ] hear he intends
to throw a searchlight on the secret coun-
ellis of the Dupuy government, OF when
he was member in 1894, and to show
what diplomatic wires were pulled be-
tween the arrest of Dreyfus and his en-
barkation for Cayenne Mercier refuses
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
is also extremely reticent as, indeed are
all the witnesses of note.
M. Jaures arrived last night. He claims
to know much that is in the secret dos
sier An intercepted correspondence be-
tween two military attaches who were
mixed UP in the affair is, said by Jaures
to be a shame to human nature. Ihese
two officers wrote under feminine names
and in a strain that might not have
shocked the young courtiers of Nero or
the ribald crowd that gathered around
Lots house in the doomed city. Possibly
nav probably, the attaches in question
never wrote these scented anacreontic bill
lets. for such they are. lie Mercier Pick
ard was equal to the task of forging them
and he possibly did forge them for pc
cuniary consideration. Hence, perhaps
the mystery in which his suicide is
shrouded.
The counsel for Dreyfus met to-day 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 docu-
ments of the secret dossier in the Judges
room They do not see any possibility of
repeating the judgment of 1894.
Dreyfus was greatly fatigued after
yesterdays ordeal. He asked anxiously
to-day what the press and public thought
and was led to think that opinion is gen
orally favorable. This is true. The rep
resentatives of nationalist journals here
who judge harshly in print express ad-
miration for the unfiinching constancy
he has displayed Leading personages here
for the trial have much to say about the
late General Annenkoff and Baron Fred
erick in connection with Dreyfus, but
General Mercier and M Hanotaux, for
mer Minister of Foreign Affairs, refuse
to speak on the subject. M. Hanotaux