The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-08
ALICE AND DREYFUS.
LEWIS CARROLL's PROPHECY OF
THE GREAT TRIAL.
Clearly the Same Case Was Tried In
Wonderland That is Now Going on
From the New York Tribune.

| that THE Hunting of the Shark is an al |
| iegorcal poem, setting forth. in a fashion |
which only pretends 10 be whimsical the |
sorrows, the struggles. the triumphs and the |
heart-breakng disappointments Of human
life The Young Apollo Club of Boston,
once had ''Jabberwocky' set to music
grand and solemn music-and sang it, sang
all sorts of mysticism and occult meaning
into 1t, while the newspapers printed philo- !
sophical articles about "slithy toves" and |
"uffish thought" OF course, this sort of
criticism has not been confined 10 Eastern
Massachusetts, but it has been said with
much truth that Boston is not a place, but a
state of mind. It never did any good for
Lewis Carroll TO insist that his works
were pure nonsense and that he meant
nothing else in them. A mystic is no l.ss
mystic for not knowing that he is one
But it now becomes clear that a GER
tain portion of one of Mr.. CAROLS books.
namely, "Alices Adventures in Wonder
land" is more than allegorcal or mystic
or philosophic-that II is prophetic. This
portion is the trial scene, and nobody VINO
knows prophecy when he sees one can
possibly read it without noting how 1t por-
tends the affair which at this moment
holds more than any other the astonished
attention of the civilized world. Here is a
bit of the text:
The twelve jurors were ALI writing very
busly on states. What are they doing?"
Alice whispered to the Gryphon. They
can't have anything to put down yet before
the trials begun"
Oh, simple Anglo-Saxon mind, that sup
poses that the men who are to judge their
fellow can have nothing to put down be-
fore the trial is begun. "They order this
matter better in France"
Herald, read the accusation said the
King
on this the White Rabbit blew three
blasts on the trumpet and then unrolled
the parchment scroll, and read as fol-
lows:
The Queen of Hearts, she made some
tarts,
All on a summer day;
The Knave of Hearts, he stole those tarts,
And took them quite awayl
Consider your verdict" the King said
, to the jury
mot vet, not YETI the Rabbit hastily
interrupted. There's a great deal TO
come before that!'
The president of the court, being a
blunt, military man, sees no reason why
any Formally should be observed when
the verdict is a foregone conclusion; but
even in France the lawyers will drag
things out to make pretense of earning
their money, so there has TO be a Ions
trial
The first witness was the Halter. He
came in with teacup in one hand and
a piece of bread and butter in the other.
Il beg pardon, your majestyt," he began,
'for bringing these in: but / hadn't quite
finished my tea when l was sent for"
You ought TO have finished" said the
King. when did you begin?"
The Halter looked at the March Hare,
who had followed him into the court, arm
in arm with the Dormouse. Fourteenth
of March, l think It was" he said.
Fifteenth said the March Hare.
Sixteenth added the Dormouse.
The Halter was obviously a military
witness, and he was shy about giving his
testimony without that appealing glance
for sympathy ard encouragement toward
the line of his friends, which is described
in the papers nearly every day.
Write that down." the King said to the
jury, and the jury eagerly wrote down all
three dates on their states. and then added
|
ings and pence.
In spite of their precautions the military
witnesses do not always agree. They give
three different dates for the same occur
renee, which has nothing to do with the
! case, and the jurors write down all Thu ee
numbers, add them up and reduce the an
swer to shillings and pence, Can there
be doubt that this is just what NJ. Ber-
tillon would have done if he had been
present? 1t is enough to prove anybody In
France guilty of anything.
I'm a poor man, your majesty" the
Halter began in a trembling voice. land I
? hadn't but just begun my tea-not above
week or so-and what with the bread
and butter getting so thin-and the twink
ling of the tea
THE twinkling of what?" said the King.
at began with the tea the Halter re-
piled.
"of course twinkIing begins with IT,"
said the King sharply. do you take me
for a Ounce? Go on!'
I'm a poor man." the Halter went on
r land most things twinked after that-on-
y the March Hare said
: Il didn't" the March Hare interrupted
, in a great hurry.
you did" said the Halter.
Here was a confrontat ion-in Wonderland,
and here is one at Rennes, from dis
patch printed in the Tribune a few days
, ago:
Then the colonel at bay, replied savage
Iy: 81 said only read one document.
t did not say only one document was read"
Capt Freystaetter In
distinct bold voice, told how Col.
Maurel not only read these documents, but
made comemnts on they. ." Gen.
= Mercier at once denied Capt. Freystaet-
, ter's declaration that the Panizzardl dis
match was contained in the dossier. at
Is a ue," he said. Capt. Freystaetler,
however, replied firmly II swear
Z that what l have said is true"
VIII 1t not be hard to make future gen.
erations believe that Lewis Carroll was not
present at the Dreyfus trial? Presently
! the court is thrown into a truly French
| -. s..u.ex, ,,tth bloua and violent Ian.