The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-08-09
THE DREYFUs TRIAL.
Comments on the Proceedings by Mrs.
Crawford

Copyright, 1859, the Associated Press. }
Rsnnss, August 8. .--AIaitre De Mango.
The principal counsel for Capt. Dreyfus,
expresses himself as well satisfied with
yesterdays proceedings. Col. Jouaust
had to play the part of severe Judge;
but II his voice were rude and his man
ner commanding toward the prisoner. bis
eye was kind and there were no attempts
10 press home the points by the indiot-
ment.
M. Chamoin. the custodian Of the IA
nous secret dossier, said it would take
four days to examine 1t. as the examina-
tion would be behind closed doors and
most of the witnesses have. gone to the
seaside, Gen. DeBoisdeffre to Binard and
Gen. Dionne to param. Gen. Msrcier re-
mains here. the guest Of Gen. Saint Ger
main, who rells his friends to he prepared
for sensational evidence that must crush
Dreyfus and many others with him.
NJ. Cavignao talked at lie Mans on his
way here. He said he expet ted two ooups
de theatre. We now hear that one will
be an avownl by 6en Billot that he eaid
on his soul and conscious Dreyfus was
o traitor because he was mislsd. The
other will be Msrcier driven to bay. The
latter will issue from this trial ruined.
IL Dreyfus Is acquitted. Thear he intends
to throw seacnlight on the secret coun-
ellis OF the Dupuy government Of which
be 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 cara.
Gen. Billot on the other hand, seems to
nj awsu.t bar. - lff-
is extremely reticient as indeed are all
the witnesses of note.
Nj. Jaurez only arrived last night. He
claims to know much that is in the Eecret
dossier. An Interrupted correspondence
between two military attaches, who were
mixed up In the affair. is said by Jaurez
to lie shame to human nature. These
two officers wrote under fe eninins names
and In strain that might not have
shocked the young courtiers OF Nero, or
riba!d crowd that Rathere1 around Lut's
horss In the doomed city.
Possible. nay, probably the attachps In
question never wrote these scented biIlets,
for such they are Lemefcier Picard
WAS equal to the task for forging them
and he possibly did forge them for pc
cuniary consideration, hence, perhap the
mystery in which his suicide Is shrouied
9he counsel for Ilreyfus met today ut his
wifo's residence. thu heads of the Dreyl as
OF the affair. They went there after they
bad examined the documents OF the secret
dossier in the judges room. They .
not zee any possibility Of repeating the
Judgement Of 1891.
Dreyfus was greatly fatigrei after yes
terday ordeal. de asked anxiously to-
day what the prsss and public thought,
and WAS led to think that opinion ia gen
orally favorable. This Is true. The repre-
ssntatiyes OF nationalist journals here
who judge harshly In print. express ad-
miratton for the unainehlng con 5tRncy
lie has displayed.
Leading pers1naaes, hers for the trial,
have much TO say about the lats Gan.
AuneEkoff and Baron FTeGerieks in con-
nsction with Dreyfus, but Gen. Mereier
and M. HaDOsaux, former minister Of
foreign nffairs), refuse to speak on the
suoj@ot M. Hano taux looks dsjectei. 1t
will be curious to see whether he and
Mercier contradict each other.
There seems danger that all the eEi-
dence relating TO foreign diplomats will
lie given with closed doors. The public
trial will LIE resumed Saturday.
Dreytus, a member OF his family tells
me, ha, not yet got over his Hip Van
Minkle feeling. He was lost, MS he put
it. He remarked 10 bis wife that he was
astonishsd TO find himself yesterday
watched by the whole world or It's proxies,
though he showed no signs of astonish-
ment. He was thrown in heap by the
searching and. he thought, unfTiendly OK
animation by this president of the court
martial. he had expected mere formal
proceedings.