The San Francisco call., 1899-08-20

Il people VINO KNOW well G6nerdl
Germain and General Lucas of
the army corps think the decision will
be against the accused. On the other
hand at the Hotel Modere which is
now the great conversational news CEN.
ter, the idea prevails of a reluctant
judgment in his favor.
The tribunal certainly shares the feel
ings of the military witnesses, but
there are signs of coming around. l
noticed a member of the court martial
watching Dreyfus to-day with an ex-
preston of compassionate interest.
Then, again, Colonel Jouaust. the presi-
dent, did not rebuke him for apostro-
phizing Major Cuignet, who led the pro-
cession of military witnesses to-day.
nor order him. as he was won't to do.
not TO speak until he was addressed.
Maitre Demange is more hopeful. al
though acknowledging the perverse use
the Nationalsts make of the Schneider
and PaniZzardi kilograms to inf1ame
patriotic sentiment. That party now
demands the full publication of the
secret dossier so as to heap disgrace
on the military attaches and the illus
trious German Prince involved a Prince
who lived long in Paris.
l should not be surprised at a tie.
This would enable the prisoner to leave
the court free man, but would show
that half the judges believed him
guilty.
The Schneider letter or telegram is
resented by all but the Dreyfusites as
an attempt to cast odium on the French
army 1t ought to benefit the prisoner,
but does not Military men say it
would set the face of the court-martial
harder against him.
The majority seem to adopt Cuignet's
opinion. 1t is thought, though not ex-
pressed, thus: That the military at
taches have behaved abominably in the
Dreyfus affair; that the French Gov
ernment is in possession of numerous
specimens of Schneider's handwriting;
that the document on which General
Mercier relied will be a severe test and
that it has been accepted by every
Minister of War since 1894 and been
compared with letters written to six
of them by Colonel Schneider.
Cuignet spoke with a hollow voice,
quite different from that in which some
days ago he made his virulent attack
on Dreyfus. His attitude, however,
language was less so. He is a fair,
sandy-haired man, with big red mus
tache and a resonant. metallic voice,
good for command. He is among the
few military witnesses who have de-
posed while standing.
To-day his task was to destroy the
effect of the question Of Maitre De-
mango and to set up again the demol
ished theory of General Mercier. Cuig
net was in the fourth bureau of the
general staff when Dreyfus was in an
other bureau there, but not under his
orders They were both engaged in cal
culating what work invasion would
throw on the railways, but were en-
gagged on different lines.
Dreyfus. he said, constantly came to
him for information which he had no
cause to do. Cuignet kept refusing un-
til he was tired out by the opportunities
of the accused. Then, by degrees, he
gave him, Cuignet deposed, all the
notes he himself had made. Dreyfus,
according to the witness, never re-
turned the notes. When search was
made at his home they were not found.
What had become of them? Dreyfus
was not the man to cast them away.
Cuignet's insinuation was that they
were sent to Berlin. The conclusion
was far fetched, but the members of
the court martial made note of it.
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-tat
tie of spicy sort. CuIgnet said he
was sorry the court had not examined
this voluminous dossier, which proved
a deal of light. sometimes crude light
ION spies of different categories, in
cluding military attaches" The latter.
he remarked, were far from peing the
only spies regularly kept up by foreign
Governments. 1t was only natural, he
argued, 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
1.-The traitor" he exclaimed. 'is not