The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1899-09-16
SKETCH OF DEMANGE.
Accent of Truth in His Plea More
Impressive Than Eloqucnce.

Accent of Truth in His Plea More
Impressive Than t:loqucnce.
New York, Sept. 9.-Marcel Provost,
New York Herald correspondent at
Rennes, gives the following pen picture
of Demange:
Maitre Demange, whose splendid
speech for the defence will, / hope, be
read by all the world over has the face
and outward appearance generally OF q
wealthy French farmer. Take off his
lawyers gown, put in its place II of
those fine, shining blue blouses
adorned with embroidery that . are
worn by the well-to-do peasants Of the
Beauce and Berri, and you will have
before you the classical type OF the RI
raj land owner as he was described, for
instance, in the rustic romances of
George Sand.
He has the robust form of the French
farmer. His expansive, high colored
c~ountenance is framed in grayish
whiskers. His eyes are placid and ut
the same time harbor a spice of cum
ming. The lips are sensual. \ perma-
nent but slightly marked smile con-
tracts the corners of the carefully
shaved chin. His gestures are ample
and modulated. His i%ntonation is very
clear, but none the less u. little
trified. His phrasing admits the alb
breviutions, all the familiurities Of
pronunciation of the spoken language;
there is no affectation, no apparent re-
search after eloquence.
In the first words he uttered he in
formed the judges it would be so. What
is marvellous in his speech and what is
worth more than all the tricks of rhet-
oric is the accent of truth which in
forms it. A speech of such manifest
sincerity would almost suffice Of itself,
without there being any need of back
ing it by minute arguments.
But Maitre Demange is a dialectician
of the highest order. He spoke to the
judges us if he were addressing intel
lects accustomed to mathematical de-
auctions. His discourse was n veritable
succession of theorems, advanced with
q solid demonstration.
l.. lie himself had perceived and was
able to tell the court in no conciliatory
tones that the military witnesses and
the famous ministers of war We're
prejudiced witnesses, blinded by the
desire of preventing u revision which
they believed to be injurious to the
army.
2. He made the court feel that all
the dispositions Of n strongly marked
tendency which might have had a
''raison Dire in the court of cassa-
ton inquiry, where a proof of inno-
cence was being sought for, could have
no value here before u court-martial
which is seeking a proof of guilt. In.
what respect, indeed, did those deposit
tons prove that Dreyfus was II traitor?
3. With marvellous skill he demon
strated that, despite the legitimate
suspicion attaching to the denials, ne
well as to the declarations that had
come from diplomatic quarters, it was
still not possible to suppose that the
military attaches had lied to their SUI
periors, and thereby exposed them
selves to frightful m~isadventure.
Now, to summarize. the in
quiry by the Italian govern
mcnt had elected this reply from
the attache: "You can deny all rela-
tons with Dreyfus, but don't mention
E%sterhazy." Was that not an acknowl-
ment of Esterhazy's guilt?
4. He made admirable capital of
the Schneider document. That doeu-
ment proves that the German and Ital-
ian attaches began to deny the guilt OF
Dreyfus Immediately after the pnblica-
ton of the bordereau in a Paris news
paper. Consequently they acknowl-
edged that the document did not come
from Dreyfus.
Such are the most salient features OF
the illustrious advocates speech. His
main idea is, briefly, this: You nrestoo
honest people to condemn a man with
ont proof. Now I defy you to discover
a proof.