The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-09-10
THE LAST SESSION.
Maitre Demange's Final Plea Mae
terpieoe of Oratory.

Maitre Demange's Final Plea Mas
terpieoe of Oratory.
Rennes, Sept. 9.-The appearance on
the streets when Rennes awoke this
morning left no doubts in the minds of
any one that thesf1nal crisis Of the great
triad had been reached. Instead Of
scattered gendarrnes guarding the vi
cinity Of the prison and the Lycee, the
whole town bristled with soldiers, all
the streets near the court were guarded
at intervals-by double lines of infantry,
| two companies of infantry sat on the
church steps adjoining the Lycee, with
their arms stacked in front of them,
Wnllei in the courtyard of the prison and
at various other points cavalry could
be seen in readiness.
Everyone entering the court was sub
Jeeted to the closest scrutiny, Even the
women who attended the session were
| deprived of their small sunshades boz
fore being permitted to pass A larger
Ecrowd than usual witnessed the pas
| sage OF Dreyfus from the prison to the
Lyoee. But the crowds were nowhere
large, and, aside from the presence of
the military, the town was as TRANQUIL
as usual. The morning of the day
| WAAANh was " QCC1uG the tate OF Drew
| rus broke dull and cheerless, and the
court room was filled with a cold, un
sympathetic light, which lent sadness
| 10 the proceedings. This was enhanced
by the grave aspect of the audience.
The faces of the judges also reflected
the solemnity Of the occasion.
The session of the trial opened at Z. 30
a. m. Nine Labor was among the
few women present and in the press
seats there were only about 50 report
ers. The prisoner looked flushed and In
health, apparently suffering from
the great strain.
M. Demange resumed his speech eor
the defence which was interrupted yes
terday by the adjournmeaa& Of thu csonrt
The audience listened to f,fs rex1,s, ,.l.s
with the most serious attention and he
was. also closely followed by the Judges.
In his appeal to them he strongly ar
ceqtnated the words, why, you uaust
not say a thing is a possibility. A judkN
must have proof. No doubt must rest
on the conscience of a Judge"
Baron Russell of kilIoween. tina .Iord
chief justice of England, was again
present. Among the prominent wit
nesses only Senator Trarieux, the. FOR
mer minister of Justice, remained Seat
co IN the.front row Of the witness seats.
me silence was only broken by the
ISSSasionai rusthng of reparter's note
| $50 hGA6A VI Gil aIJ1ltGrX morse
pfcketed in the street beside the r,vcae
NOW and then there was the sound az
the rafting of a rife or the clanline- ~
tne sword of some officer hastily or1zs-
ing the courtyard where the tyoons
We're stationed. NJ Demange cor1ffnnysd
ms plea until the court suspended IA
session at 10 o'clock, at which t3r.a d
was announced that counsel wrAxi1 rsaS
another hour to conclude his sneacb
aIter which the judges, Il was added
would retire to consider their verdict
loud clapping of hands greeted The
Soncluslon of M. Demange's finely de-
nYered peroration.
Dregfus, however, appeared inpass-
I'VE. But as he left the stage. he az.
claimed to those around him: IT am
not guilty" The prisoners hearers ~
pied with cries Of ''Coura9es UCrlrazay,.
After M. Demange had spoken. Msitra
Labor arose and formally renoI,noad
his right to plead.
The peroration Of M. Demange wa. a
Numbered through the court 'o omS
echoed outside and the officers and
troopers stationed in the coIrtyerd
crowded around the entrance hail
standing on tip-toe TO catch a gItmnss
or the speaker, while inside fba hoIi
many Of the audience sat wiping their
eyes me speech was very skillfully
eeAAA w 60 QGNOLeQ TO 0HnOligh-
ing stone by stone the edifice huiIt IN
py the general staff. going over every
point brought up by the bordereau and
recruiting the arguments Of Gems. Mer-
cler and Roget. The lawyer declared he
ana not believe Henry and Esterhazv
Were accomDlices, otherwise Henry
would have suppressed the bordereau.
put Henry might have given informa-
1lon TO Esterhazy, believing him to be
a man OF honor, and when he discovered
IN 1895, that he had put his hand in that
OF a traitor. he committed forgery upon
which counsel would not dwell for he
mad paid for it with his life.
The counsel, remarking that the hy-
pothesis accepted in 1894 could not now
be maintained, proceeded to infinitely
explain the theories OF the headquar-
tiers STAFF, especially Gen. Roget's,
whose arguments he refuted seriatim.
He similarly analysed the evidence OF
Gen. Mercier, reiterating the arguments
as to the utter improbability of an ar
tillery man employing the incorrect
terms used in the bordereau. in connec-
ton with artillery matters. He then re-