Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-08-08

RENNES. August 1.-THE proceed
lngs of the court-martial before WhlcR
CAPTAIN Dreyfus is on trial, opened
at 10 minutes past 7 o'clock this morn
ing. Captain Dreyfus entered the
court room with firm step, though MS
features were pallid He is partly
bald, and what hair he has is gray and
close cropped.
He answered the formal questions OF
the judge as to his name, age, ETC., III
a clear, determined voice. He sat
facing the judges with his hands rest
ing on his knees, an impressive figure.
The trial opened, so far as Rennes is
concerned, in an atmosphere OF per-
feet tranquility. The population is ap-
parently Indifferent. Only small
crowd, at the most fifty persons, had
gathered outside the entrance to the
Lycee by o'clock. A majority OF
these were journalists. The project OF
police and the chief of the secret
police, Viguier, arrived just before b,
and began the superintendent OF
police measures. At this time only
half a dozen of gendarmes were visible.
They were stationed at the portal OF
the Lycee and inside the garden in
front of the Lycee, which is separated
from the sidewalk of the Avenue de la
Care by a high iron railing, which no
one was allowed to pass until Dreyfus
prison to the room within the Lycee
building, where he was to await the
moment when he should be summoned
to enter the court room.
Strong detachments of gendarmes, on
foot and mounted, began to arrive at
o'clock and took up their positions in
the side streets around the Lycee. AT
6:15 the project of police gave the Or
der to close the avenue de la Care for
three hundreds yards in front of the
Lycee, and also all by streets leading
to the avenue The gendarmes were
Immediately drawn up along the ave-
nue. and the space in front OF the Lycee
was cleared of all spectators.
A DETACHMENT OF INFANTRY
was drawn across the avenue in two
double lines, leaving between passage
for Captain Dreyfus across the avenue
from the military prison to the en-
trance to the Lycee.
The crowd, which by that time had
increased to a few hundred. was kept
by the gendarmes at a distance of one
hundred and fifty yards on either side
of this passage Captain Dreyfus emery
ed from the military prison under es-
cort of lieutenant and four gendarmes.
He crossed the railroad quickly and
disappeared within the Lycee, the hedge
of soldiers hiding him from view.
The principal personages in the trial
arrived between $50 and o'clock. The
generals passed with hardly "a cheer
from the spectators, General Mercier
alone being greeted with few
cries of "Vive IArme' and "Vive
MERCER" as he drove up in a
closed carriage. Lieutenant Colonel
Picquart arrived on foot at $50, wear
ing a silk hat and black frock coat
with the red ribbon of the Legion OF
Honor in the buttonhole. No demon
stration was made upon his arrival;
but he appeared to be in most cheer
full mood, smiling and chatting with
friends, and if he may be judged by his
bearing, he is sanguine of favorable
issue of the trial.
The scene inside the court room was
most animated Every inch of space
was filled quarter of an hour before
the proceedings opened.
The large, airy, well-lighted room in
which the trial takes place is in the
FORM OF A CONCERT HALL
with d stage and proscenium. The
platform of the stage has been brought
forward beyond the footlights. The
room is painted light brown, with the
names of famous Bretons, such as LIZ
Sage, Renan and Chateaubriand in
scribed in golden letters on an orna
mental band about midway between the
floor and ceiling
A long table, covered with dark, blut
cloth, was ranged in front of the stage
behind which were the seats of the
members of the courtmartial. A high
backed arm chair has been provided fol
the president. The seats were of pol
ished mahogany and were upholstered
in dark, red cloth.
Behind the members of the court sa
the supplementary judges, who mus
attend all sittings and be able to re
place any member who may fall i'll, O.
otherwise unable to be present Be