The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1899-09-06
ROPES. General Editor
The Dreyfus Trial.

I've CIus IL 10 Nv iSooh P'OSNO-5
speedily to lis close. Confidence is ex-
pressed that the testimony will be com
pleted the work.
What will the verdict be? is the query
raised on every hand. Truth has been
marchiog on at Rennes in the later in-
cidents of the trial. IL has become
clear to all who have followed the de-
velopments of the trial that Dreyfns
did not write the bordereau, whatever
else he may have done; but from the
constant recurrence of the prosecution
to this point, and The volume of evil
dence sought for and against the &C
cusation that Dreyfus was the author
of the document, it has been plain that
the truth or falsity of this charge is the
main consideration in the minds of the
Judges. They have followed with
closet interest all the evidence, good,
bad and indifferent, on this point, from
that of the experts in handwriting who
have stood by their original testimony
that the handwriting was or was not
the handwriting of Dreyfus, or of those
who at the first trial testified adversely
but have since reversed their judgment
on this point, down to the absurd and
worthless demonstrations of Bertilon,
the scientist, that the document was
the work of the prisoner.
Expert testimony has been produced
to show that the bordereau was the
work of Esterhazy, and witnesses who
held the belief in 1894 that it was writ
ten by Dreyfus now express the con-
viction that the hand which wrote the
instrument was Esterhazy's. 1t has not
been shown that the documents emu
merated in the bordereau, all or singly,
were ever delivered to foreign power
by Dreyfus or any body else. Germany,
the power to which it was believed or
charged the information enumerated in
the bordereau had been conveyed, has
denied any knowledge whatever OF the
documents in question 1t is therefore
beleved-or hoped-that the judges
will find in these circumstances reason
for acquitting Dreyfus without neces-
sarily condemning their superiors on
the general staff.
But this issue of the trial would not
satisfy Generals MERCER, Roget, Gonse
and others who are seeking the con-
domination OF Dreyfus. Events of the
past few days have rendered this cabal
of army officers desperate. AS had al
ready been surmised, it is now again
intimated that, in the stress OF existing
circumstances they may abandon their
contention that Dreyfus was the author
of this bordereau and insist that the
accused was co-conspirator with Es-
terhazy and others. At the time this
move was first suggested it seemed
quite incredible, as it would be receiv
ed as confession that the case of the
generals had completely collapsed.
Respecting pending contingencies OF
the trial the correspondent of the New
York Sun, writing from Rennes, says:
Suppose that witness Of prominence
should declare that Dreyfus, Esterhazy and
WE'LL were co-traitors. Suppose two days
later the Judge, who was appointed on ap-
plication of Major Carriere, the government
prosecutor, to take the testimony OF Du
Patty de Clam, should in bringing his depo-
sition, inform the judges that it was a
death-bed revelation to the court, and it
should declare that the three traitors were
Dreyfus, Esterhazy and WE'LL. There
would be one inevitable effect. The pres
ent court martial would no longer be able
to partially evade responsibility by decid-
ing the case on the bordereau alone. They
would be compelled to meet the full issue.
They would have to condemn the whole
general staff or condemn Dreyfus. Have
these seven men the tremendous moral
courage requisite for an honest verdict in
such circumstances?
What shall be said of the 6endish ingenu
ity and stupendous audacity which are Gre
sting this situation2 II the judges should
yield to such devilish, but almost over
whelming influence from the heads OF thei
profession in the face of such evidence o
the prisoners innocence as has been pro
duced during the past two or three days, i
would be almost enough to precipitate an
archy in France. Impartial observers, how
ever, maintain their faith In the honesty o
the seven men sitting as judges at thi
court-martial, but the above description o
possible situation does not exaggerate tn
terrible dilemma in which they may b
placed.
The correspondent writes that Drey
fus' defenders expect to be compelle,
to meet exactly the situation above de
scribed, and that it is possible they ar
armed with weapons for the complet
destruction of the plot and the plotters
1t is possible that the tables will b
turned upon the conspirators by tn
production from the war Office at Rom
of the original documents of treaso
with their source indicated beyond