The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-09-09

! Appeal for the Accused, and M.
LabOri Decides to Remain Silent,
for Fear of Further Irritating the
Members of the Court-Martial--
Closing Scenes In Famous Case.
| RENNES, Sept. 8-That Capt Dreyfus
will be condemned is the almost universal
| opinion heard in Rennes tonight. Hith-
| erto there had always been q divergence,
but now both camps, the Dreyfusards
| and the anti-Dreyfusards, seem unani-
nous in. the conviction that the verdict
will go against him.
Upon just what this Is based and the
precise reason for the conclusion are
| mystery, but there is no Disgusting the
| fact that, from M Labori down to the
numerous Dreyfusards who crowd the ho-
| tells and cafes and who last night were
| still hopeful that Dreyfus would be saved,
all seem now to agree that his last
| chance is gone. The one source of hope
| is M. Labori himself, who said this even
| ing to the correspondent of the Associ-
| ated Press:
1--WE fear that Capt. Dreyfus will be
condemned, but We do not intend to
| throw UP the sponge. We shall go on
| fighting for him.
M. Jaures, the Socialist leader, and
| other prominent Dreyfusards expressed
| a similar opinion. Excitement is at fever
| heat and nothing is discussed but the
verdict Of tomorrow.
The military precautions are of the
most elaborate character, and no attempt
| at disorder is likely to have the slightest
| success. Orders have been issued to re-
press the first symptom of trouble with
an iron hand.
| A small anti-Semitic meeting was held
here this evening and the complete calm
| that attended it is an Indication of a quiet
Gay tomorrow. Strong forces Of gen.
darmes guarded the approaches to the
| building where the meeting was held and
their orders were to arrest the first man
| who raised seditious cry. Nothing,
! however, occurred. Indeed, the inhabi-
! tants of the town seem Indifferent, and
the neighborhood of the Lycee and the
streets are deserted save for a few gen.
| darmes.
The news of the publication Of Count
! Won Buelow's note in the Reichsanzeiger
reached Rennes tonight, and is consid-
| cred very important, on the eve Of ver-
| dict, which, in some quarters, 1t ts
thought, will be regarded as a slight by
Germany if it be ignored. as being tanta-
mount to a pure refusal to take the word
| of Emperor William as his minister is
| purely mouthpiece.
| According to the latest report the ver-
dict may be delivered between 8 and 5
| o'clock tomorrow afternoon, the court
! adjourning after NJ Demange's speech
until 8 o'clock.
There Is some criticism of M. Labori's
decision not to speak, the friends of M.
| Dcmange thinking it his object to escape
| the share of responsibility in the event
| of a verdict of condemnation. M. De-
| mango, having once seen Dreyfus con-
| demned under his advocacy, would natu-
rally like M. Labori to share the criti-
cism this time, especially as M. Labori
has assumed such an important part in
| the proceedings.
AN ELOQUENT APPEAL.
Among the privileged spectators today
was Baron Russell of Killowen, lord chief
| justice of England, who was conducted
| to a seat by Gen. Chanoine and M. Paleo-
logue, of the French foreign office. The
lord chief justice was seated at the back
Of the judges table. He came here from
Paris, where he has attended the sessions
! of the Anglo-Venezuelan boundary arbi-
| tration commission, in order to see some
thing of the trial
| Maitre Demange at once opened his
| speech for the defense. In eloquent terms
and with impressive delivery he brought
out strong evidence against Esterhazy.
| During the course of his remarks he
cried:
| do you think If Dreyfus and Ester
hazy had been before the court-martial Of
1894 that the court would have condemn
ed Capt. Dreyfus?"
| AS he asked this question, counsel
pointed to the prisoner sitting before him
| and added:
NO
Dreyfus today appeared cheerful. He
smiled and shook hands with his counsel
| on entering the court The English chief
| justice followed the speech of M. De-
mango with the closest attention. The
| lawyer gave a very fine performance, so
far as the audience were concerned. His
voice was eXquisitely modulated, some
| times soft and persuasive and at other
times sharply argumentative. Finally he
filed the room with his stentorian tones
as he thundered with indignation at the
charges against Dreyfus and the shame
| full weakness of the prosecution Instituted
| against Esterhazy. The gestures and
features of M Demange were equally ef-
/ fective.
The front seats of the chief witnesses
were empty, except for the presence OF
M. TrarieuX, former minister of justice,
and M Cavaignac, former minister of
war, all the generals and officers having
left Rennes by order of the minister OF
war, Gen. de Gallifet. Col. Picquart has
also left Rennes, although he holds no
rank in the army.
Dreyfus listened to the Grafton of M.
| Demange with mask of tmpassabili
resembling his frozen attitude during the
first days of the trial. Whatever the pris-
| oner's feelings were as he heard M. De-
| mange's plea in his behalf he carefully
| concealed them.
PRISONERS PROTESTATIONS.
M. Demange dilated upon the prison
er's increasing protestations of innocence
! and his touching letters to his family,
| exclaiming:
| 'In them you see his soul, which
| speaks. Alone in his tomb he communes
with himself He cher1shes the hope Of
seeing his innocence acknowledged.
| Among the letters of Dreyfus read by
| M. Demange was one in which, after as
| sertfng his innocence and declaring he
always served the tricolor with devotion
| and honor, the prisoner complained that
| he was treated on Devils island like an
| ordinary convict. It concluded with, the
| words:
1T wish to live"
t'That Is a soldiers SOUL" exclaimed M.
! Demange. "and 1t Is that man you call a