The Portland daily press., 1899-11-15

7rccssds TO give vivid picture Of how
Dreyfus came 10 Rennss, and sf Che
Journalists from svsry quavtsr Of the
globe installed In sasss near the station,
waiting and waiting. or strsliing silently
round and round tho prison.
"Not . soul not . sound. Yes.
what IL that In the dark
sstewsyi There smerEe w snrss
are they. goings Who ere thsy' One
soir, confrsrssii' falls chssrfully on she
darknem."
MOUND again, round again, round ssd
round and rouud- A sound Of Voices
falls on the ear; Il 10 only q group oil
eonfreres exohsasing caicuiations ~ 70
Brsst--or eisswhess-so Rsnnsa But
bark there IL the rattle Of . csFrians;
on the taving-stones you can hear h The
oshse aide OF tho town. Nearer and nearer
-ah, it has eurned off-no, IL 10 coming
down here; there 10 tbs lamp. THIS way
Il 10 going straight for the prison door !;
run, or you will miss him. IL stsps 81
out. Bon soir. confrsresf he shahly
"Is win be tomorrow.
Six o'eluok In the morning, and he 10
comet
towards me and the street. ten ssconos
ago empty 10 swasming with gendarmss
They form line across the
street. and make . barrier Of carbines
held athwaTt their bodies. They are ell
az pale as death, all LICKING lips dry VITA
exoitement. Back Move on! BACK.
back The carriages now appsar
again round the corner; the gate In this
a. l.. IN he
first carriags rolls on; men jump from the
sroond and rush In after IT, Gendsrines
still on your toes, public still ON
your heels. back, back still bawling
Down your throat and the door Is shut
and Dreyfus ID inside The gendarmes
halt and are tiisnt; their Gordon bars the
street. The crowd resumes It's old oocu-
patton Of looking intsntiy at nothing.
Mine hours Of watching. two minutes
Of sealing. but two minutes OF seeing
almost worth watching for-the best
conceived, nsatest, quickest BIT Of stage
management In the history Of govern
msnt. You rubbed your eyes and won.
dersd II 1t was real; at word you wouia
almost have resumed watching again:
bravo, Msssleurs the authoritiesl We
had seen vwything except Dreyfus.
Then come the scenes Of the trial, and
Mr.. stevens Describes the officers Of the
court and witness after witness. looks.
manner, methods of speech, until one
fssls rs n one were really present. and It
all passes before us like the reality itself.
The adjunots Of the trial, at this late
day, are perhaps more interesting reading
than an account of the trial itself, and
here Mr.. Stssvens is at his best.
He wildly portrays the scene when
General Mercisr faces Dreyfus and says
In icy tones, SIT had the least doubt
Of his guilt, should bs the first to come
to Captain Dreyfus" C"it hoatsd into
my mind" writes Mr.. Stevens, that
this wss almost too cruel for bloodlsss
MerJier)' and "to say to him l was
honestly mist iken."
"God, what was thatp What 10 It.; A
yell fierce and poignant, the bursting Of
furious passion tight pent upi 1t ripped
the nall to split asunder. Dreyfus was
up on his feet, his body bent double,
checked In mid-spring by the offioer's
gentle hard on his arm. his fst pomelling
the air. his head and livid face orsned
forward nt Meroier, his terth bored as
thirsty fer blood. He looked y. II he
would have lesped upon him like
panther but for the touch upon bis arm.
A nd the voice You should say that,
were the words but the voicei None OF
us who heard it will ever describe it-oI
forget IT. Men heard IL that night in
their slsep 1t was half shriek, half sob,
half despair, half snatching hope, half
fire of consuming rage. and half an an
euishsd scream for pity. Before us all
Dreyfus tore his very heart out. de- was
no corpss. Heuceforth all knew what he
was and what he had endured-was still
enduring. Ia six words he told us all
tbs story Of the man fran the Devils
lsland."
This book contains portrait Of Cap
tain Dreyfus and facsimile OF the bor-
dereau, and there Is a valuable appendix
which gives u synopsis Of tho entire case.
from 1894 to 1893; the Act Of Accusation.
which Is the report Of Commandant A.
d Ormescheville; the report OF Conssillei
Bard, Court Of Cessation, October 81,
1898, which 10 the anaysis Of the Act OF
Accusation ana OF the Alleged Confession;
ths Report of IL. Ballot Beaupre, of the
part played by Colonel au, Patty de Clam
and Colonel Henry; the tale of forger,es;
and Colonel Picqnrt's letter to the Keeper
OF the sea In regard to the oommuni IA
ton Of secret documents to the Court
Martial of 1894.
Msssrs. Houghton, Mifliin s. Co port