Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-08-31
TIDE HAS TURNED
And Runs Strongly in Favor
Of Captain Dreyfus.
The Air Full Of Rumors of Revelations
and Changes Of Opinion.
Feeling Against Generals Grows and They Arc
Divided Among Themselves.

| conspiraces and predictions Of coups
de theatre, but nothing precise can be
ascertained. Gen. Mercier's attitude
during the last few days has mystified
his followers in the case. He is ex-
| treneIy clever and the general feel
ing is that he is preparing for some
thing. the existence Of which will be
revealed in a few days.
| 1t is row accepted as beyond ques-
ton that there is a serious division Of
opinion on the part Of the generals
| While the case was running smoothly
| against Capt. Dreyfus they all pull
ed together. but since the tide of evil
dcnce began to turn in his favor, as
was notably the case during the testi-
mony Of Capt. Freystaetter and Col
| Cordier, which proved much more
damaging to the general staff than the
| latter anticipated. certain dividing
lines have become manifested between
the various cliques
| On. Roget. Major Iauth CAPT Cuig-
net and VI. Gribeln. the principal
keeper Of the archives Of the war or
| fire, form one cortcrie, Gen. Mfrcier
and On. Gonse form another ana Gen
| Billot ana Gen. DeBoisdeffrc a third
| According to one report the first two
| coterieres intend 70 throw over Gen.
! DcBoisdeffre. whom they feel to De
| faltering. and declare that h. is re-
| sponsible for all the errors ana illegal
tiles Of the courtmartial of 1854. thus
making him the scapcgoat.
| According to another report Gen.
| Roget. who is rot Implicated in 1894.
and who even fought against Dreyfus
because he inherited from his prede-
cessors the responsibility for 50 doing
and placed over-conndence in the ac-
counts of the matter furnished him by
the general STAFF. Will cut himself loose
from Gems. MERCER. Gonse and De
| Boisdeffre.
This is plausible hypothesis since
| Roget has assumed throughout the
| role Of defender Of the army, thus
making himself popular with the army
and with Il large section of the nation
| and he will probably not lose by sepa-
rating himself from the wrong doors
Of 1894 and declaring that his opinion
has been changed by the evidence
given during the present trial
Yet another story is that the gen
erals are going to give way on the au
| thorship Of the bordereau i'll view Of
admit that Esterhazy wrote it, alleg-
ing however that Dreyfus furnished
the information. not direct to Ester
hazy. but to a third person, who acted
as intermediary without Dreyfus
knowing ESterhaZy.
In this connection it was asserted, this
afternoon that Madame Rastain. who
was housekeeper for Col. Swartzkop
IA N mil -
1894, and who is understood to have
acted rs a French spy. has been seen in
Rennes and will be summoned as a
witness concerning Schwartzkoppen's
espionage system.
All these rumOrs may be without
foundation but in any event there are
symptomatic feelings in Rennes that
something is going on under the sur
face and that the complexion of the |
trial may be altered by some coup at
any moment.
In the matter of evidence, today, was !
quite Dreyfus day, only the deposit |
ton Of the last witness, Gen. Deloye. |
being unfavorabe. The testimony of |
NJ. Picot, a member of the institute. is |
little likely. however. to serve the cause
of the accused materially. if at all, be
cause his introduction of Col. Schnei- |
der, the Austrian military attache. as
champion of Dreyfus, was rather cal
cu!ated to arouse resentment and adj
versely to influence the judges, especi
ally as it was followed by Gen. Rogets
tactful protest against Col. Schneiders
uncomplimentary illusions to French
officers.
Tomorrow's proceedings, behind
closed doors. will deal with the ques
ton whether Capt. Dreyfus was in a
position to divulge the information re-
garding the artillery which was prom
ised in the bordereau. The session will
be very important and is bound TO have
tremendous influence upon the judges
one way or the other. because they are
all artillery officers and will be able to
appreciate such evidence better than
the cryptographic intricacies that have
been laid before them by the handwrit-
ing experts.
The Dreyfusards express confidence
that their artillery witnesses, Major
Hartman and Major Ducres will effec-
lively satisfy the judges that Dreyfus
was ignorant of the matters mentioned
in the bordereau, or. as an artillery Of
ficer, would not have been guilty of
stating the errors which it contained.
The great papers publish the doubt
full statement that NJ. Charles De Frey
cinet on leaving the court room. today,
after his deposition remarked to a
friend: II am leaving an atmosphere of
acquttal.'
The first witness, NJ. Paul Meyer, .
member of the institute and director of
the school of ancient manuscript, de-
scrbed his researches in connection with
the Dreyfus case, which led to his con-
viction that the bordereau was not only
in EsterhaZy's handwriting, but was ,
actually written by EsterhaZy. +
The witness explained that in his evil ,
dence before the assizes court he was
unable to be so positive in regard to the ,
writer because he had only seen a fac
smile of the bordereau. But at the
court Of cessation he saw the original
bordereau.
Continued on page %