The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-10-07
TRAGEDY OF DREYFUs
FAMOUS CASE REVIEWED BY A
WELL-KNOwN CORRESPONDENT.
Stril<ings Incidents of the Court-Mar-
tial at Rennes Pictured by Wri-
ter Who WINS at the Scene.

fCs affair which will be published on Oct.
10 under the title of THE Tragedy of Drey-
fus." AS a convenient record his work will
be welcome to many people who have not
followed the case from the beginning. The
book contains resume of the entire affair
from the time of Dreyfuss arrest up to
the order for revision, but the greater part
is devoted to description of the court
martial at Rennes, and to a consideration
of the effect of the case upon the French
people.
Mr.. Steevens's description of the court
martial is given at first hand, for he was at
Rennes from before the arrival of Dreyfus,
and through the entire course of the trial.
While he follows the development of the
trial chronologically. yet he has. in sense.
made each chapter an essay on some par
ticular aspect of the case. For instance. the
following topics, among Others are each
treated in separate chapter: MERCER,
"the very type and mirror of Jesuit grand
inquisitor''-A Shot in the Street, descrip-
ton of the attempt to assassinate Labori,
and its immediate consequences-Roget,
working with terrible earnestness, work.
ing to destroy a life as good men work to
save one'-The Alsatians (here Mr.. Stew
ems points out the remarkable fact that of
the chief actors in the drama: Dreyfus him
self, Picquart, Lauth, Junck, Freystaetter,
Zurlinden. Bertin-Haurot Colonel Sandherr
Sheurer-Kestner. MERCER and Matthew B.
Dreyfus were all either born or brought up
in Alsace)-The Court and the Case devoted
chiefly to the judges, of whom it is to be
noted that the author gained a most favora-
BILE impression)-Labori, after his return to
Court "alert and eager conscious, like all
orators, of the effect he made, frankly de-
lighting in 1t, a spirit half electricity and
half sunshine"-The Absent Esterhazy c'the
most interesting and romantic character yet
come before the court. a condottiere drifted
into his wrong century'')-A Drawn Battle
tthe struggle between Mercier and Labori on
the oath of AIgusO and Rout (after Frey
staetter's testimony)-The Experts, Bertil-
synopsis). Colbert Paraf-Javai, and the
otherS-The ConfessiOn-The Defense-The
Verdict, etc.
HIS FAITH SOMETIMES SHAKEN.
1t is to be noticed that Mr. Stevens lays
unusual stress on the weight of the evidence
brought against Dreyfus. Although at the
last he expected verdict Of innocent
he admits frankly that at times his faith
in the prisoners innocence was shaken. At
place he writes: II came to Rennes
firmly believing Dreyfus innocent; now l no
longer know what 1 believe. Hour by hour,
day by day, the hope of certainty recedeG
further into the shades" He attempts also
to make the conduct of the whole French
nation. and particularly that of the officers
prehensible to the Anglo-Saxon mind. Sup
pOse," he was asked by a French friend,
cry in your navy, which is your ALL as our
army is ours, and suppose that for five
years you saw your admirals maintainins
Englanders the other, which side would you
be on?" / had only one reply-if / were a
Frenchman should have been an anti
Dreyfusard. In England / should trust the
admirals. But what should 1 do when.
after had trusted the admirals five years,
the admirals came forward to give me the
materials to form my own judgment and
French generals are giving in the Dreyfus
case? If the evidence had been given a:
perhaps, but was not enough to hang dog
on. But after five years of bitter faction?
1t is not so easy to resume the judicial mind
in day. l declare Ii is an outrage TO ask
Frenchman to be impartial
The author has shown the pictorial and
picturesque elements of the trial as well as
it's more serious aspects. or Rennes, before
the arrival of Dreyfus, he says
Il seem to know Rennes by heart, every
feature of it; The spotless, empty streets;
brown-cheeked Breton women, in their
little fiat white lace caps, kneeling In little
boxes in the river, and beating dirty linen
on drawing boards with butter patters, the
closed doors of the railway station, the
blank walls of the PRISON. have grown up
and grown old among them ALL / no longer
even smile at the spectacle of score or
intelligent men patrOlling empty streets
through the hours of sleep on the chance
of seeing for ten seconds a man whom they
would not know If they did see him, and
who. If they did know him, would not mat
ter"
And there. are interesting descriptions of
those who furnished the world with news
of the trial, and about whom the world
knows little or nothing. OF the French cor
respondents he writes:
But the French confrereS were still the
most outlandish. For the typical Partisan
life is perpetual masquerade; he must al
as a bicyclist in a flannel shirt over an ex-
pansive stomach. and madame's boomers;
he had a bicycle but never rode 1t. Another
came as an automooilist, In CATERS ana
more than smelt an automobile. French
Swiss came as a mountaineer; you expected
daily to see him in court with an Ice ak.
Several finding themselves within a couple
of hours of the sea appeared as yachtsmen
A few were disguised Englishmen. Their
ways were as wonderful as their garb. Most
of them were very siphons of frothng ex
element all through the trial. They col
lected news mainly from each other; they
could have done just as well without any
trial or any DreyfuS"
ARRIVAL AT RENNES. 80
And this the picture of the patient
ly awaited arrival of Dreyfus at
the prison at Rennes: Two car
riages are driving rapidly towards me.
And the dead-walled street. ten seconds
ago SO empty that you would say nobody
had passed down it since it was made, is
swarming full of gendarmes. Out of doors.
down from windows, over walls, out of the
very ground, it seems. they spring and
scamper. A frantic cry from one of the
carriages, and both check to let the gen.
darmes get in front. The first dashes past
me. screaming, Move on. move on. hardly
articulate in his excitement His fellows
rush up just in time to meet the crowd
rushing up from the other way. They form
a line across the street. and make barrier
of carbines held athwart their bodies. They
are all as pale as death-all licking lips dry
with excitement. Back! Move on Back.
back A little man In a sweater appears be-
hind them, in command, he, too. screaming
Back. back The carriages now appear
again around the corner; the gate in this
street is suddenly seen TO be open. The first
carriage rolls in; men jump from the second
and rush in after Ii. Gendarmes still on
your toes. public still on your heels. Back.
back. still bawled down your throat-and
the door is shut. and Dreyfus is inside. The
gendarmes halt and are silent; their Gordon
occupation of looking intently at nothing.
Mine hours of watching. two minutes of
seeing. But two minutes Of seeing almos,
VI a