The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1899-08-08
DREYFUS' TRIAL.

nervousness. His voice is not good,
but it was out of practice for five
years.
The first incident was the declara-
tion of the president-colonel that he
had unlimited power to call witnesses.
lie then ordered the bill of indictment
of M. Quesnay de Beaurepaire to be
cited. The indictment is that of 1894
Colonel Jouaust began by saying:
"lt results from the documents lust
read that you are accused Of having
brought about Vaccinations or held re-
lations with foreign power, or one or
more of its agents, in order to procure
it means, by delivering documents in
dicated in the incriminating border
eau, to commit hostilities or undertake
war against France. | notify you that
you will be allowed to state during the
course of these proceedings anything
that appears to you useful for your de-
lense."
Colonel Jouaust submitted Dreyfus
10 a rigorous examination, more in the
style of a prosecuting counsel than a
judge, and made gestures of impatience
at some direct denials which Dreyfus
gave repeatedly to the judges ques-
tions The prisoners voice resounded
frequently through the court room as
he energetically replied: mo, my col
onel," or "Neverl Neverl" to questions
put TO him.
When Colonel Jouaust handed the
prisoner a long slip Of cardboard, upon
which the bordereau was pasted, he
asked
"Do you recollect this document?"
Dreyfus replied with a passionate
outburst:
'No, my colonel, am innocent.
declare it here; | declared it in 1894;
l am a victim" His voice here was
choked with sobs, which must have
stirred every spectator in court. The
voice of the prisoner did not seem hu-
man. It resembled the cry of a wounded
animal.
As he ended his reply, with the
words: Five years in the galleys. My
wife! My children! My Godl l am in
nocent; innocent" Colonel Jouaust
said:
"Then you deny it?"
Dreyfus replied: Eyes, my colonel"
Dreyfus denied that he had ever said
Alsatians were happier as Germans
than as Frenchmen, declared that the
bad note written about him by a Ger
tain general" was on account of his
religion, admitted relations with GER
tain women, but asserted that he COM
mitted no indiscretion, and insisted We
hemently that he had never gambled.
When Colonel Jouaust spoke of the
interview with Du Patty de Clam Drey-
fus replied:
81 never confessed anything to Du
Patty de Clam"
Here occurred one of the most dra-
matte scenes in the examination. Drey-
fus, tremendously excited swayed to
and fro for a moment and then all his
pent up emotion and Indignation burst
forth, and he cried in a piercing voice,
heard throughout the court and even
by those standing outside:
at is iniquitous to condemn an in
nocent man. l never confessed any
thing. Never"
Dreyfus, as he uttered these words,
raised his white gloved hand and held
it aloft as if appealing to Heaven to
vindicate him.
The judge was fair throughout, but
evidently not friendly. He showed
himself, however, sensible and sober
minded and impressed every one ia
vorably. There are many persons who
were present at the trial now under the
impression that the harshness of the
presiding judge was assumed and was
intended to disarm the enemies of
Dreyfus, who are only anxious to in
terpret ordinary courtesy into the
grossest partiality toward the prisoner.
If this be the case, and such an expla-
nation is quite plausible, Dreyfus is
naturally unaware of it, and the effect
upon his highly strung nerves must be
very severe.
In the course of a conversation with
Maitre Demange this correspondent re-
marked that Dreyfus seemed to me
unresponsive and incapable of emitting
a flow of feeling.
Think" he answered, what l or
you would be If for five years out of
humanity's reach, constantly under the
eye of a surly jailer, and not only un
der his eye, but within the aim of his
revolver. He was bound to silence un-
less when given leave to speak. He was
beset with enemies, was treated as the
vilest of mortals, was put in irons,
though docile and submissive. He al
most learned to cover. He found he
was losing the lingual faculty and had
to speak TO nlmSeu 10 keep IL up.
He is still proud, but he is cowed. |
wish his pride would suffer him to col
lapse. If it did, he would draw tears
from the most stony hearted"
Madame Dreyfus visited her husband
yesterday afternoon and found him
hopeful, although much unnerved, as
the rigorous examination, and espec-
tally the unfeeling demeanor displayed
toward him by Colonel Jouaust, proved
a tremendous strain upon him.