The evening times., 1899-08-31
GENERALS BECOMING NERVOUS.
The Prosecution I'm the Dreyfus Case
Feeble md Vacillating.

Feeble and yacillating.
Paris, Aug. 31.-The European edition of
the Herald" publishes the following de-
spatch from its correspondent at Rennes,
NJ Marcel Provost, under yesterdays date:
One must be on his guard against the i'm
pressions he obtains from sitting Of the
Dreyfus court-martial, and especially must
one restrain himself from Transforming
those impressions into points Of informa-
tion and argument. Throughout the pro-
ceedings / have endeayored not to follow
the example Of those who place the acquit-
tai or condemnation Of Dreyfus in the curl
Of Colonel Jouaust's mustache; and often,
after having yielded to the temptation to
record in these dispatches one of those
fieeting sensations that fill you with mo-
mentary fear or confidence, have scratch
ed out the sentence had written and con-
tinued without it.
Today, however, I will note the impress
sion felt generally by the auditory, and
which 1 heard mentioned all around me
after had experienced it myself.
There are indecisiOns, nervousness, agita-
ton in the attacking party, commanded by
General Roget. / do not say that this agi-
tation is certain sign of anxiety, 1t may
be simply the Indication of and prelude
| to a fresh assault. Everybody follows his
own fancy in the matter of conjecture,
precise facts being wanting; but it is be-
yond doubt that something new is in prep
aration.
One of the most plausible conjectures Is
| that the accusation is changing it's bat
teries. The agitation Of the military group
would in that event be due to discussion
of the opportuneness of the change.
| But what change?
Perchance in the direction of the three
accomplices system-Dreyfus. Weyl, Es-
| terhaZy. Perhaps also toward the system
of the man of straw. in which Esterhazy is
represented as an instrument in the hands
| of the Dreyfus family.
| In support Of this latter hypothesis Gen
| eral Mercier's Intervention yesterday and
| today is cited. Yesterday he said: II
believe M. Matthew Dreyfus to be a very
fine fellow. capable of spending his whole
fortune to save his brother" Today he
| interrupted the experts discussion and
said: I'm my opinion Esterhazy, after
Dreyfus' arrest, changed the style of his
| handwriting in order to make 1t resemble
| that of the bordereau."
Let US colate these two statements with
| the fact now being discreetly announced
| that General Roget has in his possession a
letter from Esterhazy, in which the latter
declares he was paid by the Dreyfus family
to say that he was the author of the borde-
reau, and we obtain three sufficiently con-
cordant indications.
| This is, l repeat, conjecture. The only
thing certain is that there reigns a sim
| gular agitation round about General Roget
| Doubtless they are getting nervous and ex-
citable In that group and think the trial
is dragging on slowly. Bertillon has crum-
bled to dust; the struggle on technical
/ ~ fad in
the bordereau does not promise to turn ou;
favorably for the prosecution. General De-
loye who appeared for the prosecution this
morning, was extremely moderate; and il
is believed that in the partly secret ses-
sion of tomorrow, when the new artillery
plans for which the defence asked the
minister of war will be examined, Major
Hartmann and Major Ducros, for the de-
fence will have an easy task
Not only does the prosecution not ad-
vance. but it is vacilating and seems TO re-
treat.
AS for the judges they are still impene-
trable, which allows the opposing partie;
to prognosticate according to their desires
| Prognosticate, There is what the new
arrivals. feverish with anxiety, all ask o
you. That is what the letters we receive
from Paris want us to do Ii appears tina
the government itself is tormenting it;
l 1
and General Chamoin for prognostica
| tionS.
l will not permit myself to be led int
risking one of my own making. l will, a
the most. consent to furnish from time L
time a bulletin of the trial, similar to th'
bulletins issued by doctors, and indicat
ing, without saying anything more. t.
apparent, actual condition of crisis, AM
leaving margin for unexpected incidents
Today the bulletin would be:
Complete impossibility of being Ger
tain as to the outcome.
However. the presumption of condem
nation is not based on any fact-it i
based on what is stated to be the state o
mind of the court and this is a haphazar
hypothesis.
The presumption OF an acquittal is, o
the other hand, based upon fact whic
r day by day assumes greater importanc
and consistency-the weakness of the &C
cusation.