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| Capt. Alfred Dreyfus. |
Cortland Evening Sandard, Monday, August 7, 1899.
DREYFUS' TRIAL BEGUN.
Rennes Extremely Animated But Perfectly Tranquil.
INDICTMENT READ IN PUBLIC.
The Doors Were Then Closed For the Consideration of the Secret Dossier. The Next Public Session On Thursday—The Trial to Last Three Weeks.
RENNES, Aug. 7.—The long expected trial of Captain Dreyfus has begun, and so far the city is perfectly tranquil though extremely animated. Owing to the extreme hot weather, the trial is being held in the great hall of the Lycee. The hall is a light, spacious room 28 metres long. The ceilings are lofty and it is in every way far more suitable for the purpose than the disused bakehouse which was originally selected as the place for the court to sit.
The Lycee is opposite the prison and Dreyfus had to cross the street to get to the court room. Nobody will be allowed in the street during the progress of the trial, a strong force of police and gendarmes being employed to prevent the public from using the thoroughfare.
The first public sitting of the court was very brief. Major Carrier, the government representative at the trial read the indictment against Dreyfus. The president of the court martial, Colonel Jouaust, then ordered the doors closed for the consideration of the secret dossier, which was presented by General Chamoin. The consideration of the dossier, it is expected, will occupy two days, so that the next public session will probably be on Thursday, although perhaps not until Friday. The general impression is that the whole proceedings will occupy at least three weeks.
Public interest was concentrated upon the arrival from Paris of various personages likely to figure in the trial of Captain Dreyfus. Among these are Generals De Boisdeffre, Gons and Roget, M. Godefrey Cavaignac, former minister of war, and M. Casimir Perier, former president of France. A large crowd which had gathered around the railway station greeted the generals on alighting from the train with cries of "Vive l'Armee." The revisionist spectators responded with "Viva la Republique," but there was no disturbance of order.
M. Casimir Perier, who was much fatigued by the long railway journey, decided to walk to the hotel, hoping that he would not be recognized, but his identity soon became known and a large crowd followed him, as attired in a light summer suit, he walked slowly along chatting with the prefect of police and the chief of the secret police, M. Viguir, who met him at the railway station and accompanied him to the hotel.
The crowd made no demonstration. The authorities, however, deem it wise to maintain the most stringent precautions for the safety of the former president and six gendarmes now patrol the front of the hotel where he has apartments, while a number of detectives watch the entrance hall closely and scan all arrivals.
To Colonise the Jews.
LONDON, Aug. 7.—According to a dispatch from The Daily Mail from Berlin, at a meeting of prominent Hebrews held there to discuss the plan proposed by the American Hebrews to buy the island of Cypress in the Mediterranean for Jewish colonization, it was decided to collect further information before proceeding further in the matter.
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| William W. Astor. |
PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.
Why He Did It.
The newspapers are saving cutting [things] about William W. Astor because of his renouncing American citizenship and becoming a subject of the queen. Mr. Astor has invited some of these by unwise utterances, and by his search for an ancestor of more noble parts than the founder of his fortune possessed. But taste and temper will account for these. Mr. Astor's right to become a British subject none can dispute. That he had causes for leaving the United States is too true. One of them the Brooklyn Eagle tells, as follows:
Happily married to a loving wife and the father of devoted children, Mr. Astor seemed to be hopefully embarked on a career of usefulness and of moderate distinction.
In 1885 Mr. Astor resumed his residence in New York. A blatant yellow paper not many months afterward paid "characteristic" attention to some of the very rich men of the United States. It calculated their income by the second, minute, hour, day, week, month and year. It reckoned how much each child already had or would have when it became of age. It published what purported to be pictures of "the children of the rich." That was followed by speculations on the possibilities or the dangers of the abduction of the children; how easily it could be accomplished and the sum that could be probably secured in the form of ransom money for them from agonized parents. This gruesome work lasted for years.
The health of the wife of Mr. Astor, who was a Miss Paul of Philadelphia, broke down under it. Sleeping or waking, she was filled with the apprehension that her children were stolen, or certainly would be. Her physicians said she must go to a country where that sort of thing was impossible, or at least did not prevail. Mr. Astor finally moved to England; there his wife did not long survive the effect of the shocks which she had received in this country. Since he went to England, he has been, as occasion has offered, the subject of the same complimentary allusions in yellow journalism here that were made to him before his departure.
Another is allied to the foregoing. Mr. Astor brought home for burial the body of his wife. The date of the probable arrival of the remains was known. A dance was scheduled under the auspices of another branch of the family for about that time. Invitations were not recalled. Gaiety was unrestrained in the home of Mrs. Astor, while the body of William W. Astor's wife lay in another part of the city, waiting removal to Philadelphia for burial. These incidents may not have determined W. W. Astor to seek home and citizenship elsewhere, but if cause must be found why look further.
◘ Chicago's gigantic scheme to turn the waters of Lake Michigan into the Mississippi, it is now announced, will be completed and the waters let in in November. So far the canal has cost $30,000,000, and its one purpose is to afford an outlet for the sewage of Chicago, which will now traverse the state and empty itself into the Father of Muds. The city of St. Louis has all along strenuously objected to this project, even threatening to go into the supreme court and get an injunction. She does not want the drainage of Chicago passing under her front windows, and she not unreasonably points out that a hundred other districts in Illinois will cut feeders into this ditch to carry off their refuse, and the Mississippi will thus be loaded with the offscouring of the whole upper part of Illinois. The canal commissioners, on the other hand, point out that these fears are chimerical. They insist that a flow of water of such great length will dispose of much of the refuse by oxidation, water having a well known quality of purifying itself while in motion. They estimate that the foreign matter in the stream will not be over 10 per cent, and by the time it reaches the Mississippi it will be reduced one-half. The sanitary results of this enormous scheme will be watched with great interest, for it is the most heroic attempt on record to dispose of the wastage of a great city.
MRS. MILLER OF CORTLAND.
She Threw Herself Into Newtown Creek Near New York.
Saturday's New York papers contained an account of the attempted suicide of Mrs. Jennie Miller, wife of Robert Miller of Cortland. One account said that she jumped from a bridge at the head of Newtown creek, Williamsburg, on Friday night, and was rescued with some difficulty by bystanders. An ambulance from St. Catharine's hospital removed her to that institution. She refused to say anything about herself or to answer any questions. In her pocketbook was found a letter addressed to Mrs. Jennie Miller, care of Mrs. Kearney, 353 West Thirty-ninth-st., New York, which read as follows:
At the address mentioned it was said that Mrs. Miller came there ten days ago, remaining one night only. Upon her request she was given permission to have her mail sent to the house. On Wednesday she called and got the letter which was found on her person.
Robert Miller is a pattern maker at the works of the Wallace Wallpaper company in Cortland, and for the last four months has boarded at the Cortland House. Mrs. Miller went to New York last Monday to get the furniture in readiness for shipping to Cortland preparatory to housekeeping. Mr. Miller went to New York Saturday night and returned this morning and Mrs. Miller is expected in a few days.
SUICIDE AT PREBLE, N. Y.
George Ferrell Hanged Himself to a Tree in the Woods.
George Ferrell of Preble was found dead in the woods on the Terwilliger farm, situated northwest of that village, at 4 o'clock Sunday afternoon. Mr. Ferrell was a brother-in-law of Mrs. Harry Green of Preble and made his home with her. He roamed about the country selling patent medicines. Saturday night he left the store of Mr. Green and made the threat that he was going to kill himself. Nothing was thought of the threat. The rope with which he was found hanging had been taken from the store. Searching parties, starting out that night upon his failure to return, had passed within a few yards of the spot. He was found by William Dennis.
Dr. Hunt was called and pronounced life extinct. As it was a plain case of suicide, the body was cut down and brought to the village without being viewed by the coroner. The deceased was about 50 years of age and leaves one daughter, Tillie, who lives with her aunt, Mrs. Green, and a son, George, who is serving in the United States cavalry in Cuba. A razor was found on the body.
Mr. W. S. Copeland Ill.
Mr. Wm. S. Copeland suffered a shock of paralysis at his home 134 Homer-ave. Saturday evening. His left side is completely paralyzed. Yesterday his condition was considered critical. To-day he seems more comfortable and his condition is a little more encouraging.
FIRE EXTINGUISHERS.
Public Exhibitions at Main and Cout-sts. This Evening at 7:30.
The Utica Fire Extinguisher Co. will give a public exhibition of one of their 2-gailon size chemical fire extinguishers on a tire in a box 14 feet high completely saturated with tar, asphalt and kerosene oil at corner of Main and Court-sts. this evening at 7:30 sharp.
JOHN F. WILCOX, Gen'l. Agt.
Camping Party.
Arrangements have been completed by the following party of young men who expect to leave on Friday evening for a two weeks' outing on Cranberry lake in the Adirondacks, St. Lawrence county: Mortimer B. Filzinger, James Costello, Erwin Townsend, Edward Fuller, Charles Terry, W. Fisher, A. B. Filzinger, Geo. W. Fenner and Clarence Lloyd. The last two named gentleman will join the party at Syracuse.
Hammond Family Picnic.
The twenty-fourth annual reunion of the Hammond family will be held in Cortland, Friday, Aug. 18, 1899, at the home of Mrs. L. A. Strowbridge. All relatives and friends are cordially invited.
BREVITIES.
—A regular meeting of Grover post, No. 98, G. A. R. takes place to-night.
—There will be a band concert and dance at the park Wednesday evening.
—New display advertisements to-day are—A. S. Burgess, Clothing and shoes, page 8; Pearson Bros., Couches, page 8; W. J. Perkins & Co., Drugs and medicine, page 5.
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