The Portland daily press., 1898-02-12

Demonstrated that He Has Been Persecu-
ted Ever Since He Regan To Probe to
tho Truth Mob Gives Piquart Com
flicting Reception.
/ Paris, February 11.--There were the
usual crowds about the assizes court of
che Seine today when the fifth day of the
trial Of M. zola and Perrieux com
menced.
NJ. Zola and Col. Perrieux were greeted
with hostile cries on their arrival. The
court was thronged and the proceedings
opened with the recall of Gen. Pellieux.
There are still go witnesses.
General Pellieux testified that Gen.
Sausier, the former military governor of
Paris, decided on public trial for Major
Esterhazy, but Gen. Billot, the minister
for war, ordered the trial to be secret.
Nevertheless the witness added, the court
martial refused to keep the entire pro-
ceedings secret, therefore it was i'm
possible to contend that Major Esterhazy
was acquitted by order Of the authorities.
On Gep. Pellieux leaving the stand, M.
Zola arose and exclaimed: "There are
several ways Of serving France. You,
General, made your campaigns, but
1 will bequeath to posterity the Same of
Emile Zola, and posterity will be my
judge"
Colonel Picquart was then called and
narrated how he had acquired fragments
Of telegraphic card In 1886, and conclud-
ed therefrom that Major Esterhazy was
| corresponding with suspicious characters.
His chief ordered him to keep up ibis In
vesti cations and he procured some OfMajOr
Esterhazy's handwriting, which. COM
pared with certain documents, led to the
conclusion that Major Esterhazy was i'm
properly using official papers.
Col Picquart further remarked:
81 was struck with the resem blance
of Major Estarhazy's handwriting to that
of the Bordereau, and / submitted pho
toQraphs to NJ. Bertillion and Major Patty
du Clam and M. Bertillon declared it was
exactly the same as that of the Bordereau,
adding:
/" The Jews would do anything in the
world to procure that writing. Major
Patty du Clam said it was the hand
writing of Dreyfus."
Continuing, Col. Picquart said he
knew a superior officer, whose name was
nightly mentioned, furnishing docu-
ments to a foreign power, adding that he
while he, the colonel, was still investi-
eating.
"The newspapers began an agitation
and Interpolation commenced in the
chamber, adding to my difficulties. Then
WAS sent to Tunis, where all letters
reached me opened. When was sum-
moned from Tun1s, to attend the Ester
hazy inquiry, Gen. Pellieux treated me
as the real defendant, refusing to listen
to my charges against Major Esterhazy.'
The court then suspended the hearing
temporarily, and during the interval
Col. Picquart received an ovation.
Resuming his testimony, Col. Picquart
pointed out that while the anti-Drey-
fus papers published fac-similes of the
Bodereau they did not publish fac
smile of the letter written by Dreyfus at
Major Patty du CLAIMS dictation, "as it
would have been too embarrassing, the
witness implying that a comparison
would have tended to show that Drey
fus was not the author of the Bordereau.
Col. Picqpart emphatically denied
Gen. Pellieux's statement of yesterday
that he had divu!ged an espionage affair
to outsiders. He candidly admitted send
ing an agent to Major Esterhazy's apart;
ments, but he pointed out that at the time
Major Esterrazy fat was advertised to
let and his agent only brought him an
uni,nportant letter which, however,
served to compare the handwriting. But
the agent reported that Is number of let
ters had been burned in a fireplace. esq
Col. Picquart added that he communi-
Gated his suspicious of the guilt of Major