The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-09-22
SENSATIONAL FRANCE.
Postponement Of Pioquart's Trial a
Point For the Army. !,
he WILL NOT COMMIT SUICIDE.

Speech In a Paris Courtroom-Comte
, Esterhazy, En- Route for Paris. Dis
cusses His Share in the Dreyfus Case.
+ Paris. Sept. 22.-The trial of Colo
mel Picquart and M. Loblois, a
'lawyer, on the charge of re-
yeallng documents concerning the aa-
fional defense was tojhave begun yes
herday before the correctional tribunal.
The public prosecutor. however. asked
for an adjournment on the ground that
the prosecution Of Colonel Picquart
on the charge of forgery and using
forged documents had been ordered by
the minister of war. M. Labori who
was counsel for M Zola during the
1atter's famous trial. Indignantly OPP
posed the adjournment, which he said
was an attempt to hand over Colonel
Picquart into the clutches of the mill
4tary authorities.
Colonel Picquart then rose and made
a statement which caused sensa :
tion. He said This Is, perhaps, the
last time l shall speak in public.
shall sleep, perhaps, in the military
prison Of Cherche Midi. Therefore
wish to declare that If ! find there tie
stranglng cord of Lemercier Picard, or
the razor of Colonel Henry, 1t will be
murder, for l have no idea of COM
!: hitting suicide"
The Judges decided to indefinitely ad-
5ourn the case. and Colonel. Pi2quart
was led away between policemen.
Lemercier Picard the man ;referred
to by Colonel Picquart was detective
understood to have been employed in
the Dreyfus affair, who was found
hanged in his lodgings about year
ago. under circumstances which cast
some doubt upon the theory put for
ward that he had committed suicide.
Never before was such a scene wit
messed in court as that which followed
Picquart's declaration. The Judges, Of
ficers and audience appeared as though
paralyzed with emotion.
The air is full of rumors of sensation
al developments. Among other things
1t was announced last night that Colo
mel Picpuart was already in the Chcrchc
Midi prison. 1t appears, however,
that the authorities of the La Sante
prison refused to deliver him up in
the absence of the necessary formai-
ties. but there Is no doubt that he will
be in the Cherche Midi prison before
night
Z The Dreyfusltes are somewhat de-
spOndent, the military authorities, who
are responsible for the shelving of the
'Picquart trial. having apparently re-
gained the upper hand, and it is feared
that Picuuart will be kept in prison
and his trial indefinitely postponed in
order to keep his mouth shut
The latest developments are that
General PellieUx will he transferred
from his Paris appointment to the
command Of some provisional brigade.
his name having become too notorious.
The Italian government declines to
replace Senor Panizzardi as military
Rttache here until the Dreyfus case
shall have ended, owing to the gross
insults offered to Signor PanizZardi
through the newspapers.
A dispatch from London says: Comte
Esterhazy has been sojourning in Lon
don in the guise of an italian count.
He speaks Italian fuently. repre-
sentative of The Daily Mail caught him
at Charing Cross as he was about to
start for Paris. In the course of the
= interview Comte Esterhazy said he had
constantly pass d the detectives de-
tailed to watch him while in Paris, in
his present disguise, and that nobody
had recognized him.
"But,"< he added, II mistrusted
events. I told General Pellieux, after
the suicide of Colonel Henry, that it
would be impossible to stop things, and
that the movement would be formd-
able. The generals lost their heads. l
wrote to M. Cavaignac a long letter
acqualnting him with the salient points
of the affair. He refused to see me.
My ruin had been determined upon. 1
was thrown overheard. and had moth
ing left but to go away and await de-
veopments."
Comte EsterhaZy proceeded to declare
that he had vainly tried to convince
General Pelieux that the Henry docu-
ment was a forgery. but that General
Pelleux had declined to listen to him.
'"There were" said Comte Esterhazy,
''but three persons who knew the
truth of the matter-Sandherr, Henry
and myself. The first two are dead,
and | alone hold the secret"
Comte Esterhazy complained bitterly
of the treatment of himself and Nine
Pays, who is in prison in Paris. He
declared that Judge D'Instruction
B0ntulos had Madame Pays brought
from the St. Lazare prison and Of
fered her liberty if she would reveal
all she knew about the generals.
After reference to other phases Of
the affair Comte Esterhazy said:
81 intend to publish book that will
=. throw light upon the unhappy Dreyfus
story. Cavaignac made a mistake in
pursuing me. because he struck at the
same time his relation, Colonel Patty du
Clam. | may mention that | had al
ready declined a pension offered me
by General Billot.
Comte Esterhazy affected a gay nom
chalance, but just as he was taking
the train he said in a sharp, nervous
tone, without pausing for breath II
don't know whether ! shall make use
of the documents in my possession. 1t
will depend upon the march of events"