The sun., 1898-12-12
The Case OF Col. Picquart.

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has been partially diverted from his affai
to the persecution Of Col. PIooUART, who's
offence is, In the eyes Of the General Staff
that he believes DREYFUs to be innocent
and has tried to prove him so. We cal
1t fortunate, because. PIooUART being {
Christian, 1t is impossible to arouse
anti-Semitic prejudice against him, an6
there are thousands who denounoe the
treatment which he has received, where
there are hundreds who deplore the
injustice done to DREYFUs. The formers
vindication, however, would almost GER
tainly be followed by the latter's rehabilita-
tion, while, on the other hand, should
DREYFUs be declared innocent by the Court
OF Cessation, the proceedings against
P1oouART would be dropped. The one case
Is involved in the other.
The latest incident connected with the
complicated litigation is the order Of the
Court Of Cessation that the trial Of Col.
PIcoUART by court-martial shall be post
poned until its own decision In the Dreyfus
affair shall have been rendered. The court
martial was to begin to-day, but Gen. ZUR-
LINDEN has yielded to the decree Of the
civil law, and ordered its postponement.
As there is some doubt whether the Court
OF Cessation is authorized to go further and
decide whether PICQUART shall be tried on
the charge OF forgery by a court-martial
or civil tribunal, bill conferring the nee
essary power is being pushed through the
Senate. It is also disputed whether the
Minister Of War, NJ. DE FREYcNEr, LIS en-
powered to release PICoUART Professionally,
H. ,t.t4 -
tence, and the prevailing impression is that
the accused will remain in prison. Popu-
lar sympathy, however, is now enlisted 80
strongly In his favor that the prisoner is
In but little danger Of being subjected to
harsh treatment.
It may be well to recall the fiimsy grounds
on which the charge Of forgery has been
pressed against Col. P1coUART. It was in
May, 1895, that number Of scraps Of
paper which had composed q petit bleu, or
letter card, were received by PIoouART,
then the head Of the Intelligence Bureau in
the War Office, through, though not from,
the same agent who had brought the frag-
ments Of the borderedu, or list Of stolen docu-
ments two years before. The scraps being
pieced together. 1t turned out that the let
ter card had been addressed by ScHwARz-
KoPPEN, the German military dttache, to
EsTERHAZY. After taking a photograph
Of the address side Of the card, PIcQUART
directed subordinate, Major LAUTH, to
gum the scraps together and 70 make pho
tograph of the letter side Of the card in
such way that the lines Of tear should
be artifcially obliterated. LAUTH laid
strips Of adhesive paper on the address
side Of the letter card, which, 1t should be
noted, had never been stamped nor gone
through the post. We should observe,
further, that the largest Of the bits into
which the card had been torn was no bigger
than finger nail or less than half the size
Of French postage stamp.
1t Is on the evidence Of this man LAUTH,
who was friend, and, apparently, an ac-
complice, Of the self-confessed forger, HEN
RY. that the War Office mainly relies to
prove that PIooUART never received the
petit bleu from any one, but forged it
for the singular purpose Of running Es-
TERHAZY, Of whom, at the time, he had
never heard. LAUTH suggests that Pic
QUART set him to prepare photographs
OF the reconstructed letter card in which
the lines OF tear were not to appear,
In order to give an air Of authenticity
to the thing In the eyes OF his superiors.
PICQUART's conclusive answer Is that his
superiors saw the original, and not the
photographs nor could the lines of tear in
the original be effaced by effacing them in
the photographs. Moreover. similar pho
tographs had been made of the bordereau,
concealing the lines of tear. for use at the
Ax,tu Lopa prr,n
tered the Intelligence Oflce.
LAUTH's next accusation was that PIC
QUART had tried to suborn him to allege
that the letter card was In SCHwARzKoP-
PENS handwriting, and he added that he
had ut once repelled the attempt with dis
gust. PIcouAHT replied that he might have
asked LAUTH II he recognized the hand
writing. but that, II the charge Of suborning
were true, LAUTH would scarcely have
remained on the most friendly terms
with him for months later, and have invited
him soon afterward to dine. LAUTH's final
imputation was that PIooUAhT had asked
him to take the reconstructed letter card to
the Post Once and get the officials there TO
afllx postage stamp to 1t bearing the post
mark OF the month before.
The comment made by Maitre CLEMEN-
oHAU on this testimony was crushing. He
took the witness Off his guard with the
question: "On which side had you laid the
strips Of adhesive paper along the seams
OF the letter card, whereof the largest
fragment was less in area than half
postage stamp2" "On the side where
the address was written" answered
LAUTH. "In that case" reioined GLEN
KNCEAU, will you kindly tell us
on which eide you would have put the post
age stamp in the improbable contingency
OF your having complied with Col. Pic
QUARTS wishes? Would you not have put
it outside the slips Of adhesive paper2' 1t