The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-02-10
ZOLA'S FARCICAL TRIAL
Witnesses Answer Only Such Ques-
-A--. tions as They Please. .<uy,A,a
RIoToUs, SCENES IN THE COURT.

Judge Compelled to Order the Room
/ Cieared-A Crowd of BarrIsters At
tack the Guards Who Are Called
Upon to Suppress Them. 4
Paris, Feb. 10.-Yesterday over zoo
barristers, in their robes, gathered at
the public entrance to the court where
the Zola trial, is. In progress, and In
dulged In horse play. When. the pre-
siding Judge ordered them not to OBJ
struct the passage the barristers made
demonstration against the Judge.
Thereupon the commandant OF the Re-
publican guards sent detachment of
troops to auell the disturbance. The
Intervention of the military was Ill re-
ceived and led to violent affray. The
barristers rushed upon the guards and
struck them. One of the young law
yers was arrested, but after quiet had
been restored he was released.
The arrival of the officers in uniform,
including Generals Boisdeffre and
Gonse. Major Esterhazy, General Mer-
cier and Major Patty du Clam. who had
been summoned. was the signal for
cheers for the French army. NJ Zola
entered by the private door unobserv-
ed. The deafenlng chatter in the court
room was silenced by the entrance Of
the presiding judge.
M. Laborie. counsel for M. Zola, pro-
tested against the limitation of the
evidence of Madame Dreyfus, and
scathingly denounced the scenes In
+, f,r
papers and the attacks on his client
as being unworthy Of France.
General Bosdeffre,. replying to M.
Laborfe, admitted thatsas minister for
war; before he had testified at the
Esterhazy Court martial, he had re-
ceived from Major Esterhazy a certain
document which concerned the Drey-
fus case but he refused to give any
further particulars on the ground Of
professional secrecy
Nj. Laborle protested that in a court
Of justice professional secrecy" could
not exist, whereupon General Bois-
deffre retorted: Professional secrecy
cannot be separated from state Sc
crecy."
The general admitted that Colonel
L
Tunis owing to his being favorable to
Dreyfus, and. the witness added, that
he, personally. was convinced of the
guilt of Dreyfus. while other facts. be-
fore and after the court martial, which
had come to his knowledge, made this
conviction unshakable. This statement
made sensation in court.
General Gonse followed, and at the
outset of the examination had a vio-
lent alteration with NJ. Labore. In
which the general public joined. The
tumult reached such pitch that the
presiding Judge ordered the court to be
cleared, which the municipal guards
promptly did. The court resumed its
session five minutes later, and General
Gonse explained that he had not meant
all he said. Thereupon the incident
was allowed to drop.
General GonSe then spoke OF the in
vestigations of Colonel Picquart, whom
he had encouraged, but the general
added that he told the colonel to avoid
arresting Major Esterhazy, which the
colonel wished to do.
General Mercier, the former minister
of war, who was next examined, de-
clared that he beloved tiie pordereau
and other documents distracted from
the war office had been communicated
to the newspapers by the Dreyfus fam
lily.
M. Laborie Immediately asked that
Nine. Dreyfus be allowed to confront
General Mercier and deny his state
ment. but the presiding judge refused
to allow her to do so.
: Counsel for M. Zola then pressed
General Mercier to say If 1t was true
that a secret document had been COM
municated to the Dreyfus court mar
tial behind the backs of Dreyfus and
his counsel. The general refused to
reply.
At the conclusion of his examination
General Mercier was vociferously
cheered.
M. Trarteux, who was minister of
Justice ct the time of the Dreyfus
court martial. was the next witness.
After his evidence, which did not con-
vey any startling facts, the court ad-
journed.
A crowd of from 10000 to $1,000 per-
sons, noisy and inclined to excesses,
was in the neighborhood of the Palais
de Justice at s o'clock yesterday af-
ternoon, but 1t was kept in SEM
blance Of order by large bodies of po-
lice and was Obliged to be content with
shouting against NJ. Zola who left the
court almost unobserved. Generals
Bo!sdefrre, Mercier and Gonse were
loudly cheercd.
M. Yves Guyot, leaving the court on
foot. was recognized and hustled near
the Pont Neuf, the crowd threatening
to throw him into the river. Two po-
lice sergeants rescued him.
There was sporadic fighting between
both men and women on the outskirts
of the crowd.