The record-union., 1898-10-29
Reporter Bard Concludes His Re-
port on the Matter.
Says the Court Must Place the Whole Truth
In Evidence.
Public Prosecutor Manua Declares
That the Court Must Revise the
Former Trial OF Prepare the
Road for Revision-Newspap
Sharply Divided on the Dreyfus
Case.

PARIS, Oct. 2S-At to-day's session
of the Court of Cessation in the Palace
of Justice, M. Bard, the reporter, con-
cluded his report of the Dreyfus case,
the first part of which was presented
yesterday. He said this morning that
the court did make every investigation
necessary to enlighten them and place
the whole truth in evidence. 1t was
for the court to decide what remained
to be done. The task was a delicate
one, but that was no motive to avoid it.
He concluded: You have great duty
to fulfill. Do what your conscience die
tateS."
M. Mornard, counsel for Nine Drey-
fus, charged that an investigation be
ordered concerning the divergency of
the testimony of the experts who ex-
amined the bordereau in 1894 and in
1897, and also to ascertain whether Sc
cret documents were communicated to
the members of the court-martial.
The courtroom was less crowded than
yesterday, but the same stringent pre-
cautions were taken. There was no
excitement outside the Palace of Jus
tice. Only a few people Assem- 0led
about the building, and the streets in
the neighborhood presented their every
day appearance.
The prosecutor, M. Manua, followed
NJ. Mornard. He said: Nobody can
now take the Dreyfus affair out OF your
hands, nor can you relinquish it, with
out dereliction of duty. Your decision
must constitute for everybody the ex-
preston of truth and justice. Revise
the trial. then, gentlemen, or at least
prepare the road for its revision
NJ. Manua declared that the court
could not annul the sentence imposed
upon Dreyfus without a re-trial of the
prisoner. He added: You must fix
the responsibility. If Dreyfus is inno-
cent, the culprit must not go unpun-
ished'
The Public Prosecutor, continuing.
proceeded to argue on the same lines
as M. Bard, the reporter of the case
urging revision of the trial, and dwell
ing upon the fallibility of the writing
experts. He also suggested that Major
Esterhazy should testify on the subject
of the bordereau, saying: He can ad-
nit its authorship with impunity. since
court-martial has acquitted him of
being the author of it. But what a.
service he has rendered to the country
in confessing that he is its author. and
what service he will render the un-
happy Dreyfus."
M. Manua concluded with ienouno ing
the 'villainous attacks upon the parti-
sans of revision" and made a strong
plea that the court be not influenced
by outside pressure, but that it decide
in favor of a revision of .he case and
the immediate provisional liberation of
Dreyfus.
AT this statge of the proceedings NJ
Bard read letter from General Come
to the President of the Court Of Cas-
sation, in which the General said: Il
have just heard Of a memorandum in
troduced in court yesterday in which
P1cquart accused me of a lishonora BILE
action. / have never previously heard
of this memorandum, and ] wish to
deny most formally Picquart's allega-
tions. | think my word is of greater
value than that of a man imprisoned
on the suspicion of forgery"
The reading of the last statement
called forth loud protests in court.
The reporter added that as Colonel
Picquarts memorandum was publicly
read, it was only justice to read General
Comes denial.
The President Of the court ordered
that the Generals letter be added to
the documents in the case, and the
court adjourned.
The newspapers here are sharply 6i-
Vided into the two camps, one of them
highly praising NJ. Bard's report to the
Court of Cessation as clearly setting
forth the truth and proving -. inno-
cence of Dreyfus, and the others insist
ing that the report was merely a plead
ing in favor of the prisoner.