The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1898-02-17
EVIDENCE FOR M. 2OLA.
An Ex-Cabinet Official Defends the
Noted Novelist.
ESTERHAZY'S TRIAL A PARODY.

So Declares NJ. Yves Guyot. Former
Minister OF Public Works - Other
witnesses Decline to Testify. OH the
Ground OF ssProfessioncl Secrecy"
Paris, Feb. 1i.-The trial of NM
Zola and Perreux for writing and pub.
fishing serious charges against the
government officials in connection with
the sentence Of Captain Dreyfus, to life
imprisonment. for alleged betrayal of
government secrets, has been consid-
cradle Of farce until Friday last. |
Cabinet ministers, ex-cabinet minis
ters, high army officers and ex-Presi- |
dent Casimir- Perier have been on the /
witness stand. but the moment u .
question was asked the presiding judge /
would rule It out OF order. and the Of |
ficials would decline to answer on the |
ground of professional secrecy"
On Friday, however, Colonel Pic.
quart gave evidence very damaging
to his superior officers and favorable
to Dreyfus. 1t also showed him (Pic-
quartz to have been the victim of per-
secution since he began his endeavor to
probe the truth. Colonel Picquart en-
phatically denied General Pellieux's
statement that he had divulged an es-
pionage affair to outsiders. He added
that he communicated his suspicious
OF the guilt Of Major Esterhazy to his
chiefs, who never said they had addi-
tional evidence Of the guilt Of Dreyfus
beyond what he knew himself.
On Saturday by the clever maneuvers
Of Maitres Laborie and DeMange. the
latter. who knew very well that he was
breaking the law, got in q statement
that the reason that ne objected to the
Dreyfus trial was that Dreyfus had
been convicted on q secret document.
handed to his Judges without It's being
communicated either to the prisoner or
to himself. He ought to have waited
till the question was put to him by the
judges, who would, Of course. have re-
fused to put II. but did not do 30, and
got IN a quiet mails Oui before he could
be checked.
When the trial was resumed today
n. Jaures. the Socialist member OF the
chamber Of deputies. was recalled. He
reiterated his belief In the cuipability
ox Major Esterhazy.
The examination of NJ. Bertlllon, the
handwriting expert. was thea resumed
He said he thought Il impossible to ask
the minister Of war for the lncriminat-
lnR documents seixed at TIE residence
of Dreyfas in 1884. which. according to
| the testimony Of the wituess on Satur.
day last, would enable him to prove
that Drsyfua wrote the bordereau.
FinaEy NJ. Bertllcn, wAo persisted In
not answering qaestious left the Wit
ness stand amidst cousaa srable uproar.
N. Laborie rcmsskang: And this IN TIE
man upon whose evidence Dreyfus was
convicted" n BertilISn gave his ab-
sursd evidence while Displaying a faa-
tastic diaxrnmL amid o. ntinuous shr$eks
OF laughter.
II. Yves Guyot, the former minister ,of
| pIblic works, xeptiiiea that the HstSe-
hzxy court martial was Q parody on
| Justice" The furthsr statement of M,
Guyot that ehe inner circles Of foreign
/ governments were fully coguizant oS
all that oCuurYsd at the Esserhsxy
court martini caused sensation. Later
NJ. Guyot expressed the opinion chat
the government commissioners who
prosecuted Major Esterhasy was tar
more like counsel for the defense than
the prosecutor. II am happy in the