The herald., 1898-02-10
Is Attended by the Usual
RiOtOus Scenes
WITNESSES WILL NOT TESTIFY
BECAUSE THEIR SECRETS ARE
PROFESSIONAL
Refusal to Speak Does Not Extend to
Matters Likely to Injure the
Cause of Zola 4.
Associated Press Special Wire

Associated Press Specfal Wire
PARIS, Feb. 9.-In spite of special pre-
cautions there was a repetition of the
scenes witnessed yesterday at the trial
of Emile Zola and NJ Pereieux, who are
being prosecuted by the government in
the Assizes Court of the Seine for de-
nouncing the Esterhazy court-martial.
General Boisdeffre refused emphatic
ally to testify under the plea Of profess
sional and state secrecy.
NJ. De LIE Gorgue, the presiding Judge,
consented that Nine. Dreyfus should be
allowed to testify, on the condition that
her evidence be restricted to the Es-
terhazy case.
Over two hundred barristers in their
robes gathered at the public entrance
and indu1ged in horse play. When the
presiding Judge ordered them not to OBJ
struct the passage, the barristers made
a demonstration against the judge.
Thereupon the commandant of the Re
publican Guards sent a detachment of
troops to quell the disturbance. The in
tervention of the military was ill-re-
ceiyed and led to a violent affray. The
barristers rushed upon the guards and
struck them. One of the young lawyers
was arrested, but after quiet had been
restored he was released.
M. Laborie protested against the linn
itation of the evidence of Nine. Drey-
fus, and denounced the scenes in court,
the biased reports in the newspapers
and the attacks on his client as being
unworthy of France.
Gen. Boisdefevre, replying to ques-
tions. admitted that as minister of war,
before he had testified at the Esterhazy
court marial, he had received from Maj.
Esterhazy a certain document which
concerned the Dreyfus case, but he re-
fused to give any further particulars,
on the ground of professional secresy.
The general admitted that Col PicQuart
had been transferred to 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 before and after the court
martial which had come to his knowl-
edge made this conviction unshakable.
This statement made a sensation in
court.
Gen. Gonz followed and had violent
alteration in court with NJ. Laborie,
in which the general public joined. The
tumult reached such a pitch that the
judge ordered the court cleared, which
the municipal guards promptly did. The
court resumed it's session five minutes
later and Gen. GonZ explained that he
had not meant all he said. Thereupon
the incident was allowed to drop.
Gen. Gonz then spoke of the investi-
cation of Col. Picquart, whom he had
encouraged. but the general added that
he had told the colonel to avoid arrest
ing Maj. Esterhazy, which the colonel
wished to do.
Gen. Mercier, the former minister of
war, who was next examined, declared
that he believed the Bordereau and other
documents extracted from the war Of
flee had been communicated to the news
papers by the Dreyfus family. NJ. La
borie imediately asked that Nine Drey-
fus be allowed to confront Gen. Mercier
and deny this statement, but the judge
refused to allow it.
Counsel for NJ. Zola then pressed Gen
Mercier to say if 1t was true that a
secret document had been commune
Gated to the Dreyfus court martial, but
the general refused to reply. At the
conclusion of his examination Gen
MERCER was cheered.
M. Traireaux, who was minister OF
justice at the time of the Dreyfus court
martial, was the next witness. After
his evidence, which did not convey any
startling facts, the court adjourned.
The crowd outside the court cheered
Gems. Mercier, Boisdefeyre and Gonz
while NJ. Zola was left almost unnoticed