The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1898-02-23
lola HURLS DEFIANCE.
A Fearless Effort in Face of Hos
tile Demonstration.

Pans, Feb. 90 --.Zola faced his enraged
ana ueluded countrymen in the assize
court to-day and addressed to them -
speech which WAS both an appeal aud a
uenhhce. - an appeal. it W as hopeless.
ana ne knew IL. As u defiance, it was
intrepid, prophetic, magnificent. 1t was
reviewed with Jeers of intolerart rage
winch he allow to pass unheeded
On Wednesday lie will he punished tor
warning France that if she::so VS. the wind
she Will reap the wbirlwind. But it
needs no pre- phet to foresee that the an
cry crowd which today Ieviled him will
one day applaud him as one If the de-
tenders OF his couutry's honor.
The third week of the trial began 20.
day without particular incident. The
advocate general ,as soon as court opened.
began his closing plea. He entirely liz
nored the rule imposed at the outset of
the ttial forbidding references to the
Dreyfus case. This rule has been en-
forced from the outset against the de.
tense, but it has been entirely inopers-
tive against the prosecution and its wit
nesses. The advocate general made an
elaborate argument upon the origin of
the bordereau, insisting that the opinions
OF the Official experts had not been i'm
peached, whereas the testimony Of the
defendants experts was worthless be-
cause it was based upon Il fac smile and
not Upon the original. He argued that
1T was impossible for Esterhazv to secure
access to the document.uame i'll the'bor.
dereau and therefore impossi BILE that he
was guilty.
The advocate general spoke almost two
hours. His address on the whole WAS
astonishingiy weak, and especially i n his
peroraton, when he descended to the
puetlle suggestion that lola was merely
seeking self advertisements, and making
market for new nook, which he is
soon to write
The strongest point Of his plea was his
insistence that the whole question for
the jury was whether Xola was justified
in his allegation that the military court
of Inquiry In the EsterhaZy case had rem
dered Judgment according to the orders
OF the chief officers of the army
~ recess was taken at 2 O'Clock, after
which NJ. Xola read II statement tn the
jury. He began by asserting that it was
Premier Meline himself who ordered his
prosecution, against which assertion the
audience protested. His reading fire.
ouently provoked an angry uproar which
sometimes drowned his voice. His ouiy
motive, he said, had been to compel the
illumination of an affair which involved
the honor of France. He had never ont
rdSeu Cne brave sOlClerS OF France For
the chiefs of the army.
condemn me if you WILL" he said,
but it will be another fault to add to
the mistakes which have gone before. l
swear ia you that Dreyfus is innocent.
wild cries OF "Proof! ProofnD But this
Is no logger question of Dreyfus The
sole issue is whether France is still n
country of hun an rights and human lib
erty.
"You may strike me down to. day, but
the day will come when France will
thank me for saving her honor"
AT these utterances angry howls and
shrieks came from all parts of the audi.
ence, which was beside itself with rage,
the nproar continuing for some time af
ter NJ. lola took his seat.
NJ. Labordi began his closing argu.
ment, speaking an hour and half His
address was not finished when the court
rose Mt 4:3J p. IN.
NJ. Labordi handled Zola's case in
plea not Ouly remarkable for its elo-
quence. and so thrilling at times that it
won unwilling applause from his hearers,
but of great logical strength.