The Portland daily press., 1899-08-19

uhuIWrtlu9 OF tine DOruefeau was Eeter-
hazy's, and seeing that documents mem
toned therein might have been supplied
BY Esterhazy that the words az am GO
Ing to the manoeuvres could be perfectly
well applied TO Esterhazy ana tina he
had secretaries at his disposal 10 copy
document so voluminous as the firing
manual, resolved to consult the secret
dossier TO see what part Of treachery
might be ascribed to Dreyfus and to as
sure myself the dossier contained any
thing indicating Esterhaay. frankly
admit was supplied on reading the
secret dossier. I expected TO find matters
Of gravity therein and found in short
nothing but document which might
apply just as much to Esterhazy as to
Dreyfus an unimportant document mem
tioning Avignon and document which Ii
seemed absurd TO apply to Dreyfus name
the Cette cansiile de ID document. Last
ly recognized report appended in the
handwriting Of Come which to me APP
peared to be as worthless as the second
document Il was then evening. / have
stayed late at the Office In order to ex-
anime tho documents thoroughly. l
thought it over during the might and the
next day explained the whole situation
to- Gen. De BoisedsffEe. I took to
his Office the secret dossier, the fac simie
OF the bordereau the Petit Bleu and the
papers connected with my investigation
Of Esterhhzy. wonder now II / had
one or two interviews. But 1 stiu see
Gen. De Boisdeffl re as he examined the
secret dossier and advising me to 90 into
the country and give an account Of the
| affair TO Gen. Gonz, and ask his services.
Before starting to see Gan. Gonz
IEalso gave him a note In which was my
resume Of the evidence against Esterhazy.
He remarked; $50 a mistake hiss been
made After my interview with Gen.
CONF did not work any longer on my
own iniatiye. said nothing more until
the return Of Gen. Gonz, September 10.
At that time Esterhazy was at the great
manoeuvres."
Witness dwelt ON the rumors In Septern.
her. 1896. of the project of restoring Drey-
fus with a man of straw and discovery
Of the forged Weyler letter supposed to be-
connected with the same project. At
| about this time the campaign for and
against Dreyfus was started by tina news
papers. At this stage of his deposition
Col. Picquart who had been speaking
two hours and half was yisibly dis
tressed and had occasional attacks of
coughing. Col Jouast however. showed
no inclination to suspend the session for
Picquart In order to give him needed rest
The witness then turned to the newspaper
attacks on Dreyfus saying that informa-
ton regarding the bordereau contained In
them convinced him that they had been
inspired BIZ some one closely connected
with the nreyfus affair. They could not
he added be attributed to the Dreyfus
family while they contained expressions
familiar to Patty du Clam whom it would
be interesting to henr ON the subject.
Witness next said he asked permission to
enquire into the sources Of the articles,
but was forbidden to interfere. Describ-
ing his interview with Gen. Gonz, Sep
TENDER 10, Picquart said: "When asked
Gen. Gonz for permission to continue the
Investigation insisting ON the danger OF
allowing the Dreyfus family TO proceed
with their investigation alone the general
replied that 1t was impossible in his
opinion and in the opinion of Gen. De
Boisdeffres aud the minister of war to
reopen the affair. When pressed the
point in order to make Gen. Gonz un-
derstand that nothing could prevent It's
reopening, II 1t could be believed Dreyrus
was innocent, Gen. Gons replied: IF you
say nothing. nobody win know Sen
eral. replied firmly, what you tell me
is abominable. / do not know what /
shall do. But won't carry this secret
with me- (Great sensation,) at oncs
left the room. That Is what occurred.
/ know my account is disputed. but l
positively swear It," said Picuuart as he
emphatically smote the bar in front of the
witness box.
The colonel next described his inten-
tions with regard to Esterhazy which
Generals Gonz and De Boisdeffre had
forbidden him to carry out He attached
particular importance to this point as
1t connected clue to subsequent occur
rences. Later the witness said that while
Patty duyClam evidently actei wrongly in
Disgusting himself with false beard and
blue spectacles perhaps he was authorized
to do SO.
After a few minutes suspension of tbs
session Col. Picquart resumed his deposit
tion showing how through an article in
the Record he saw that Esterhsgy had been
warned of the suspicious against him.
In witnesses opinion the only vent of
Importance in the Dreyfus affair sinee
the discovery of the bordsreau was the
Henry forgery. Shortly before Henry
perpetrated the forgery an agent named
Guenee, Henry's right man, prepared |
report declaring that NJ. Castelin,
Republican deputy, was about to force
the hand of the Dreyfus family by un.
masking in the chamber of deputies the
prisoners accomplices thus having the
affair reopened.
The feature of Picquart's deposition was
his recital Of the intrigaes against him
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