The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-08-20
against Dreyfus. The court will be
able to appreciate the value of his ar

able 10 apprecldtt the Ndiue OF MS ar
gument.'
Counsel then asked why Cuignet had
employed the expression "report' TO de-
scribe the Schneider letter, and the wit
ness replied that he was justified in do
ing so owing to the similarity of the
expressions in it with the terms usually
employed in reports.
NJ Demange pointed out that the
document included In the dossier con-
tanned the word report" Does the
original" he asked, contain this
word?"
No" replied the witness.
Replying further, Cuignet said the
document also referred to the campaign
in favor of Dreyfus, and to orders sent
Brussels, the headquarters Oh the es-
pionage system.
NJ. Demange said: The paper hand
ed in by General Mercier is therefore
only an extract"
The witness next gave his idea as
to how Dreyfus might have secured
plans of the fortress. But counsel
pointed to Du Patty de CLAIMS report at
the time of the arrest of Dreyfus in
which he declared that no document
had disappeared or could have disap-
peared from the ministry of war.
When Dreyfus was asked if he wished
to reply to this witness he declared
he had never asked Maor Cuignet for
documents except by the desire of his
chief, Major Bertin.
Out of His Imagination.
'All the details which Major Cuignet
has given on this subject" said the
prisoner, "sprang out of his own i'm
agination, and are due to the same
state Of mind which prompts unreas-
oning bitterness even against an in
nocent man."
Amid buzz of excitement the came
of Major Du Patty de Clam was called
out, whereupon Major Carriere said de
Clam had been officially informed that
his presence was necessary to the
court martial and it was hoped he
would be able to come as soon as pos
sible. but the government commissary
lad heard nothing from him since this
notification was sent. At the request
of M. Demange it was decided to no.
tify de Clam that the court martial
was ready to hear his deposition.
Bpisdefre on the stand.
There was further thrill of curios-
ity when Bosdeffre. former chief
of the general staff of the French army,
advanced to the witness box and took
the customary oath to tell the truth.
The general remarked that in view of
the exhaustive evidence already given
he would try to be brief He hurried
ly reviewed the leakage in the minis
try of war. the discovery of the border
eau, the arrest and the trial of Drey-
fus and the latter's alleged confessions
before the ceremony of degrade ton,
to Captain Lebrun- Renault Witness
said he believed the confessions were
genuine. He next referred to Colonel
Picquart's appearance in the intelli-
gence department. although the wit
ness had hesitated to appoint him be-
l..
confident and not sufficiently deferen-
tial toward his chiefs.
1T has been said continued General
Boisdeffre, that a secret package
of papers was shown to the judges of
the court martial of 1894. l positively
assert that so far ais | am concerned,
l never ordered Colonel Picquart to
convey any envelope to Colonel Maurel.
I may add that Colonel Picquart never
doubted the guilt of Dreyfus and never
even expressed doubts of his guilt
when he took the duties of chief of the
intelligence department. The first IN
structions I gave him We're to follow
up the Dreyfus affair." and it is well
known what was the result of these in
StructiOnS."
The general next described the inter-
view between himself and Colonel Pic
quart, when the latter first mentioned
Esterhazy, without, however, connect
ing him with the Dreyfus affair Wit
ness discredited Colonel Picquart's
statement that the latter asked him
(witness) not to mention the investi-
cation of Gonse.
General Gonse." said Bosdeffre. "is
a friend of 80 years standing. l have
always had the greatest confidence in
him and certainly should not have en-
tertained an idea to leave him in ig
norance of what was occurring"
General Boisdeffre, whose evidence
was attentively followed, especially by
the members of the court martial, then
related the incidents of his interview
with Picquart how he sent Picquart
to see General Gonse. and General
Gonse's letter to the witness, but add
ing that the affair must not be mixed
up with the Dreyfus affair, AS Col
onel PicQuart persisted in trying to
hurry matters and was neglecting his
other duties, the witness proposed to
the minister of war to send him, not
in disgrace. on a mission to ,Tonking,
but the minister of war, the general
asserted, found another mission for
him. Everything. the general added,
went quietly for year. until M.
Scheurer-K Kestner interviewed. This was
followed by, the denunciation of Ester
hazy by Matthew Dreyfus. and the in
quiry into Esterhazys proceedings.
Convinced of Guilt.
AT that time" the witness said II
was convinced of the guilt of Dreyfus,
and this conviction is as strong to-day
as ever. (Sensation). | regard it as
an abominable crime to have endeav-
ored to substitute for him a man of
straw, however disreputable he may
have been, and whatever his offenses,
which in any case. would not lessen
the guilt of Dreyfus. My conviction is
the same as at the commencement of
the affair. Esterhazy, it is true, to a
certain degree confessed TO having
written the bordereau, but he has made
many other statements. He is always
telling lies. What is certain is that
he could have never delivered the doc
uments enumerated in the bordereau."
The witness briefly referred to the
trial and aCquittal of EsterhaZy and
the latter's threats to proclaim himself
a tool of the general staff, after which
the general alluded to the Henry for
gerry and NJ. Cavaignac's interroga-
tions of Henry.
You know the result" said he. ap-
parently much moved. Il will not tell
Won what I suffered at that moment