The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-08-31
is EsTERHAzY's HANDWRITING
Experts Gave Testimony That Is Fa-
vorable to the Accused.


today, NJ. Paul Meyer. memberaof the
institute and director of the school
of ancient manuscripts, described his
researches in the Dreyfus case, which
led to his conviction that the horde reau
was not only IN Esterhdzy's handwrit-
ing, but was actually written by Ester
hazy. The witness explained that in
his evidence before the assizes court he
was unable to be so positive in regard
to the writer because he had only seen
a fac smile of the bordereau, but at
the court of cessation he saw the
original is.-s --rf,
Il convinced myself" said NJ. Meyer,
by a magnifying glass that the Dor
dereau was written in a free haid and
without hesitation, whereas it is pre-
cisely hesitation in the formation of
strokes, that reveals the method of
tracing. / can affirm that it is in the
writing and the very hand of Ester
hazy. This is perfectly clear to me-"
(Commotion.)
At the conclusion of his testimony
the witness gave a demonstration Of
the fallacy of the Bertillon system.
Professor Auguste Molinier. of the
school of ancient manuscripts, gave
similar evidence. He said that each
fresh examination of the bordereau
only served to convince him that it was
the work of EsterhaZy.
Knocks Expert Testimony.
Amid deep attention the witness DEM
onstrated how the conclusions of the
experts who attributed the bordereau
to Dreyfus were mutually destructive,
and dwelt on the defects of N. Bertil-
Ions arguments, pointing out the
striking resemblance of the alleged
doctored handwriting with Esterhazy's
writing, who, he added, in everybody's
opinion had relations with Colonel
SchwartZkoppen, the former German
military attache at Paris, and the dis
similarities between the writing of the
bordereau and that of the prisoner.
The members of the courtmartial
were very much interested and asked
Professor Molinier a number of ques-
tons to which he replied, holding his
conclusion that Esterhazy was the
writer of the bordereau.
MERCER Is Alarmed.
General Mercier requested to speak
and called attention to the fact that in
his testimony before the courS of cas-
sation Professor Molinier said a change
was apparent in Esterhazy's writing
after 1894, and asked that the profess
sor's former evidence be read.
NJ. Labor, leading counsel for the de-
tervened with the object of verifying
Professor Malinier's evidence. Counsel
added that it seemed TO MIN that Cen
eral MERCER interviewed less in the
character of a witness than as q gov
eminent commissary. He. therefore,
would be grateful 10 the general if
he would explain the bearing of his re-
mark
MERCER replied that the special point
e h.
of Professor Molinier, which he said
NJ. Bertillon's statement
that Esterhazy, the man of straw.
his handwriting in order to
replace Dreyfus. In conclusion Cen
eral MERCER said:
Having emphasized the point in re-
gard to the change in EsterhaZy's
in 1897. perhaps before.
am satisfied" (Commotion.)
Another Positive Expert.
Professor CRY, also of the school of
ancient manuscripts, traversed about
the same ground covered by Professor
Molinier. He said the bordereau only
had superficial likeness to Dreyfus'
and asserted that it was
certainly the work of Esterhazy. The
witness also said the bordereau was
not written with the aid of keywords.
NJ. Labori asked if the witness had
noted a change in TsterhaZys cali
graphy, and Professor CRY replied that
he had studied the question, but did
not think there had been any change.
Counsel then asked whether General
Mercier had meant to intimate that
handwriting had become
less like that of Dreyfus since 1894, to
which the general replied that he had
not wished to express an opinion, but
he reiterated that NJ. Bertillon had
shown that EsterhaZy's handwriting
had become more like that of the bor-
ie-eau.
NJ Labori retorted that in that case
Nercier should not have repeated the
evidence of Grenier before the court
IF cessation, as Grenier showed that
caligraphy had become less
and less like the writing of the bor-
iereau and of Dreyfus.
NJ. Bertillon at this junction said he
desired to speak, but the president of