The record-union., 1899-09-05

respondingly damaging witness for the
general staff. His evidence brought
out glaring instance of duplicity on
the part Of the staff Office in suppress
ing documents which must weaken It's
own case. Commissary Tomps was
called to the general staff office to in
yestigate the espionage, and naturally
had consultations. with officers of the
Bureau.
IS Commissary Tonps began his testi-
rilony by paying high tribute to Lieu
tenant Colonel Picquart's correct atti-
tude and uprightness in the Dreyfus
inquiry, While other officers sought to
undermine him by insinuations.
Lieutenant Colonel Henry. the wit
ness asserted tried to induce him to at
tribute to Picquart the communication
of the bordereau to the "Matin, in
which journal, it will be remembered,
the bordereau was first published. Then
Commissary Tomps came to the most
important portion of his testimony,
which led to a restricting of his revela-
! tions. The witness was asked if he
had ever investigated the Paulmier af-
fair, which was as follows:
Paulmier was the valet of Colonel
attache at Paris. and it was alleged
that he saw ON Schwarzkoppen's desk
documents signed by Dreyfus. The
general staff had declared that an effort
would be made to get at the truth OF
this story, but Paulmier disappeared
and, therefore, although the general
staff could not prove the story, it could
not disprove it.
To the question regarding this case,
| Commissary Tomps replied that he had
not investigated the affair, whereupon
NJ. Labori suggested that NJ. Hennion,
Sub Chief of the Political Police, who
was now in Rennes, experimenting the
precautions for the safety of witnesses,
may have been entrusted with the in
quiry into this case
Colonel Jouaust called to Hennion,
who was present in the Courtroom,
Come here and testify
M. Hennion ascended the platform
and took the oath.
He declared that he did investigate
the case and actually found Paulmier,
who told him there was not a word of
truth in the whole story. He had never
seen any paper bearing the name of
1 Dreyfus.
/ NJ Labori at once called attention to
the fact that the general staff had sup
! pressed NJ. Hennions report in favor
/ of Dreyfus and only declared that the
! report had been received representing
! Paulmier as untraceable.
| Commandant Cuignet and Captain
Junck then arose and insisted that only
| the report that Paulmier could not be
| traced had been received at the office
/ of the general staff.
! NJ Hennion replied, reiterating that
he had forwarded a report to the gem
/ eral staff, giving Paulmier's emphatic
/ denial of the whole story.
| NJ. Labor asked Commandant Cuig-
net and Captain Junck where the re-
port was that they said had been re-
! ceived by the general staff, stating that
NJ Paulmier could not be found. The
officers interrogated were obliged to
admit that they We're unable to find the
report
| This practically closed the matter.
The court adjourned after deciding
| to sit with closed doors tomorrow to
j investigate NJ. Cernuschis testimony.
| After a brief session in Camera the
/ public sitting was resumed at 10 this
morning. The first business of the day
| was the reading of the letter of resig-
nation written by Lieutenant Bruyere
/ of the artillery to Cavaignac, then Min
! lister of War, resigning his commission,
and declaring that it was dishonor to
serve in the French army.
( Colonel Jouaust explained that as a
result of this letter Lieutenant Bruyere
was cashiered.
/ The first witness called was an
/ Austro- Hungarian refugee named Ger
nuschi. The witness asked that a let
! ter which he had written to Colonel
/ Jouaust be read, and it was done In
/ this letter NJ. Cernuschi explained that,
! owing to political troubles. ne mad been
/ obliged to seek refuge in France from
/ September, 1894 until 1897. When he
was in France, the letter explained, a
! friend connected with the Foreign Of
/ fee of another country mentioned to
! him the names of certain French cor
J respondents of other Powers. The
first and most important of these
named, the writer asserted, was that
! of Dreyfus.
Another of NJ. Cernuschi's friends ac-
/ cording to this letter, showed him i'm
maps for mobilization of troops. docu-
ments relating to the transport Of
troops, diagrams of eastern railways.
! etc, which he declared came from
/ Dreyfus, remarkfng further that every
thing was procurable in France by the
payment of money, and adding:
What's the good of having Jews, if
/ you don't make use of them"
/ Two days later, the letter said. M.
+ Cernuschi's friend precipitately left
/ Paris, and Dreyfus was afterward ar
/ rested. The letter concluded with say
ing that NJ. Cernuschi told all this to an
! officer of the War Office, who wrote il
I down
/ Colonel Jouaust asked the witness if
I the statements in the letters were all
he had to tell the court.
9 A a n A a n N N "a m q a a a