The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-09-09
and that the court martial should pro-

claim It,
Counsel was satisfied that the judges
of 1894 were honest, like the present
judges. but If the former had seen Es-
terhazy's handwriting they would have
pronounced different verdict. Coun-
sci then entered into details, dealing
with the information contained regard
ing the prisoner in 1894. He said:
The only real information is that
found in the cries from his soul. Even
before his conviction his cry was: L
Will not take my life because l am in
nocent.'''
M. Demange dilated upon the prison.
er's increasing protestations Of inno-
cence and his touching letters to his
family, exclaiming: 'In them you see
his soul which speaks. Alone in his
tomb he communed with himself He
cherished the hope of seeing his inno-
cence acknowledged"
Among the letters of Dreyfus read
by M. Demange was one in which, after
asserting his innocence and declaring
he always served the tricolor with de-
votion and honor. the prisoner com
planned that he was treated on DEVILS
island like an ordinary convict. It
concluded with the words: Il wish
to live"
This is soldiers SOUL" exclaimed
M. Demange. land it is that man you
call a traitor. 1t is that man who, in
your presense, restraints his sobs and
his emotion. All. gentlemen, l. would
rather defend guilty men who are
clever dissemblers than an innocent
man who Is too sincere"
Other letters of the prisoner were
read, all breathing the same desire to
live to see his honor disclosed, though
the writer was broken down in health
and spirits One letter written in 1897,
appeals to General de Boisdeffre to
lend his generous aid in securing for
the writer the restoration of the lib
erty of which he had been robbed
Writing to his brother, the prisoner
said:
while one or more scoundrels are
walking free, 1t would be a happy re-
lease for me to die, but it would be a
disgrace to Lucille and my children"
In this letter the writer urged his
brother to find the culprits, while care
fully protecting the interests of the
country
rs it not the cry of an innocent
MANI" asked NJ. Demange. yet
though General de Boisdeffre received
the letter he did not forward it to
Mathieu Dreyfus.'
Five ministers of war" said NJ. De-
mango, pronounced Dreyfus guilty,
while admitting it was impossible to
produce proof. General de Boisdeffre,
General Gonse and General Roget also
affirmed their belief in his guilt but
happily they stated reasons and instead
of proofs only accumulated presump-
tions."
After pointing out that the generals
only studied the case at the very mo-
ment when public alteration had re-
duced the whole question to a conflict
between Dreyfus and the army, thus
making 1t impossible that the generals
should not be prejudiced, and probabili-
ties and presumptions seemed to be
proofs NJ Demange said: Il must ac-
knowledge, however, the honesty and
honora BILE conduct of the generals, who
could not have acted otherwise than
they have done.
Counsel then paid an eloquent tribute
to the honesty of purpose" manifested
by the generals.
Dealing next with the confessions,
counsel read the report of Captain Le-
brun- Renault of the Republican guards,
who had the prisoner in charge previous
to his degradation and maintained the
exact words of Dreyfus. which were
now known only in reflected ideas Colo
mel Du Patty de Clam had previously
expressed to the prisoner, adding that
"all that Du Patty de Clam maintained
to the contrary, 1t was certain that i'm
asination had played a much greater
part than reason in the acts of Du Patty
de Clam"
1t was also significant that the report
drawn up by Du Patty de Clam on the
day following his interview with Drey-
fus had disappeared. Du Patty de Clam,
counsel pointed out. had evidently for
gotten other facts.
NJ Jemange said he was surprised at
the attitude of General Gonse toward
the alleged confession and added that
Captain Lebrun- Renault, who was sent
to the Elysee palace expressly to report
the confessions. did not mention them.
1t was likewise inexplicable that Gen
eral Mercier took no steps to verify the
so-called confession, which were lost
sight of until NJ Cavaignac sprung
them on the chamber of deputies as
proof of the guilt of Dreyfus. The court
of cessation had justly decided that
they We're not confessions.
Proceeding to discuss the secret dos
sier, M. Demange examined the docu-
ments one after another. He said all
interpretations of the document COM
mencing Doubts proof" were hypo-
thetical, but they applied much more
easily to Esterhazy than to Dreyfus.
The leakage ascribed to Dreyfus could
only refer to the plans of fortresses,
and this leakage continued until 1898.
The document contained the words
"Cette canaille de D" only indicated
poor devil and it could be ascribed
scribed as friend in the second bu-
reau No credence could be attached
to some of the documents, while others
could not be ascribed to the pris-
oner.
The sixth document was letter writ
ten by Count Won Munster Ledenburg,
the German ambassador to France from
Germany to Colonel Schwarzkoppen,
the military attache of Germany at
Paris, containing the words "as regards
Dreyfus, We are easy"
NJ. Demange pointed out that the
Dreyfus case was the universal topic in
Germany at the time and from the first
the German officials might have been
uneasy. but had evidently reassurcd
themselves Counsel was indignant that
because Count Won Munster Ledenburg
had not expressly declared Dreyfus was
innocent the prosecution had deduced
from his words an aVowal of his guilt.
In regard to the letters of Nov. and
Nov H. sent by Major Panizzardi to his
chief, it has been alleged that they
proved Dreyfus had relations with Col
onel Schwarzkoppen, whereas, in re-
atty, Major Panizzardi denied that
DreyfuF had any relations with Italy.