Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-24
MERClER WAS RECALLED
And Labori Put rlany Questions That
Resulted in Dreyfus' Favor.
THE PRISONER HAD A VERY GOOD DAY
His Counsel Showing Up Many of the Falsi-
ties of the Testimony That Had Been Given
by the Witnesses--President of the Court
Refused to Allow Roget to be Recalled.

Rennes. Aug. 4.-The fourth sitting Of I
the third week Of the second trial by |
court-martial Of Captain Alfred Dreyfus
on the charge of treason at the Lycee be-
gan at $3.50 this morning with the reading
Of the deposition Of NJ. Penot. No special
incident marked the opening of the days
proceedings.
When the Dreyfus court martial opened
at $50 o'clock this morning Colonel
JOuaust ordered that the evidence given
by M. Penot, a friend Of the late Colonel
Sandherr, chief of the intelligence de-
partment, be read by the clerk of the
court. 1t was to the effect that Sand
herr said the Dreyfus family offered him
$50. 900 francs on condition he would clear
Dreyfus.
Demange, for the defense, disposed OF
the allegation by reading the actual note
written on the subject by Sandherr,
thereby proving that the colonels re-
marks had been distorted, the Dreytus
brothers having only said:
eve are convinced of the innocence of
our brother and will spend our entire
fortune to discover the truth"
The testimony Of the first witness Of
the day, NJ. Linolle, former officer OF
| the government, was also in favor OF
Dreyfus, as it was in direct contradic-
ton of what Dubrieul deposed yester-
day regarding the alleged intimacy Of
Drcyfus with a German attache at the
! house of NJ. Podson, a mutual friend.
The president of the court then called
the next witness, Colonel Maurel, who
was president of the Dreyfus court mar
| tial in '94. Complete silence fell upon
the court as the infantry sergeant, who
| was acting as usher, conducted Maurel
| to the witness bar. His face showed
| anxiety. AS Labor dashed him with
pointed questions, the colonel hesitated
| and then answered in short, chOppy
manner, and when Labori finally dis
posed of him, the witness left the plat
form with a pale face and the scared
look of man who has awakened from a
nightmare. Counsel had drawn from the
colonel confession that the secret dos
sier was communicated to the judges
of the court martial of "a by Major De
Clam. This avowal produced a sensation
in the court, and Maure!s declaration
| that he only read one CT the documents
did not affect the main fact. His state
ment that the reading Of the document
had no effect upon him. as his mind was
already made up, was nullified by his
subsequent declaration that this one doc
ument suf1iced to convince him.
At this, Labori then put series of
scorching questions to Mercier with ref
erence to a communication of the secret
dossier for the court martial and his at
titude in '94, and an interesting scene
ensued. The general refused to reply to
all questions and there were sharp pas
sages at arms between counsel and Col
onel Jouaust, who upheld Mercier while
the dialogue between the general and
Labori became acrimonious.
Counsel became very heated and
showed it in his voice and gestures. The
general, however troubled his mind
might be, seldom departed from the cal
lous demeanor characterized of him. The
lawyer made a strong point on the part
Esterhazy played, Mercier said he did
once at the Zola trial.
That's very interesting" exclaimed
Labor, but surely MERCER was present
at the Esterhazy trial?"
The general replied he was not there
and that he knew nothing about the evil
dence in the Esterhazy prosecution.
What cried Labori, General Mer-
Ger, who is the chief accuser OF
Dreyfus, did not even follow the proceed
ngs in the Esterhazy trial?'
A Alow murmur of surprise and indignant
comment came from the audience, but
Jouaust Immediately suppressed it.
Counsel then brought MERCER to his as
! serton that 3500O,O00 francs were spent
J by the defenders of Dreyfus, and asked
J the general to say how he knew this, who
J spent it and other awkward questions
which the general was unable to answer
A question as to how the bordereau ar.
rived at the Offices of the general staff
it's date, ETC., was then introduced, which
led to strange scene for a court of law
General Roget, on mounting the plat
form to give explanations, was followed
by General de Boisdeffre, NJ. Gribelin
Major Lauth and other military wit.
nesses, all holding up their hands to sig.
Nifty that they desired to speak, while a,