Omaha daily bee., 1899-08-20

chief, Major Berth. Dreyfus pretended
Berlin would not impart any information.
Day after day he pestered me, so that
finally, having no reason TO distrust him, |
began giving him explanations. Dreytus dis
played the keenest interest and took copious
notes. When later his house was searched
these notes were not discoverable. | do not
know what became of them. But 1t is diff
fcult to believe they were destroyed, con-
sidering the importance he seemed to attach
to the Information and the persistence shown
in procuring It,"
Convinced of DrcSfus' Guilt.
After launching the above declaration,
which he apparently considered to be weighty
evidence OF the treachery OF Dreyfus. Major
Cuignet proceeded to recount in detail the
task which General Gonse assigned to him
in May, 1898, OF classifying the documents
in the Dreyfus, Esterhazy and Picquart
cases. "The first question l will ask here
is" said the witness. us Dreyfus guilty"
My conviction OF his guilt is based on three
grounds:
First. His confessions to Captain Lebrun-
Renault.
Second. The technical nature of the con-
tents of the bordereau.
Third. The results Of the examination of
the secret dossier.
81 will add to these three points the evil
dence of the expert Bertillon Oaughter) as
indirect proof of the means employed by
the Dreyfus family to secure the prisoners
rehabilitation
II protest that a campaign has been under
taken against justice, truth and our country"
The majors outburst Of heroiCs evoked
cynical smiles and indications Of dissent,
coupled with marks of assent from the as
sembled generals.
The witness next spoke of the SECRET dos
sier of the war ministry, containing informa-
tion relating to the interview between NJ.
Trarieux, former minister of Justice, and
Count Ternielli, the Italian ambassador,
which country" said Culgnet, benefited by
the treachery."
Faith in Confessions.
Regarding the confessions said to have
been made to Captain Lebrun-Renault. wit
ness said he still believed they were au-
thentic, and added: If people do not believe
the confessions to Captain Lebrun-Renault
they will believe no human testimony"
Continuing. the witness reasserted that
the bordereau was written by Dreyfus at the
end OF August, and incidentally the major
protested against Colonel Picquart's insinua.
tions against Patty de Clam. He then re-
turned to the secret dossier of the War
office, from which he declared the court was
sure to draw important deductions.
THE first portion of the dossier,'' he said.
shows that in 1893 there was a constant
leakage in the Ministry of War. We have had
proofs of the plans of Notifications reaching
the hands of a foreign power. 1t is known
to a certainty from the letter of an agent of
the foreign power that the stolen plans
emanated from the Ministry Of War. A
vast network of espionage had therefore
been organized against us, headed by agents
belonging to the same power as "A Colonel
Schwartzkoppen, the German military at
tache), the agents Of other powers also
Collaborating"
Witness then invited the courts special
attention to this dossier, in which he said
would be found ample proof Of the pris-
oner's guilt.
At this stage of the proceedings Dreyfus
rose and interrupted the witness, shouting:
THAT is a manifest lie."
Stands by the Bordereau
Another document of the dossier. accord
ing to Major Cuignet, showed beyond dis
pute that the bordereau actually passed
through the hands of Colonel Schwartzkop-
pen. This, to the witness, established the
authenticity Of the bordereau, an examina-
ton OF which, he pointed out, proved
Schwartzkoppen and Panizzardi had the
closest relations in all matters Of espionage.
Referring next to the dispatch Of Colonel
Schneider, former Austrian military at
tache at Paris, denouncing, as a forgery q
letter purporting to have been written by
the attache in which he was represented as
referring to efforts being made by Schwartz
koppen and Panizzardi to conceal their rela-
tions with Dreyfus, witness maintained that
General Mercier's statements on the sub
ject were correct and that the authenticity
of the letter had been proved. The Intelli-
gence department, he added, had other docu-
ments from the same attache in it's posses
sion. Major Cuignet pointed out that the
Schneider document was included in the
dossier and that NJ. Chamoin, who had the
secret documents in his charge, had shown
it to the court in behalf Of the Ministry of
War. Therefore, witness claimed, Colonel
Schneider's contradiction was really ad-
dressed to the French government. (Sensa-
tion).
Besides" added Cuignet, Il wish to point
out that the attache issuing the denial il
a person OF somewhat less consequence thar
his allies. 1t is therefore possible that this
denial was imposed upon him" (Renewet
sensation).
DisavowaI from Government.
Major Carriere, the governments com
missary, at this juncture said he though
it desirable to remark, as the Representative
of the government, that he must not bt
understood to endorse all Major Cuignet hac
said with reference to a foreign military
officer who at the present moment had q
diplomatic appointment in France. (Sensa'
tion.)
At the request OF NJ. Demange the major''
deposition before the court of cessation, re
lating to Henry's motives and Patty de Clam
share in the preparation of the forgery. wa
read. 1t showed that Cuignet emphaticall!
declared before the court of cessation tina
he was convinced an investigation woulc
easily show that Patty de Clam was thu
principal author of the Henry forgery.
> Witness claimed he thought he was doini
. his duty Gin saying all that Is in my mind.
, "Do you adhere" asked counsel, ito al
) you said before the full court of cessation
5 This question greatly confused the wit
. ness, who attempted to explain by saying h
was only arguing at that time" and tina
: 1t was not for him to Judge Patty de Clam.
I NJ. Demange pointed out that in spite OF tn
: many arguments Major cu!snc: had ad
i vanced against Patty de Clam, the militar,
) Judge, Tavernier, threw out the case.
3 "Now," added Demange, Major Cuigne
o has advanced as much against Dreyfus. TIL
court will be able to appreciate the value o
! his arguments"
o Counsel then asked why Cuignet had EN-
+ ployed the expression report" to describ
u II hnotI LATHAM arI fha 1 q vanilla