The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-08-27
DEFENSE OF DREYFUS.
Capt. Freystaetter's Testimony Causes
Sensation = Dying Effort of the
General Staff to Hide the
Truth Behind the Veil
Of Death

Rennes, Aug. 26.-"Dead men tell no
tales" This is the barricade behind
which Gen. MERCER and the general
staff have entrenched themselves. But
there is one weak point in the defense,
Col. du Patty de Clam, and the mill
tary clique know it, and are striving
to the utmost to keep him out of M.
Labori's clutches.
If they can prevent Du Patty de Clam
who is now called the sick man of the
Dreyfus affair" from appearing at the
witness bar they can effectually put the
silence OF the tomb between truth and
justice. NJ Labori is fighting tooth
and nail to drag Du Patty de Clam into
court, but Col. Jouaust persists in re-
fusing him the necessary assistance.
He declines to send reputable doctors
to officially report on the state of Du
Patty de CLAIMS health, which every
Dreyfusard firmly believes is only dip
lomatically affected and that he will
recover quickly enough after the trial
M. Labor hit the nail on the head to-
day when, replying to Gen. MERCER
last remarks, he exclaimed: Always
the dead. Sandherr dead! Henry dead!
Du Patty de Clam is not conIng!" Col.
Jouaust Immediately cut him short, de-
claring he must not make observations,
and M. Labor staggered and fell back
into his seat with despairing ges-
ture.
Col. Jouaust was not so particular in
stopping the stream of irrelevant gos-
sip which flow ed from the lips of the
military witnesses who have filed be-
fore the court during the past fort
night.
While, however, the Dreyfusards be-
heve Du Patty de Clam is not serious
ly III, they feel secret dread, which
is expressed in the significant remark
not infrequently heard. "Sandherr is
dead, Henry committed suicide and Du
Patty de Clam will die"
The conformation today of Col. Maui
rel, capt. Freystaetter and Gen. Mer-
cier was an instructive exposure of the
fraud and dishonesty of the general
staff, which the absence of Du Patty de
Clam alone prevented from being com
plete. The defense might demand that
a rogatory commission be sent to ex-
anime Du Patty de Clam on his sick
bed. But Mn. Labor and Demange
despair of obtaining a satisfactory re-
SUIT Cheretrom. They want to have
Du Patty de Clam in court and turn the
screws of the rack themselves.
NO one among the public who entered
the court room this morning and again
found himself sntangled in NJ Bertillon's
photographic jugglery anticipated the
thrilling scenes to be enacted before the
court adjourned. M. Bertillon talked for
two hours, during which even Col Jou-
aust felt constrained more than once to
bring him to the point Then M. Labori
proposed few questions, which when
the president of the court martial con-
descended to admit them, were ans
wered in an off-hand manner by the
witness, who thought fit to show his
contempt by barely looking at M. La
bori' and to proceed at the same time. to
pack up his voluminous parcels and
diagrams.
Capt. Dreyfus also spoke a few words,
repudiating Bertillon's direct denunci-
ations and then a military witness was
put up to explain to the judges what
Bertillon really meant. He only man
aged to be equally obscure. All this was
utter gibberish to the general public
and the journalists, most of whom left
the court room and sauntered up and
down the courtyard leaving three
fourths of the benches empty.
All fiocked back, however, when NJ
Labori rose and asked that Capt Frey
staetter be called to the bar. Everybody
knew the significance of his appearance,
and dead silence fell upon the court as
the little sergeant usher returned. con-
Quoting a tall keen looking man. SEEM
ing every inch a soldier in his parade
uniform of a captain of marine infan-
try wearing five decorations in a row
across his breast, the red ribbon rosette
of an officer of the Legion of Honor, a
cross and three medals, won in foreign
campaigns, including a Madagascar
medal, from which country ne returned
about year ago.
Holding his head high and with COM
plete serenity Of demeanor he walked
into the court ROOM passing in front Of
Gems. Mercier Roget Gonse and De
Boisdeffre, who We're sitting in the front
row of witnesses and who gave him SIDE
chances, which he did not see as he
marched with his eyes fixed on the
judges, toward the platform.
This he assembled. coming to halt
in front Of Col. Jouaust, and smartly
gave the military salute, took off his
KEPT. stood at attention and replied to
the formal questions as 70 his name,
age and the like. in a resonant tone,
which he maintained through the whole
Of his testimony Never once did his
voice falter. Never did it degenerate
into hoarse croaking, as Col. Maufel's
did when Capt. Freystaetter, looking
him straight in the eyes and with as
founding calmness, gave him the lie
Capt. Freystaetter's opening state
ment was a discharge of grapeshot for
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