Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-28
His System Declared Rad
ically Defective.
COURT is WEARY OF TIE DISPUTE
M. Chavay Says He Was Mis-
taken in 1894
NOW ACCUSES ESTERH AZY

RENNES August 2S.-When the fourth
week of the second trial by court-martial
of Capt. Alfred Dreyfus of the artillery,
charged with treason opened in the Lycee
building this morning, Gen. Nercier, who
was minister of war when Dreyfus was
first tried in 1894, was present, as usual in
the front row Of witness seats. thus def
nitey setting at rest the reports as to his
having fled to the Island of Jersey and as
to his arrest.
The first witness called To-Day was N.
Paray-Javal, the draughtsman. whose evi-
dence was interrupted on Saturday by the
adjournment of the court. NJ ParayJaval
was called by the defense to refute the sys-
TEN by which NJ. Alphone Bertilon, chief
of the anthropometrc department of the
Paris prefecture of police, last week at
tempted to prove that the prisoner wrote
the famous bordereau in a disguised hand.
and by means of a key-word. interest
and that it could not have been written by
EsterhaZy, although the document was IN
a handwriting resembling that of Ester
hazy.
With the aid of a blackboard NJ. Paray-
laval demonstrated the fallacy OF NJ. Ber-
tilon's calculations, and criticised The lat
Hays handwriting to the same tests as
the prisoners writing. At the same time
the draughtsnan declared that even if NJ.
Bertillon had done the result would not
have proved anything.
In brief, the mornings session was given
up to handwriting experts, who devoted
themselves to demolishing one another's
evidence The public followed the deposit
tions listlessly. but the judges and counsel
listened with the greatest attention
Gen. MERCER did not seem to be very
cheerful today. He hardly said word to
Gen. Gonse the whole morning, but during
the brief suspension Of the courts sitting
he and Gems. Gonse and Roget walked up
and down the courtyard of the Lycee, en-
gagged in conversation.
Gen. de Bois1efrre was not present in
court today. He has been absent from the
past few sessions. and it is rumored here
that he is desirous of leaving the sinking
ship Of the general staff.
Interest in Freystaetter.
The center of interest in the courtyard
was Capt Freystaetter of the Marine In
fantry who testified favorably to Drey-
fus on Saturday. and who seemingly gave
the lie to Col. Maurel, who was president
of the court-martial of 1884 in a most i'm
portant feature of the latters evidence.
The captain, dressed in blue-black tunic,
indigo blue trousers and wearing his five
decorations, held veritable reception of
his friends, who pressed around him and
shook his hand. Those friends, however.
were all civilians. Not single uniformed
officer spoke to him, which is the first fruit
CT his frankness and clear indication of
the determination of the military clique to
ostracize him.
When the two first witnesses had testi-
fled and argued against NJ. Bertillon's sys-
tenn it was the opinion of the syr1pathizers
of Dreyfus that if the statements of the
witnesses were correct they had simply
pulZerized NJ Bertillon. The latter wished
to reply, but the president OF the court
Col. Jouaust, declined to allow the spe-
cia!ist to go ever his evidence again, TAX
ing the ground that the trial VIII never END
if every expert did the same.
An amusing scene followed. NJ. Bertil-
Ion pleaded that he had a personal state
ment to make. and mounted the platform.
But he had hardly uttered half a dozen
words when Col Jouaust saw he was mere
ly regrinding his evidence, and, to the
great satisfaction of the audience curtly
told the specialist to leave the platform,
which he did discomtitted.
NJ Tessoniere's testimony against Drey-
fus followed, and then NJ. Charavay, the
expert who had previously declared Drey-
fus was the author of the bordereau, was
called to the witness bar. His testimony
proved to be of the greatest interest, as he
came to confess he had made an error, and
said he was now convinced that EsterhaZy
and not Dreyfus wrote the bordereau.
Made a Deep Impression.
This announcement made a deep impress
sion on the court and was greeted with a
general murmur Of satisfaction. The next
expert, M. Pelletier. also testified favorably
to Dreyfus.
NJ. Couard, another expert, then deposed
that as the result Of examination he had
become convinced that the bordereau was
not written by Esterhazy, but he could not
say it was written by Dreyfus, because he
had not seen the prisoners handwriting.
He kept the court in continual roar of
laughter by the extraordinary modulations
of his voice. misplaced emphasis and ges-
lures.
The final witness, NJ Narinaud, main-
tanned the declaration he had made before
the court OF cessation, that the bordereau
was not written by Esterhazy.
Colonel Jouaust then announced that NJ
De Freycinet, who resigned as minister OF