The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-09-05

Rennes, September 2.-Elation is the
only word that expresses the feelings
of the Dreyfusards as to today's pro-
ceedings. The tide has turned at last,
they say. and Dreyfus cannot be con-
demred after the evidence given ;his
morning. The spirits of the Dreyfus-
ards are quite mercurial. Every day
since the opening Of the trial has seen
the,,. rise or fall. Recently they have
been falling heavily, the close of the
morning sessions generally finding them
in anxious conversation, accompanied
by ominous shaking of their heads. To-
days buoyancy, therefore, is all the
more noteworthy. Yesterday was a
fairly good day, but today's session,
they claim, puts the verdict out of
doubt and the judges must acquit
Dreyfus.
Major Hartmann. of the artillery, oc-
cupied nearly half the session with the
conclusion of his expert evidence to the
effect that Dreyfus as an artillery ofl-
Ger would not have displayed such 1g-
norance regarding the guns and brakes
as was shown in the bordereau, while
the other subjects of the bordereau
were matters upon which I'M of1cer
could inform himself.
Major Hartmann'S testimony practl-
cally stood uncontested, as neither Gen
eral Deloye nor General Mercier, who
replied, refuted any material point
therein.
M. Havet, a member of the institute
then entered upon the GRAMMATICAL as
e - I'D IN = @
but eloquent language devoted himself
to showing that the construction of the
bOrdereau bristled with strong and, in
his opinion, conclusive marks of Es-
terhazey's handiwork, while the phrase
ology bore no resemblance to Dreyfus'
style.
The next stage of the proceedings
was the reading of the Gonse-Picquart
correspondence, exchanged at the time
Colonel Picquart suspected Esterhazey
and wanted General GOnse to probe the
matter to the bottom. This brought NJ.
Labor to the front, and in a series OF
questions he brought out sharply be
fore the u the Vaccinations OF
which Colonel Picquart was the vic
tim at the hands of the major from the
moment he showed a desire to thor
oughly sift the matter.
M. Labor for the first time got Gen
eral Gonse to admit that he ordered the
tampering with Picquart's letters in
order, as he said, to ascertain Pic
quarts doings while he was chief of the
intelligence bureau. A little later M
Labor evidently disconnected Genera
Gonse, for the latter blurted out thai
Lieutenant Colonel Henry committed
his forgery in order to have fresh proofs
against Dreyfus. The audience smiled
audfbly at this explanation.
General Gonse then added: But i
was unnecessary, since the diplomatic
dossier contained discriminating docu
ments, with Dreyfus' written in full"
General Gonse apparently meant tn
Panizzardi dispatch, which has already
been ruled out of court. M. Labor
protested Indignantly, claiming: "Ther'
are no such documents" and then ask
ed General Gonse to enumerate tn
documents to which he alluded.
Colonel J%ouaust, president of tn
court-martial, however, declined to pu
the question, whereupon NJ. Labor
said he reserved to himself the RICH
to submit a formal application for thes,
documents.
= The came the leading witness Of tn
pday, NJ. Defond Lamotte, a p~robatione
contemporaneously with Dreyfus, VIII
is now a civil engineer, and has n
reason to fear the wrath of the mill
tary clique. The witness opened b,
declaring that, despite the fact tina
he had a brother in the garrison a
Rennes, he came to tell what he knew
in favor of Dreyfus, and he proceede,
to make a statement, which, accordin;
to the Dreyfusards, practically decide
the case. First he recalled the fact tina
a circular was sent to the probationer
on May IA, 1894, informing them tina
they must not go to the maneuvers
thus showing that the man who wrot
the bordereau in August, and said: ="
am going to the maneuvers" could nc
be Dreyfus.
The witness then pointed out tina
none Of the ministers, who, he believed
acted in good faith, were informed
the existence of this circular, which h
declared: st consider a vital point i
the case" :,
This circular" he continued" shat
tiers the prosecution, because after Ma
18th Dreyfus could not say: I am &C
ing to the maneuvers,' for then b
knew he would not go, while, prior
May 18th he could not have known til
five comprised in the bo1
dereau."
M. Defond Lamotte then brought OIL
another strong point. Abiding to tt
notifications of the disposition col
corning the. troops, he said the write
of the bordereau used the term me
plan"
Now" said the witness, cit has bee
!, impressed upon you hat on Octob,
I 18th a circular was sent OF from IL
\ war ministry containing those We,
words, and, that therefore, the writ,
! oil the bordereau must have been a
officer of the ministry. But one thir
N has struck me-who sent out that eli
cular? 1t was the third bureau, ii
chief of which was Lieutenant Colon
du Patty de Clam, who had had IL