The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-03
DREYFUSARDS WERE ELATED.
PRISONER COULD NOT HAVE WRIT
TEN THE BORDEREAU.


ted Opening Picquart's Letters.
LamOtte Made Out n Clear Case for
the Defense.
Rennes, Sept. 2.-Elatlon Is the only
word that expresses the feelings of the
Dreyfusards after to-day's proceedings.
The tide has turned at last, they say, and
Dreyfus cannot be condemned after the
evidence given this morning.
The spirits of the Dreyfusards are quite
mercuriat. Every day since the opening of
the trial has seen them rise or fall. Re
Gently they have been falling heavily, the
close of the morning session generally
finding them in anxious conversation, ac-
companied by ominous shaking of their
heads.
To-day's buoyancy, therefore, is all the
more noteworthy. Yesterday was a fairly
good day, but to-day's session they claim
puts the verdict out of doubt and the
judges must acquit Dreyfus.
Maj. Hartmann, of the artillery, occu-
pied nearly half the session with the con-
clusion of his expert evidence to the ef-
feet that Dreyfus as an artillery officer
would not have displayed such ignorance
regarding the guns and brakes as was
shown In the bordereau, while the other
subjects of the bordereau were matters
upon which any officer should inform him
self.
Maj. Hartmann's testimony practically
stood uncontested, as neither Gen. De Loye
nor Gen. Mercier, who replied, refuted any
material point therein.
NJ. Havet a member of the institute,
then entered upon the grammatical aspect
of the bordereau, and in vigorous but elo-
quent language devoted himself to show
ing that the construction of the bordereau
bristed with strong and in his opinion,
conclusive marks of Esterhazy's handi-
work, while the phraseology bore no re-
sehblance to Dreyfus' style.
GOnse-Picquart Affair.
The next stage of the proceedings was
the reading of the Gonse-Picquart corre-
spondence exchanged a the time Col. Pic
quart suspected Esterhazy and wanted
Gen. Gonse to probe the matter to the bot
tom. This brought NJ. Labori TO the front
and in a series of questions he brought out
sharply before the court the Vaccinations
oil WnlCn OOl. 1lGQudLl was hAt N4StAAA a.
the hands of the major from the moment
he showed a desire to thoroughly sift the
matter.
M. Labor for the first time got Gen.
Gonse to admit that he ordered the tam
pering with Picquarts letters, in order,
as he said, to ascertain Picquart's doings
while he was chief of the intelligence bu-
reau. A little later NJ. Labori evidently
disconnected Gen. Gonse. for the latter
| blurted out that Lieut. Col. Henry com
mitted his forgery in order to have fresh
proofs against DTeyfus. The audience
smiled audibly al this explanation.
Gen. Gonse then added: But it was
unnecessary, since the diplomatic dossier
contained incriminating documents, with
'Dreyfus' written in full.
Gen. Gonse apparently meant the Paniz-
zardi dispatch, which has already been
ruled out of court NJ. Labori protested
Indignantly, exclaimng: There are no
such documents" and then asked Gen.
Gonse to enumerate the documents to
which he alluded.
Col Jouaust, president of the court
martial. however, declined to put the
question, whereupOn M. Labori said he
reserved to himself the right to submit
formal application for these documents.
Clear Case for Dreyfus.
Then came the leading witness of the
day, NJ. DeFond Lamotte, prObatoner
contemporaneously with Dreyfus. who Is
now civil engineer, and has no reason to
fear the wrath of the military clique.
tttifO nnpppd bV dppla ring tb0f
despite the fact that he had a brother in
the garrison at Rennes, he came to tell
what he knew in favor OF Dreyfus, and he
proceeded to make a statement which, ac-
cording 10 the Dreyfusards, practically de-
cides the case. First he recalled the fact
that a circular was sent to the probation
ers on May "A, 1894, informing them that
they must not go to the manoeuyers, thus
showing that the man who wrote the bor-
dereau in August and said, Il am going
to the manoeuvers,' could not be Drey-
fus.
The witness then pointed out that none
of the minister's who he believed, acted
in good faith, were informed of the exist
ence OF this circular, which he declared
Il consider vital point in the case"
This circular" he continued Skaters
the prosecution, because after May II
Dreyfus could not say L am going to the
maneuvers,' for then he knew he could
| not go. while prior 10 May II he could
not have known the five documents COM
prlsed In the bordereau."
M. DeFond Lamotte then brought out
another strong point Abiding to the
| notifications of the disposition concerning
the troops, he said the writer of the bor-
dereau used the term New plan"
Now" said the witness, 1T has been
| impressed upon you that on Oct IS, cir
cular was sent out from the war ministry
containing those very words. and that,
therefore, the writer Of the bordereau must
have been an officer of the ministry. But
one thing has struck me-who sent out
that circular? 1t was the third bureau
the chief of which was Lieut.. Col. Du
Patty de Clam, who had had the borde-
reau in his hands for the previous twenty
days"
NJ. DeFond Lamotte, by this, intended
to show that Du Patty de Clam purposely
used the words new plan" in the circu-
lar order by what the witness described
as "arguing in a vicious circle to back up
his contention that an officer of the minis
try wrote the bordereau and that that