The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-08-19

m. Bertillon said: That is the writ
ing of the bordereau.' Bertillon tried
to discover where had obtained the
handwriting, but the only information
l impaired was that il was current and
recent handwriting.
Writing In the Bordereau.
NJ. Bertillon then suggested that it
was tracing, and ended by saying that
II 1t was current handwriting il could
only have emanated from some one
whom the Jews had been exercising for
a year in initiating the handwriting of
the bordereau. At NJ Bertillon's re-
quest | left the photographs with him.
When he returned them he said he ad-
hered TO his opinion, and earnestly
asked to see the original
When l saw beyond a doubt that the
handwriting of the bordereau was Es-
terhazy's, and seeing that documents
mentioned therein might have been
supplied by Esterhazy; that the words
i am going to the maneuvers' could
perfectly well apply to Esterhazy. and
that Esterhazy had secret advices at
his disposal to copy a document so vo-
luminous as the firing manual l re-
solved to consult the secret dossier to
see what part of the treachery might
be ascribed to Dreyfus and to assure
myself whether the dossier contained
anything indicating Esterhazy.
Picquart Was Stupefed
Il frankly admit l was stupefied on
reading the secret dossier. / ex-
pected TO find matters of gravity there
IN, and found nothing but a document
which might apply just as much to Es-
terhazy as to Dreyfus; an unimportant
document mentioning d'Avignon and "a
document which it seemed absurd to
canailles de d. - - document.
Lastly. l recognized a report ap-
pended in. the handwriting of Gonz
which appeared TO be at least as worth
less as the second document 1t was
then evening. l had stayed late alone
at the office in order to examine the
documents thoroughly. | thought it
over during the night, and the next day
explained the whole matter to Gen
eral de Boisdeffre. / took to him the
secret dosSier. the fac smile of the
bordereau, the petit bleu and the prin-
cipal papers connected with my inveS-
tigation of Esterhazy.
Il wonder now if / had one or two
interviews. But l still see General de
Boisdeffre, as he examined the dossier
with, me, stop before he reached the end
and tell me to go into the country, give
an account of the affair to General
GonZ and ask his advice.
Mistake Had Been Made.
Before starting to see General Gonz
copied note, four pages in length.
which l made Sept. 1, containing my
resume of the Esterhazy affair When
L informed General GonZ of all which
had occurred, ne remarked. so a mis-
take has been made
After my interview with General
Gonz l did not work any longer on my
own initiative. l said nothing more un-
til the return of General Gonz, Sept Is.
AT that time Esterhazy was at the
great maneuvers.''
Next the witness dwelt on the ru-
mors in September, 1896, of the project
of replacing Dreyfus by a man of
straw, and the discovery of the forged
Weyl letter, supposed to be connected
with the same project. At about the
same time the campaign for and
against DreyfuS was started by the
newspapers.
AT this stage of his deposition, Col
onel Picquart, who had been speaking
for two and a half hours. was visibly
distressed. He had one ,attack of
coughing, but managed to continue.
Colonel Jouaust not showing any incli-
nation to suspend the session of the
court in order to give him needed rest.
The witness then turned to the news
paper attacks on Dreyfus, saying that
the information regarding the border
eau contained in them convinced him
that 1t had been inspired by some one
closely connected with the Dreyfus af.
fair.
Wanted to Keep It Quiet.
They could not, he added, be at
tributed to the Dreyfus family. while
they contained expressions familiar to
Du Patty de Clam. whom it would be
interesting TO hear
Witness next said he asked permits
sion to inquire into the sources of the
articles. but was forbidden to interfere
in any way whatever. Describing his
interview with General Gonz, Sept, 1,
PicGuart said:
When I asked General Gonz per-
mission TO continue the investigation,
insisting on the danger of allowing the
DreyfuS family to proceed with. he in
Vesugdtlon alone. the general replied
that 1t was impossible, in his opinion,
and in the opinion of General de Bots
deffre and the minister of war. to re-
open the affair. When 1 pressed on the
point IN order to make General Gonz
understand that nothing could prevent
It's reopening if it could be believed
Dreyfus was innocent, General Gonz
replied: If you say nothing. nobody
will know
General l replied, what you tell
me is abominable. l do not know what
snail DO, but l won't carry this Sc
cret with me- (Great sensation.)
l at once left the room" added the
witness. That is whist occurred. 1 know
my account is disputed. but | positive
~ swear ii, said Picquart. as he en-
phatically smote the bar in front of the
witness box and looked in the direction
of the generals.