The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-09-03
HIS FRIENDS SEE
ACQU|TTAL AHEAD
They Think Conviction Now
Is Impossible.
THE TIDE FULLY TURNED
DEFOND LAMOTTE THE DAYS
LEADING WITNESS.
DREYFUs NOT THE BoRDEREAUs AUTHOR
The Witness Shows How II Could Not Have
Been Written BY Him. M. Labor
Forces Damaging Admis-
sions from Gen. Gonse.
sions from Gen. Gonse.

SIuilS HUilI dcII, GOlS6s
Rennes, Sept 2.-EEation is the only
word that expresses the feelings of the
| Dreyfusards after today's proceedings.
The tide has turned at least they say,
and Dreyfus cannot be condemned after
the evidence given this morning. The
spirits of the Dreyfusards are quite
merctTial Every day since the open
ing of the trial has seen them rise OF
fall. Recently they have been falling
generally finding them i'm anxious con-
versation, accompanied by ominous shark
ing of their heads. Today's buoyancy.
therefore, is adj the more noteworthy
Yesterday was a fairly good. day, but
today'S session, they claim, puts the YER
diet out of doubt and the judges must
acquit Dreyfus.
! Major Hartmann, OF the artillery, oc-
cupied nearly half the session vita the
conclusion OF his expert evidence to tire
effect that Dfeyfus as AN artillery officer
would not have displayed such ignor-
ance regarding the guns and brakes rs
was shown in the bordereau, while be
other subjects of the Iorderean were
matters upon which auy officer should IN
| form himself
Major Haftnlann's testimony pract-
cally stood mcontested. as neither Gen-
eral Deloye nor General MERCER, who re-
Piled, refuted any material point tEete:n.
I NJ. Hayet, Il member of the Institute
then entered upon the grammatical az.
4 pect OF the horGereau, and in vigorous
4 but eloquent language devoted himself
to showing that the construction or the
/ bordereau bristled with strong aud. in
his opinion, conclusive marks of Ester.
hays handfwork, Whsle the phrascuio@y
bore no resemblance to DreyflIs' style.
| The next stage of the proceedings was
the reading of the Gonse5Picquart COZ
respondence exchanged at the time Co,,-
mel Picquart suspected Esterhazy anG
wanted General GOnse to probe the mat
| ter TO the bottom. This brought n
Labor to the front, and in a series Of
fquestions he brought out sharply before
the court the Vaccinations of which Col
onel Picquart was the victim at TIL"
| hands of the Major from tine moment he
| showed desire to thoroughly sift the
matter
N. Labor for the first time .oa Cen
eral Gonse to admit that he ordered the
tamperlng with Picquart's letters in or
der, as he said, to ascertain Picqaart's
doings while he was chief of the INTEL.
gence Bureau. a little later NJ. Labor
| evidently Disconnected General Gonse.
| for the latter blurted out that Lieutenan1
Colonel Henry committed his forgery in
order to have fresh proofs against Orgy
| flls. The audience smiled audibly 81
| this explanation.
General Gonse then added: "Bui !.
was unnecessary, since the diplomatic
dossier contained discriminating dociI-
ments, with eDreyfrls' written in full"
| General Gonse apparently meant Ike
Panizzardi dispGaeh which has already
been ruled out OF court NJ Labor
protested nld.gnantly. excaiming:
There are no slldh documents" anu
then asked General Gonse to enumeratc
the documents to which he alluded.
Colonel Jouaust, President of the
court martial however, declined TO pnt
| the question, whereupon M. I.ahori said
he reserved to himself the right to sub
NIT formal application for these docu-
ments.
Then came the leading witness Of the
! day, NJ. Defomd I4amotte, a prCbationer
| contemporaneously with Dreyfns, who is
| now a civil engineer and has no reason
TO fear the wrath of The military clique.
| The witness oEcned by declaring that
despite the fact that he had a brother in
the garrison at Rennes, he came to tell
what he knew in favor Of Dreyflls, and
he proceeded to make "A statement.
which, according to THE Dreyfusards,
practically decides the case. First, he
| recalled the fact that a circular was stht
to the probationers cm May 18th. 1871.
informing them that they must not so To
the manoeuyres, thus showing that the
man who wrote the bordereau i'm August
and said: Il am going to the ma
noeuvres,' could mot be Dreyfus.
The witness then pointed out that
nome of the Minters, who he believed
acted in good faith, were informed of
the existence of this circular. which he
declared, Il consider vital point III the
case"
"This circular he ceuItinued. "shattrrs
the prosecution, because after May 17th
Dreyfus could mot say 4 am going to the
manoeuyres' for then he knew he would
not 90, while pGior to May 18th nc
could not have known the five documents
comprised in the bordereau."
M. Defond Lamotte then brought out
| another strong point. Abiding to the
notifications Of the disposition concern