Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-29


court martial resumed it's session this
morning General Mercier and the other
generals We're present usual. Colonel
Cordier, who was deputy chief of the in
teligence bureau under Colonel Henry.
testified to the effect that Colonel Sand
herr and not Colonel Henry received the
bordereau.
No special incident marked the opening
Of the Dreyfus court martial this morn
ing Colonel Cordier. deputy chief of the
! intelligence department under the late
! Lieutenant Colonel Henry, and who since
his previous appearance in court had
been released by the minister of war
from his oath of professional secrecy,
was the first witness called today. He
, testified to the effect that the late Colo
mel Sandherr and not Henry received the
famous bordereau. The witness deposed
strongly in favor of Dreyfus and kept
the court and even the Judges in roars of
laughter by his comcal manner and wit
ticisms. He is short, stout man, with
a jolly face and very red nose. The
colonel declared his belief in the guilt Of
Dreyfus was first shaken when the date
of the bordereau was given as May. He
| was now convinced that Dreyfus was in
! nocent
Corder then spoke up strongly for
Picquart as a conscientious soldier and
an honorable man, and threw light upon
| the situati ton which existed in the Offices
| of the intelligence department of the war
Office He was panied that Henry was
| jealous of Picquart because the latter
was given charge of the statistical sec
ton which Henry hoped to get himself.
Cordier expressed the belief that it was
because of Picquart that Henry COM
mitted his forgery.
! The evidence of Cordier was delivered
! in loud voice, accompanied by humor-
! Gus .asides. He several times mentioned
| the ambassador of Germany, which
! caused the president of the court to n-
tervene and tell the witness he must not
introduce the ambassadors name or refer
! to Germany. The hasty corrections of
the witness when he repeated the same
| slips of the tongue, as he did more than
once, and the amusing manner in which
he avoided mentioning Germany at other
times caused the greatest merriment
During his testimony no fewer than five
| witnesses rose and asked to be confronted
with him. but the colonel received the in
terruptons with the utmost good humor.
Dreyfus spoke a few words at the con-
clusion Of Cordier's statements. He said
the scene which preceded his arrest was
SO fantastic that it completely bewil-
dered him and merely left a blunted inn
preston on his memory. The prisoner is
now accustomed to his surroundings and
has apparently recovered his self-cOnfi-
dence, as he speaks readily and clearly
and follows the witnesses closely, TAX
ing notes of various points of their depo-
sitiOns.
Major Lauth confronted Cordier and
tried to score against him by pointing out
that Corder was incorrect by saying
there were no anti-semites on the general
staff since Cordier himself was one.
The colonel retorted, turning the tables
on the major, as, raising his hand, he
cried:
quite true. was an anti-semite, but I
never bore false witness against the
Jews. I am an honest man."
The audience applauded these remarks.
Cordier then administered a we'll de-
served snub to Lauth by remarking that
he uhe coloneD might be allowed to know
more than Lauth with reference to work
(Cordier) replaced Sandherr as chief of
the department whenever Sandherr was
absent. "while Lauth," the witness con-
cludeG, "was merely my assistant, mark
YOU"
Lauth did not enjoy this little scene at
all.
General Roget next confronted Cor
dier. The general assumed the same SUI
percillious air which characterized him
when he appeared at the witness bar.
strutting about the stage in disdainful
attitudes. His evidence. however. was
not very striking. nor was that Of Colonel
Fleur. nor Archivist Gribeiin. who also
contested minor points of Cordier,s depo-
sition.
4 Finally Mercier, who evidently ap-
| peared to demonstrate the baselessness
of the stories OF his. intentions to ny aud
to- show his determination to fight to the
last, confronted Cordier. The generals