The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1899-08-26
CORNERED MERCIER
FORMER WAR MINISTER PLACED IN
A TIGHT FIX BY N. LABORl.

Admits Grave Violation Of Law In Con.
nection With tho Secret Dossier-Pos-
sibly tho General May Occupy Coll
Before tho Week IL Out-Prosence OF
the Wounded Attorney Aoimatss the
Proceedings-~
RENNEs. Aug. 23.-The presence of
NJ. Labor enlivened the days proceed
ings Of the Dreyfus courtmartial. He
woke things up; he famed the dormant
proceedings into an ACTIVE living thing.
Demange was conciliatory. He had al
ways seemed to fear to tread on the
military corn. Labori is gladiator
and always speaks to touch his foe to
the quick. Let there be the slightest
opening in his opponents defense and
he thrusts home.
Generals Roget, Mercier, Billot and
Boisdeffre. with other military witt
nesses, gave one another an accusing
glance and put their heads together to
discuss obviously disagreeable questions
as Labor piled the smaller fry who oc-
cupied the witness stand with discon-
certing questions. Later on
Labori Cornesed Mercier
on the Schneider letter which the latter
had used in evidence and which Colonel
Schneider had repudiated as forgery.
The general was surprised when Labori
suddenly demanded that Mercier be
recalled. Evidently he hoped the tri-
bunal would support him in refusing to
explain how he got copy of letter
which was of later date than his in
cunbency at the ministry of war. But
Labor was not to be denied. He in
sisted that Mercier should give some
explanation. Then, after hesitating,
Mercier declared that he would assume
all the responsibility attaching to his
possession of the document. This, as
Labor intended it should be, was a
demonstration of communication by the
general staff, of part at least of the se-
cret dossier to an ordinary soldier, such
as Mercier became Immediately on leav-
ing the ministry of war. When Labori
had obtained his object and forced a
concession of
Grave Violation Of tho Law
on the part of General Mercier he gave
smile of grim satisfaction and then
answered significantly:
II shall have other questions to put
to General Mercier."
The scene was highly dramatic and
made profound impression upon all
the spectators.
General Mercier must have spent a
very miserable evening, for, as the re-
suit of his admissions and with the ad-
ditional charge of communicating Sc
cret documents to the courtmartial of
1894, he is liable to arrest at any mo-
ment. Indeed some people think it is
not impossible that he will be lying in
the military prison adjoining the cell of
Captain Dreyfus before the week is out.
Another series of questions put by
Labori concerned La Jouax, a spy for
merly in the employ of the French war
Office, but
Packsd or to South America,
according to various military witnesses,
because he proved swindler. Labor
asked how it was, if that were so, that
La Jouax was still receiving monthly
payments.
Commandant Rollin, completely ta-
ken aback, replied that La Jouax was
being paid by the war Office to keep out
of the way in the int crest of Esterhazy,
whom La Jouax, in a letter read in
court offering revelations in the Drey-
fus affair, indicated as the real traitor.
NJ. Labori's cross-examination in this
matter, therefore, was a distinct ad-
vantage to the accused. He also an
nounced that he intended to call several
witnesses who had made dispositions
during his absence. This means that
Mercier, Roget and others will be put
to the test of a severe cross-exalnina-
tion. To his friends NJ. Labor has
Expressed Himself Confident
of being able to tear to pieces the evil
dence these generals have given so con-
fidently before a sympathetic tribunal.
Captain Dreyfus pursued the attitude
he took up day or two since and re-
piled to the statements of hostile wit
nesses with arguments and the presenta-
tion of counter facts, only once giving
way to feelings and offering protest.
This was at the conclusion of Bertin's
evidence, when, with broken voice, the
accused declared his love of France and
the army.
"Yes," he cried, 81 love France. It is
my country, but my sentiments differ
from those amin ating those who came
here to testify against me-"
STILL AFTER LABORl.