The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-08-20

the ministry of war, who said he saw me
In the offices after service hours
AS regards Mr.. Come, I am surprised
that the general officer repeats dinner
table gossip. There is known to be insur-
| lnountable difficulty in introducing any
| one INTO the ministry Of war. and it is
| absolutely impossible for an officer to
orlng any one into the ministry"
To this the general replied: No doubt
| it is difficult
Col Jouaust-No doubt 1t is difficult. but
| II IS not impossible. The ministry can be
| entered easily enough at certain hours
DieyIus was In position to know that
| (Sensation)
Dreyfus-I will reply to Secretary Fer.
ret who has told a lie. What have to
| say 10 Gen. Come is that every time q
| lrleho came to see me at the ministry
| even WheA French officer, was Obliged
| 10 descend to the floor below and even
members of the chamber of deputies who
| called on me could not enter the minis
| try 1t was consequently absolutely i'm
| possible under ordinary circumstances fo,.
subaltern to bring any one into the
ministry. -''' INC
| Gen. Come declared that permits could
easily be obtained
AT this point Col. Picuuart re-entered
me Wlthess stand in order to reply to
allegations as to the way he perfornoad
his duties. He denied a number of Cen
GCnze' S statements regarding the arrests
which the witness ordered.
Flcquart also described the extraordin-
airy methods of investigation emDloved in
the intelligence department by his nre-
| deCesSors.
Counsel for the defense. after emphasiz-
ing the TACT that even in the oDfnion of
Gen de Boisdeffre there was a connec-
tloh between the Esterhazy and Drevf1s
af1alrs' asked the president of the court
to request Col. Picquart to give inforna-
ton in regard to the 100000 francs said to
nave been expended for the surveillance
of Esterhazy.
were regulated in the intelligence depart
ment While the witness was chief Of the
department Gen. Billot, then minister of
war, thought it necessary to make
fresh distribution of the amounts of the
secret service funds available at the diff
ferent offices, and the funds in the wit
! ness department were diminished bv
5000 francs monthly. AT this moment,
| said Picquart, negotiations Of great i'm
portance were in progress and an extra
ordinary expenditure had been arranged
before hand.
This decrease in the funds" continued
Picquart, did not prevent me from pur-
suing the extremely interesting questions
upon which I was engaged made a
n
Elementary grant, and 100000 francs were
given me. When the 100000 francs were
received Gen. Billot made another redis-
tribution.
Il received 10000 francs, and with the
balance remaining l was responsible for
the whole service. In any case no ex-
traordinaTy expenditure was made In
connection with the Esterhazy inquiry.
There could not be an inquiry costing
less. In a note sent to the minister of
justice in 1896 it was set forth that I en-
ployed as Official agents the private de-
tectives of the inquiry bureau I only
employed a single official agent What
led to the belief that I employed private
agencies was the fact that this agent
styled himself business agent on one of
his cards included in the dossier of the
EsterhaZy affair"
PICQUART AND BILLOT.
When Picquart had finished speaking
Gen. Billot jumped up and asked leave to
speak
''Picquart." the general called sharply
to the officer who had just left the stand.
'Will you come back?" (Sensation)
Certainly" replied Col Picquart.
Gen. Billot then said: Il am very
pleased that Col. Picquart has raised the
question Of the secret funds which l had
already brought before the court of cas-
and l should, if 1 respected the purpose
for which they are assigned, say nothing
about them. I will endeavor to say moth
ing which should remain secret
The secret funds are placed at the dis
position of the minister of war for the
service OF the state, ard the minister has
only to account for them to the president
of the republic. The president controls
and gives his discharge for the secret
funds.
Col. Picquart received from the chief
of the general staff the funds assigned to
| his department. He believed he would
dispose of them as he liked but the min
lister decides with regard to the fequire-
ments of the service and distributes with
the approval of the president the secret
funds at his disposal. 1 distributed these
funds they have been distributed for
thirty years, before my advent to power,
by all the ministers of war. The sum of
80 900 francs monthly was allowed by the
chief of the general staff for the intelIi-
| gence department When the credit of
$1,000 francs was asked for it was for the
service of the general staff and not for
| the intelligence department., as Col. Pic
quart has said.
81 asked for report of Gen. de Boisdef-
! fire. (then chief of the general staff and