Iron County register., 1899-08-24
EVIDENCE FOR DREYFUS.
The Day at Rennes Taken Up by
a Continuation of Col. Pic
quarts Deposition.
CONVINCED OF DREYFUS' INNOCENCE.
Esterhazy, Not Dreyfus, Wrote the
BOrdereau, But the War ORcers
Would Not Admit that an Error
Had Been Made, and Sought To
Cover Up the Evidence.

Rennes, Aug. 19.-When the second
trial by court martial of Capt. Alfred
Dreyfus, charged with treason, was re-
sumed in the Lycee at 1925 a. m, Col.
Picouart, former chief of the intelll-
gence department of the war office,
was called to the witness stand and
continued his deposition, which was
interrupted Thursday by the adjourn
ment of the court for the day.
The Co1oners Fearless Manner.
The colonel gave his testimony in
the same fearless tone of voice that
characterized his manner Thursday.
He began by declaring he thought it
necessary to Immediately reply to Gen.
Rogets' veritable arraignment of him
while on the stand. At the outset of
Col Picquart's remarks, Roget inter
posed, and said he, would reply to
them.
Discussed the DOssier.
! Continuing, Col. Picquart proceeded
to discuss the secret dossier as being
the handspring of the condemnation of
! Dreyfus. He took up the documents
successfully referring to the writers
and addresses of the letters as A and
3.
! Among those present in court were
, Generals Zurlinden and Billot, former
ministers of war.
Maitre Normand Present.
Maitre Mornard, who argued the
case in behalf of the Dreyfus family,
for the revision of the prisoners SEN
tence before the court of cessation,
was present to assist NJ. Demange of
counsel for the defense.
Drift of Picquart's Testimony.
Col. Picquart's efforts were mainly
directed to the matter of showing that
Esterhazy, and not Dreyfus, was the
author of the bordereau, and that
! when the attention of the higher Off
GERS of the general staff was called to
the fact that an error had been made
in the condemnation of Dreyfus, in
stead of endeavoring to undo the error
every effort was made to cover up the
fact that an error had been made even
to the extent of resorting to forgery.
An UnsensationaI Incident.
At the conclusion of Col. Picquart's
deposition, Generals Roget and Mercier
rose together and asked to be allowed
to be confronted with the witness. The
CONFORMATION, however, only lasted a
few minutes, and did not prove sem
sational, having reference to COM
pa1atively minor points.
! After Picquart had reiterated his
statements, the court adjourned at
11:40 a. M, until Saturday.
! The deposition of Col. Picquart oc-
+, cupied the entire session.
| The Session Reviewed.
| Col Pioc11art
! the whole of the days sitting with a
| masterful presentation of his side of
the case. He spoke for five hours, and
his voice at the end of that time began
to show signs of fatigue. His testi-
mony was followed with the closest at
tention by the members of the court
martial and by the audience, and dur
ing the brief suspension of the court,
Generals Mercier, Roget, Billot and
DeBoisdeffre, and other witnesses,
sauntered together up and down the
court yard of the Lycee, or gathered
in little groups, animatedly discuss
/ ing Picquart's evidence
Balm for Dreyfus.
! Dreyfus drank in all the witness
words, which came as a balm to the
wounds inflicted upon him by Mer-
cier and Roget, and the prisoner fre-
! quently and closely scanned the faces
, of his judges, as though seeking to
read their thoughts.
From the standpoint of the specta-
! tors, the session was the most un-
+ eventful one since the opening of the
trial. Even the conformation at the
! end lacked the dramatic force of the
similar incidents which have marked
almost every previous sitting. Pic
quarts deposition was a fine per-
formance. He spoke without notes,
and in view of the mass of facts ad-
duced, it must be ranked as a feat of
memory.
| Court Took COpiOus Notes.
The members of the court-martial
took copious notes during Picquart's
! testimony, and it was quite evident
that several of the explanations he
gave came as fresh light.
Then, when Picquart. concluded,
both Gen. Roget and Gen. Mercier
| jumped up and asked TO be heard con-
t1adictorily.
Col. Jouaust asked Gen. Roget 10
speak first. He thereupon faced Col.
| Picquart, who replied promptly to his
cred in a theatrical manner and with
frequent gestures.
Gen. Mercier adopted a quietet de-
meanor. Neither, however, said any
thing which could be described as
damaging to Col. Picquart's evidence.