The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1899-08-31
HE WAS AMUSING
Colonel Cordier Testifies Very
Strongly in Favor of
Dreyfus,
At the Same Time Keeping Au-
dience and Court in an
Uproar.
An Anti-Semite, but He Never
Bore False Witness Against
a Jew.

4
RENNEs, Aug. 30.-Gen. MERCER, the
! former minister of war, and most of the
other generals interested in the case
were present in the hall of the Lycee
when the second session of the fourth
week of the Dreyfus trial opened.
Col. Cordier, deputy chief of the in
| telligence department under the late
Lieut.. Col. Henry and who, since his
previous appearance in court, had been
released by the minister of war, General
the Marquis de Gallifet, from his oath
of professional secrecy, was the first
| witness called. He testified to the eff
feet that the late Colonel Sandherr and
| not Lieutenant Colonel Henry received
! the famous bordereau.
The witness deposed strongly in favor
of Dreyfus and was most amusing in
delivering his testimony. He kept the
court and even the judges in raars of
| laughter by his comical manner and
witty remarks, He is a short. stout
man, with jolly face and very red
nose. The colonel declared that his
belief in the guilt of Dreyfus was first
shaken when the date of the bordereBu
was given as May. The witness de-
| clared stoutly that he was now con-
WINGED Dreyfus was innocent. Colonel
Cordier then spoke up strongly for
| Colonel Picquart, as conscientious
soldier ard an honorable man, and
threw light upon the situation which
existed in the Offices of the intelligence
1 A. e h. DH1
planned that Henry was jealous of Pic
| quart, because the latter was given
| charge of the statistical section, which
/ Henry had hoped to get for himself.
| Cordier expressed the belief that it was
because of Picquart that Henry COM
mitted his forgery.
Talked Very AmusinRiy.
The evidence of Colonel Cordier was
delivered in loud voice accompanied
by humorous asides. He several times
mentioned the am bassador of Germany,
which caused the president Of the court,
Colonel Jouaust, to intervene and tell
| the witness that he must not introduce
/ the ambassadors name or refer to Ger
many. The hasty corrections Of the
witness when he repeated the same slip
of the tongue, as he did more than once,
and the amusing manner of mentioning
Germany at other times, caused the
! greatest merriment. During his testi-
mony no fewer than five witnesses rose
! and asked to be confronted with him.
But the colonel received the Interrupt
! tions with the utmost good humor. ~
Dreyfus spoke few words at the
/ conclusion of Colonel Cordisr's state
J ment. He said the scene which pre-
coded his arrest was 30 fantastic that it
completely bewildered him and merely
left q blum ted impression on his
memory.
| The prisoner is now accustomed to
his surroundings and has apparently re-
covered his self-confdence, as he speaks
readily and clearly. and follows the
witnesses closely, taking notes Of vari-
/ GUS points Of their dispositions.
Confronted By Major Louth.
Major Lauth first confronted Colonel
Cordier and tried to score against him
| by pointing out that Cordier was incor-
rect in saying there was no anti-Semites
on the general staff, since Cordier him
self was one. The colonel retorted,
turning the tables on the major as, rails
ing his hand, he cried:
i s.Quite true was an anti-Semite,
but never bore false witness against
the Jew. / am an honest man."
The audience applauded these re-
marks.
Colonel Cordier then administered
| we'll deserved snub to Major Lauth by
remarking that he 1.-THE coloneD might
/ be allowed to know more than Major
Lauth with reference to the work of
the intelligence department, since he
/ (Cordier) replaced Colonel Sandherr as
chief of the department whenever
Sandherr was absent. while Major
Lauth, the witness concluded, was
merely my assistant. My assistant,
mark YOU"
Major Lauth did not enjoy this little
scene at ALL
General Rogetnext confronted Colonel
! Cordier. The general assumed the
same supercilious air which character
lied him when he appeared at the wit
i ness bar, strutting about the stage in
| disdainful attitudes. His evidence,
however, was not very striking, nor
was that of Colonel Fleur or Archivist
Gribelin, who also contested minor
points of Cordier's deposition.
MERCER Thsre AlsO.
!, Finally, General Mercier, who evil
IDENTIFY appeared in order to demonstrate
the baselessness of the stories of his in
tentions to fly and to show his deter
mination to fight to the last, confronted
i Colonel Cordier. The generals re-
marks were of small Importance, the
most interesting being his repetition of
Colonel Sandherr's opinion of Matthew
Dreyfus when the prisoners brother
went to see the colonel to ask for JUS
tice in behalf of Captain Dreyfus. Mer-
cier admitted Sandherr said:
Matthew Dreyfus impressed me as
an honest man who was prepared to
i make any sacrifice to save his brother. !"
H. De Freycinet. the former minister
OF war, foreign affairs and premier, fol-
lowed Cordier on the witness stand.
De Freycinet, however, contented
himself with delivering an address more
10, :, a <,,,a 1>f a ~. f,,.o t;f,v, thor,