Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-24
SCORED BY LABOR|
Accusers Of DTeyfus Un-
der the Lash.
HELLO DOWN TOLEGAL EVIDENCE
Gen. MERCER Again Refuses
to Answer.
FALLS BACK ON HIS RANK
Heated Encounters With Counsel
for the Defense.
FALLS BACK ON His RANK
PROCEEDINGS IN DETAIL

RENNES. August 24.-When the court
martial Of Capt. Alfred Dreyfus opened at
the Lycee here at $40 a m today. Col
Jouaust, president of the court ordered
that the evidence given by NJ. Penot, a
friend of the late Col. Sandherr, chief
of the Intelligence department, be read by
the clerk of the court 1t was to the effect
that Col. Sandherr said the Dreyfus family
offered him 10000 francs on condition that
he would clear Dreyfus
Maltre Demanse, for the defense dis
posed OF this allegation by reading the
actual note on the subject written by Sand
herr, thereby proving that the colonel's
remarks had been distorted, Dreyfus'
brothers having only said:
I'VE are convinced of the innocence of
our brother, and will spend our entire for
tune to discover the truth"
The testimony of the first witness of the
day' M. Linolle. former official of the
government, was in favor of Dreyfus, as it
was in direct contradiction of what NJ du
B1euil deposed yesterday regarding the al
legged intimacy of Dreyfus with the Ger
man attache. at the house of NJ Bodson, q
mutual frienu
The president OF the court then called the
next witness, Col Maurel, who was presi-
/ dent of the Dreyfus court-martial in 1894
Complete silence fell upon the court as
the infantry sergeant who was acting as
usher conducted Maurel to the witness bar
Ine colonel was attired in black frock
coat and wore the red ribbon of the Legion
OF Honor at his buttonhole His hair ia
gray ana ne mas a ragged, iron-gray mus
tache. His face showed anxiety AS M.
Labori lashed him with pointed questions
the colonel hesitated and then answered in
short, choppy manner, and when NJ La
bor1 finally disposed of him the witness left
the platform with the pale face and scared
look of man who has awakened from a
nightmare. Counsel had drawn from the
colonel a confession that the secret dos
sier was communicated to the judges of
the court-martial of 1894 by Colonel du
Patty de Clam. This avowal produced a
sensation in court, and Maurels declara-
ton that he only read one of the documents
did not affect the main fact, while his
protestation that the reading of the docu-
ment had no effect upon him, his mind
was already made up, was nullified by his
subsequent declaration that this one docu-
ment sufficed to convince him.
Mercier rCross-QuestiOned. (!
NJ Labori then put a series of searching
questions to General MERCER with refer
ence to the communication of the secret
dossier for the court-martial and his atti-
tude in 1894, and interesting scene en-
sued. The general refused to reply to all
the questions and there were sharp pas
sages at arms between counsel and Colonel
Jouaust, who upheld General Mercier
while the dialogue between the general and
NJ Labori became acrimonious. Counsel
became very heated and showed it IN his
yoio Tbn hrx1
troubled his mind might be. seldom de-
parted from the callous demeanor charac-
teristic of him.
The lawyer made strong point on the
part Esterhazy played. Mercier said he
did not know Esterhazy, and only saw him
once ct the Zola trial.
THAT is very interesting" exclaimed NJ.
Labori. But, surely Gen. Mercier was
present at the Esterhazy trial?''
The general replied that he was not there,
and that he knew nothing about the evi-
dence in the Esterhazy prosecution.
What" cried NJ Labori, Gen. Mercier,
who was the chief accuser of Dreyfus, did
not even follow the proceedings in the Es-
terhaZy trial?"
A loud murmur of surprise and indignant
comment came from the audience, but Col.
Jouaust Immediately suppressed 1t.
Counsel then brought Gen. Mercier to his
assertion that 35,o90,0OO francs were sent
by the defenders of Dreyfus, and asked
the general to say how he knew this, who
spent it and other awkward questions
which the general was unable to answer.
A question as to how the bordereau ar
rived at the offices of the general staff, its
date, etc, was then introduced, which led
to a strange scene for court of law.
Strange Scene for a Court.
Gen. Roget in mounting the platform to
give explanations, was followed by Gen. de
Boisdeffre. NJ. Gribelin, Maj. Lauth and
other military witnesses, all holding I'D
their hands to signify that they desired to
speak, while at the same time NJ Labori
was firing questions. The result was a
perfect babel until the president of the
court could stand it no longer, and when
the governm ant commissary, Maj. Carriere,
also interpellated few remarks, Col. Jou-
aust turned to him and asked him to be
9uiet, remarking that the judges could not
hear half a dozen people at the same time.
During the course of the morning NJ.
Labori questioned Gen. Mercier with ref
erence to document in the secret dossier
which, it Is affirmed existed prior to 1884,
and yet was not produced at the first court
martial of the prisoner.
The general confessed that he did not
know Of its existence. and the same state