The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-08-19
PIC QUART PROVES
"A FRIEND IN NEED
CONTINUED from First page.l


Department concluded his examination
| of the first portion of the secret dos
| sier by saying.
MAY. i be allowed to express deep re-
| greet ut the absence of Mapor Du Putty
| de Clam. 1t seems to me indispensable
| that this officer, who wrote the comment.
| taries on the secret dossier should be
summoned to give evidence here. He
would give us his "reminiscences and |
would help him. (Laughter,)
But" Colonel Picquart added, since
I am dealing with this question OF the
commentaries of Major Du Patty dc
Clam. permit me to point out to YOU,
gentlemen. that this document was not
the property of any particular Minister.
1t was. classified as belonging TO the in-
teIligence Department, and as YOU say,
II formed part of well defined dossier~-
h dossier which was shut mp i'm one Of
the drawers of my desk, and which was
distracted from it. This commentary,
therefore. is upon a secret dossier docu-
ment which was improperly removed
from my Department" (Sensation)
Continuing the witness said;
"Mentiun was made yesterday OF me
| disappearance OF u0cuaittnlS' Ah"t -
the case in point"
Turning to the second portion or the
dossier picquart described a number OF
documents in it as forgerles, ana sald
the police reports therein contained
showed nothing serious against DreyIus
He explained that they embodied the
theme mostly utilized by police spies in
order TO dune the Intelligence Depart
mont and asserted that their Informal
ton was mostly worthless, enfproluereo
ar false and prepared in order to make
interesting reading.
Dreyfus displayed the keenest interest
in Yicauart's protracted analysis OF the
dossfer. to which the whole audience
listened with profound attention ne
members Of the court martial ana the
former Ministers of War were equally
Interested
Cpnclrtfing his examination of the
secret dUssier, Colonel Picquart eX-
nlained how he had acquired the con-
yiction that the hordereau was written
Inv Fsterhhzy, and how he ascertalned
that the anti-Dreyfus proofs were worth
less. He began by detailing how he
first learned of the existence of Ester
hazy and his efforts to discover some
thing about him.
The witness earnestly asserted that
the first occasion ON which he saw rs
terhazys name was when he read the
address of the Petit Bleu. He said
he was not acquainted with Esterhazy
and never had Esterhazy watched.
Previous to this the utmost efforts
had been made to prove the contrary
and to show PicQltart knew Esterhazy
before the discovery of the Petit lfieau
Turning to the leakage at headquar-
tiers. the witness described the negotla-
tons of Major Iauth, with the spy Rich
ard Cuers at Basic, showing how the
spy promised information about the
leakage and how he, Ticquart, was IN
duced to allow Lieutenant Colonel Henry
TO accompany Major Lauth to Basic
Picauart also described the vague
replies of Henry when questioned on
the subject of Esterhazy BEFORE his de
parture and the futility Of the visit
to Basic. because of Cuers refusal,
when he saw Henry, to impart the
promised information
This incident caused the witness to
wonder whether, instead of trying to
make Cuers speak Henry and Lauth
had not done everything possible. to inn
pose silence upon him.
After referring TO Esterhazyis repnta-
ton for gambling and debauchery, Colo
mel Picquart said:
81 knew Esterhazy was anxious to
enter the War Office and / did not re-
gard his desire favorably. | communi-
Gated my impression to my chiefs, who
approved all my steps, and the appiica-
ton of Esterhazy was rejected.
aHis insistence. however, only in
creased my uneasiness regarding him,
and / resolved to obtain a specimen of
his handwriting. ! was Immediately
struck with the similarity of his hand
writing and that of the bordereau, and,
forthwith, had the letters of Esterhazy
which were in my possession photo
graplied and showed the photographs to
Major Du Patty De Clam and Nj. Ber-
tiIlon (the handwriting expert. between
August 25th and September 9th.
Mr. Bertillon said: That is the
writing of the bordereau.'
IN. Bertilon tried to discover where
j had obtained the handwriting but the
only information / impaired was that
it was current and recent handwriting.
IN. Bertillon then suggested that it
was tracing and ended by saying that
if it was current handwriting it could
only have emanated from some one
whom the Jews had been exercising
for year in initiating the writing Of the
bordereau.
when | saw beyond a doubt that the
handwriting of the bordereau was Ester
hays, and seeing that the documents
mentioned therein might nave been sup
piled by Esterhazy, that the words i
am going to the maneouyres could per-
fectly we'll apply to Esterhazy, and that
Esterhazy had secretaries at his disposal
to copy document SO voiumin0us as
the firing manual. | resolved TO consult
the secret dossier and see what part
of the treachery might be ascribed to
Dreyfus and to assure myself whether
the dossier contained anything indicating
Esterhazy.
II frankly admit ! was stupefed ON
reading the secret dossie'. ! expected
to find matters Of gravity therein, and
found. in Short, nothing but document
which might apply just as much to Is
terhnzy as to Drey fus, an unimportant
document mentioning DfAvignon, and
document which it seemed absurd to APP
ply to Dreyfus, namely the 'Cette cam
allie de d. documents
L. 7