Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-08-31
He Does Not Think Leakages
in War Department Can be
Ascribed to Dreyfus.
sANDHERR SAYS SAME.
Interesting Explanation of the Work
of Spies Whose Duty Was Not Only
10 Get News bat Furnish Ger.
many False Information.

teSi'hSS' -AuS. ~o'"-Nioy EhssoSidtSd
Press - Colonel Cordier, formerly
deputy chief of the intelligence de-
partment of the war office, having
been released from his oath of profess
sional secrecy, since his former APP
pearance, was the first witness in the
Dreyfes case today. He testified that
he first became aware of the exist
ence of the bordereau when shown it
by Colonel Sandherr, chief of the in
telligence department in the first week
of October, 1894. Investigation result
ed in suspicion pointing to Dreyfus as
the author. The. witness believed that
the bordereau was handed to Sandherr
by Henry, who received it from wo-
man who got it in the embassy to
which it had been sent. The war Of
flee discovered the leakage of informa-
ton occurring at Bourges. The wit
ness, however, declared that the inves-
tigation showed that these leakages
could not be ascribed to Dreyfus.
Sandherr was of the same opinion. AT
that time it was discovered that GER
tain man was in the habit of conveying
documents to the Embassy. This man
did not resemble Dreyfns, but another
officer whose name has been mention
ed, but who could no longer be prose-
cuted, was. convicted. The witness
Went into explanations at great length
touching the work of the spies whose
duty it was not alone to secure infor-
nation but to furnish false informal
ton to Germany. He declared the
leakages in information the result of
carelessness at headquarters and that
they continued as long as he was con-
nected with it.
Cordier declared that the investiga-
ton showed that Dreyfus' life was not
spotless previous to his marriage, but
was very different afterwards. He at.
tributed Dreyfus inquisitiveness at
headquarters merely to desire for
useful information. In '94 the witness
regarded the bordereau, the sole evil
dence against Dreyfus, as insufficient,
but the unanimous verdict of convic-
ton changed his mind. His doubts re-
turned, however, when he discovered
that the date of the borlereau, receiv-
ed in September, had been fixed as
May. The famous campaign against
Picquart increased his doubts. Now he
was absolutely convinced of Dreyfus'
innocence. Great excitement.) The
witness declared the Henry forgery
could have had no other object but the
ruin of Picquart with view to giving
Henry his place.
At the conclusion of Cordier's testi-
mony., Major Lauth, Col. kleur, Ar
chiyist Gribelin and General Roget
and ,Mercier rose in turn to deny parts
of his evidence, but the points raised
were not material to the issue.
Ex-Premier de Freycinet was the
next witness. He was expected to
throw light on the alleged collection
of $4,000, 600 francs for the Dreyfus de-
fense,as asserted by MERCER; but Frey
cinet had only the most general re-
membrance of his conversation on the
subject with General Jamonet. The
remainder of Freycinet's deposition
consisted of patriotic speeches exhort-
| ing his hearers to work for the pacifi-
cation of the country and especially to
avoid doing anything to weaken the
confidence in the army or of its gener-
ais. A number of unimportant wit
nesseses followed and the court ad.
journed. .f6+