Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-08-19
CASE TODAY
Generals Boisdefre and cuignet
Testify Their Belief in the
Pri,oneris Gnilt.
III
Unable to Rssyasile Esterhazy's s
ConsessiosiW With Facts. They
Call 1t Fiction.
No New Evidence of Importance
Emily Crawfdrd's Estimate Of
the Witnesses.

Rennes, Aug. 19.-The Dreyfus case
opened this morning with Major Cuig-
net. formerly attached to the ministry
OF war. He began by saying that dur
I ing the latter half Of 1893 Dreyfus was
then probationer on the special duty
of making plans for placing mines un-
der eastern railroads for the purpose of
destroying them in case of necessity.
Dreyfus pestered witness for knowledge
of the general plans for mining rail-
roads till the witness gave him them,
Dreyfus making copious notes. When
Dreyfus' house was searched these
notes We're not found. Witness did not
believe he destroyed them, the infer
| ence being that he sold them to for
eign power.
Then witness declared his belief in
Dreyfus' guilt on these grounds: First,
his confession to Lebren- -Renault; sec
ond, technical nature of the contents
of the bordereau: third. result of the
examination OF the secret dossier. He
said in 1893 there was constant leakage
| in the ministry of war. There We're
proofs that the plans of fortifications
were reaching foreign power. There
was a vast network of espionage headed
10y agents Of Germany, the agents of
other powers collaborating. The dossier
contained ample proof of the prisoners
guilt.
That's manifest lie," shouted Drey-
/ fus. Witness endeavored to show that
traffic with foreign governments could
only have been carried on by a proba-
tioner in Dreyfus department. He as
serted that a document in the dossier
showed that the bordereau actually
passed through the hands Of Schwarz-
koppen, German attache. This. he said,
established the authenticity of the bor-
dereau and proved that Schwartzkop-
pen and Panizzardi, Italian attache,
sustained the closest relations on es-
pionage.
/ Referring to the dispatch OF Schneid-
er, former Austrian attache, denoun-
cling as a forgery the letter in the dos
sier attributed to him, witness main
tained that Mercier's statements touch
ing the matter We're nevertheless cor
rect and the letter authentic. This let
ter referred to the alleged efforts Of
/ Schwartzkoppen and Panizzardi to con-
ceal their relations with Dreyfus. Wit
ness intimated that Schneider's denial
had been forced by Germany and Italy
Maj. Carriere, government commissary,
/ Interrupted to say 1t must not be un-
/ derstood that he endorsed all the wit
ness said In reference to foreign mil
itary officer who al present held dip
! lomatic appointment in France" (Sen-
sation)
{. Demange then took the witness in
the evidence given by him before the
court of cessation.
When asked If he wished to reply to
/ the witness, Dreyfus declared he never
asked Cuignet for documents except at
the direction of his chief. "4All the de-
tails Cuignet has given on this subject .
said the prisoner, "sprang out Of his
own imagination and are due to the
same state of mind which prompts un-
reasoning bitterness even against an
innocent man. Then du Clam was
called for. but failed to appear. Gen.
4 Boisdeffre, former chief of the general
staff, was next sworn. He hurriedly re-
viewed the leakage in the ministry Of
war, trial of Dreyfus, latter's alleged
confession, the genuineness of which he
believed. He said the Instructions to
Picquart, as chief of the intelligence
4 department, We're to follow up the
Dreyfus affair; declared that at times
he was convinced that Dreyfus was
4 guilty, and the conviction was as
strong today as ever He said it was
an abominable crime to substitute a
man of straw like Esterhazy, since 1t
could not lessen Dreyfus' guilt Ester
hazy chose a singularly opportune mo-
ment for the confession that he had
/ written the bordereau, but Esterhazy
| was always telling lies. 1t was certain
| he could not have delivered the docu-
ments named in the bordereau Wit
ness then told of the suffering he had
endured as the result of the exposure
of the Henry forgery and his resigna-
tion as chief of the general staff.
Boisdeffre said the disappearance of
| documents from headquarters ceased
for a year after Dreyfus was arrested.
but was renewed after that. Dreyfus
declined to reply to Boisdeffre's testi-
mony when the latter finished.
| Gen. Gonse followed Boisdeffre. He
/ maintained the prisoner guilty. He de-
clared the Henry forgery was known a
weak before Henrys confession. He
admitted that while he was struck with
| the similarity of Esterhazy's handwrit-
/ ing and that of the bordereau he, never
theless. forbade Picquart to investigate
the matter.
| Picquart was then recalled to explain
allusions to secret service funds, and,
after Gen. Billot had spoken in rebuttal
of Picquart's statement the court ad-
journed for the day.
MRS. CRAwFoRD's COMMENT.
A Review and Estimate of tho Evi-
dcnce Before tho Dreyfus Court
Martial.
Copyright. 1899. by Associated Press. )
! Rennes. Aug. is.-A severe blow 70
as ls