Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-04-14
THE DREYFUS
TESTIMONY
The Figar0'S Expose Causes
Much Talk.
SAYS IT IS ALL AUTHENTIC
Editor of That Paper, If Necessary,
Will Produce His Informant
Inlay be Prosecuted

New York, April 14.-The Tribune's
Paris correspondent says: The Figaro's
unexpected and successful audacity in
securing and publishing the record or
''dosser" of the investigation of the
criminal chamber of the court of cassa-
ton to determine whether or not there
is legal ground for a new trial of Drey-
fus, has fairly taken away the breath
Of the older French newspapermen. Fer
dinand de Rodays, the managing editor
of the Figaro, is not communicative as to
the means by which he obtained the dos
sler, however He says:
'The person who enabled the Figaro
to publish the proceedings before the
court of cassation, was not a judge nor
was he a lawyer, nor an employe of the
national printing office, nor q friend of
Dreyfus, or of Mrs Dreyfus, or a mem-
Der of the Dreyfus family. l can also
tell you that the person who gave it to
me asked for no pecuniary or other COM
pensaton for it, nor did | offer any. |
am, moreover, authorized to declare that
the person in question is. if necessary,
quite prepared to reveal his or her lden-
tity, and this will be done if, for instance,
one of the judges or any person connect
ed with the case should be unjustly ac-
cused of divulging the famous state and
judicial secret.
II may also say that the Figaro has
received all sorts of offers of the dossier,
one of which has been alluded to by NJ
de Blowitz, the Paris correspondent of
Il, J>.,. ,a1, t,l
of a scheme for transmitting to us the
contents of the dossier by means of a
phonograph, The operator was to read
the dossier aloud, so that it should be re-
corded by the phonograph, and then re-
pea ted sheet by sheet without, of course,
leaving trace of any discriminating hand
writing. This offer was made with the
expectation of being rewarded with
large sum of money l promptly refused
it because there was no sufficient guaran-
tee of any means of verifying the accu-
racy or trustworthiness. | was about to
give the matter up in despair when one
night, to my great establishment, re-
ceived a communication in such form as
could leave in my mind no reasonable
doubt as to it's good faith. The person
who made it to me said:
1T gives me sincere pleasure to be
enabled to offer you this document gratu-
l1OuSlN, 1Of am conscious lidl III uollS
so ! am accomplishing an act of patriot
ISM"
NJ. de ROdays, in response to inquiries,
said that it was a mistake to suppose
that only IS copies of the dossier were
printed.
"The exact number printed by the i'm
primere national" continued NJ de Ro
days was 81. OF these AZ We're given to
the concilleurs of the court of cessation,
who were to be present at the sessions
to be held when Madame Drcyfus petit
toned for her husbands new trial. One
was given to M. Maza-, first president of
the court of cessation; one copy was
given to each of the three presidents of
the three chambers of the court, one copy
was given to Procureur General Manque,
one copy was given to each of the three
advocates general, one copy was given to
NJ. MOrnard, Dreyfus' counsel, one to NJ. |
Defreycinet, minister of war, and an !
other copy to NJ. Del Casse, minister of |
foreign affairs. Altogether, a total Of 81 /
copies, and of these 27 still remain under
seal at the ministry of justice. Every |
copy had two cumbersome printed and !
one written with a pen and ink OF a Pc |
culiar color. All the proof sheets, cor |
rected and uncorrected. had been burned |
in the presence of three counsellors of |
the criminal chamber Of the court of cas- |
sa ton especially delegated to watch over |
and insure the secrecy of the printing"
1t has since leaked out that all of the !
S4 copies have, since the Figaros pub
lication, been verified and have been !
found intact. The best legal opinion is |
that the only article of the French code |
that can be used to proceed against the !
Figaro in the law courts is Article SO |
of the press law of 1881, which is worded !
as follows:
''The publication of prohibited indict-
ments or other acts Of criminal or COR
rectional (police) procedure before they |
shall have been publicly read in open
court and this under penalty of fine Of
from so to 900 francs"
The government announced its inten-
ton of pushing the Figaro under the
above article and NJ. de Rodays. in reply
to questions on the subject, stated that
the article cannot apply in the present
case because the document is neither a
document nor an act. of criminal or cor
rectional (police) procedure. The inves-
tigation was made with view to find
ing out if judicial crime had been COM
mitted. The publca ton of the proceed
ings of such an investiga ton Is not pro-
vided for in the code The government
must consequently fail if it attempts to
take legal action against the Figaro for
publishing the dossier of the criminal
chamber of the court of cessation in the
for a new trial of Dreyfus. The
Figaro, In publishing the dossier, has |
acted with absolute impartality, show
ing no bias whatever, either for or against |
revision.
Moreover" added NJ. de Rodays, with |
"there is not a single news |
paper in France, the United States or |