The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-27
ESTERHAzY A MAN OF STRAW.
BERTILLON DENOUNCED HIM AS A
SCOUNDREL.


Dreyfus Wrote the BOrderenu-Ad-
mitted Esterhazy's Writing Was
Somewhat Like It-Freystatter En-
cOuraged the Observation-Disclosures
Somewhat Mixed Up by LabOri.
Mercier Heard From Again-VaI-
erOi Thinks Dreyfus Is Now Prov
en- Guilty.
Rennes, Aug 26.-"Dead men tell no
tales" This is the barrcade behind
which Gen. Mercier and the general STAFF
have inuenched themselves.
But there is one weak point in their de-
fense-Col. Du Patty de Clam--and the mil
itary clique know it and are striving TO
the utmost TO keep him out of NJ Labori's
clutches. If they can prevent Du Patty de
Clam, who is now called the "sick man of
the Dreyfus affair" from appearing at the
| witness bar they can effectually put the
silence of the tomb between truth and JUS
tice NJ. Labori is fighting tooth and nail
to drag him into court but Col. Jouaust
persists in refusing him the necessary as
sistance.
While the Dreyfusards believe Col Du
Patty de Clam is not seriously i'll, they feel
a secret dread which Is expressed in The
significant remark not infrequently heard:
"sandherr is dead; Henry committed
suicide, and Du Patty de Clam will die"
The conformation to-day of Col. MaureI
Capt. Freystatter and Gen. Mercier was
an Instructive exposure of the fraud and
dishonesty of the general staff which the
absence of Du Patty de Clam alone
| prevented from being complete The de-
,f-I,+ IA f1,,t f.,rtr
commission be sent to examine Du Paty
de Clam on his sick bed But NM. De-
| mango and Labori despair of obtaining
satisfactory result therefrom. They want
to have Du Patty de Clam and turn the
screws of the rack themselves.
| To-day's session tore the last shred of
credit from MERCER but added the name
of Freystatter to the little role of heroes
who have risked everything in the de-
fense of Dreyfus.
After the court rose and all the public
were supposed to be excluded. Gen. Mer-
cier accosted Col. Maurel in the court
yard, and gave him a piece of his mind,
even gong TO the extent of calling him
blockhead. Maurel vauly protested his
helplessness and the impossibility of ward
ing off Labori's home thrusts in view Of
| Cant Freystatter's testimony. Finally
MERCER left him in temper.
BertiIIOn Was Tiresome.
The following are the proceedings in de-
tail:
The temperance on the stage of the
properties of NJ. Bertillon the distinguish
! ed anthropometer, was the signal of an
outburst of hnarity on the part of the
audience. The scenes of yesterday were
| repeated. The prisoner was apparently
| quite Indifferent to what was going on,
and the judges and counsel alone attempt
ed to follow the specialist in his interim
nable cryptographic problems.
As the comedy was prolonged, it grew
so wearisOme that the audience brought
out newspapers and chatted in low tones.
NJ. Bertilion, at one point advanced al
legged fresh proofs against the prisoner,
namely in the Dreyfus papers seized at
the war office and in which the specialist
said he found two words had been traced.
As he proceeded, the witness became i'm
bedded in parapheruala His lecture de-
| livered in funeral tones, began to pail on
the judges who, finally, only paid the most
cursory attention TO the examples sub
mitted.
One of NJ. Bertillon's demonstra tons
was handed to Dreyfus, who closely scru-
tinized it and returned the paper with
disdainful shrug of his shoulders and
without uttering a word.
| In summing up the results of his test,
| N. Bertillon said:
-"Fully understanding the responsibility
of so positive a statement on my soul and
| L
1894, on my oath, that the bordereau is
the work of the prisoner here. (Sensa-
tion.)
Dreyfus heard this assertion unmoved
The witness was asked by the court how
he explained the similarity of the hand
writing of the bordereau and that of Es-
terhazy to which he replied that since
1894 Esterhazy may have practiced int
tating writing Of the bordereau in order
to render possible the substitution of him
self for the pr rsoner. In support of this
theory, NJ Bertillon produced fresh ar
ray of plates which he alleged proved his
| hypothesis in regard TO EsterhaZy.
a Man of straw.
'Esterhazy," exclaimed NJ. Bertinon, 'is
a man of straw and a scOundrel. | have
said this ever since the commencement
OF the Zoia trial"
There was a sensation in the court al
this remark, which was turned to laugh
ter as the Witness in his excitement,
knocked his portfolios 20 the ground.
NJ. Demange asked NJ. Bertlllon il he had
submitted Esterhazy's handwriting 20 the
same tests as the bordereou.
The witness replied in the affirmative
explaining however, that the tests were
.ess complete than in the case Of the pris-
oner
Counsel reminded the witness that he
said IN 1854 that re found in the bordereau
a crypiogTaph c signature. "Alfie1 Drey-
G4s."
NJ BertiHon replied that he was not now
positive On this point TO which he added he
attached "no Importance whatever"
Referring 10 NJ. BertEon's statements
yesterday that h. found IN the borJereau
words Dreyfus was in the habit of using
in documents Of the war Office NJ De-
mango asked how the witness accounted
for this; and the specialist explained with
some confusion. that It was necessary
Counterpart Of The prCcau Ions taken by