The San Francisco call., 1899-08-13

vi.
fTeSiagtit TTeaS5etist-You were President Of the re-
public at the time OF tne ar[eSI res, VI We're able
Dreyfus In this position you "eie -
10 have many particulars upon Ine O1 7
c1,rnstanCes and causes OF MS aIIest-
beg you TO kindly communicate 'iieiii -
'is Ssasfmir-Perier sfTi Qn loud voicel-M6olni--
sielIr le President, you ask me 70 - -9Pet.
the truth and all the truth. "a ar.aTtiSence
TO do 1t. l win speak without re'ISSLio TTio
y-irbO1lt reserve in its entirety. NitSt
ever l may have said in the past tinb mb%57
ever people may believe ana say, viz
Thing. / alone am aware OF INC. inciotnl5S ,,5
and facts which might throw ngHt t,zaida anu
ought to know. l will not leave
his place without saying all
intend to do this, not because L CaL. I,sJ go =.
ANYTHING useful to what L nave an efrog aa,nS
said blIt out of respect to my cohScitice
and the Judges. and to take the @ oplitiiUit NJ
Of men Of good faith: Will noL IeSEe Ho oo- .1i19
y,iare until have left an unalterabIe con
Tiction that l know nothing Wmch IIiis o ~
throw light on the case and that nav
TN tn az former President then in loud and
distinct voice repeated the evidence ne
had given before the Court of Cassatlon.
He leaned while speaking, ag3lnst InS
papers which he held in his hand. a..
The witness read the text OF Ihe ,,3nT7- Us
match received by Count Munster-Leyue
burg the German Enbassador al PaLIs' I.
from Prince Hohenlohe, the German I'm In
nerial chancellor. which the former com
municated to NJ. Casimtr-Perier curing d
visit 10 the Elysee palace 1t ran ,.,,,,,r
His Majesty the Emperor, having
every confidence in the loyalty Of the
President of the republic and the govern
ment OF the republic, begs your = - is
lency- to tell N. Casimir-Perler thaL II -
proved the German embassy was heHSI EJ3
Implicated in the DreYtus anai!i 10 -
Majesty hOpeS the government or the re-
public will not hesitate TO declare 81
Without a formal declaration the leeeiI,u
ing the German embassy would co!npfoss
Germany HOHENLOHE.
NJ. Casimir-Perier then recOunted how
1,e had eynressed to the then Premier and
Niinietar Of War his astonishment and in
dignation at the interview whlcn captain
lie Brun-Renault had given the Flgaro t On On
the subject of Dreyfus. The witness thell
told Of Colonel Picquart's visit to the
Elvsee at the trial in 1894 informing him
that NJ BertilIOn's demonstrauon nad III
tie effect on the Judges. He added:
Il received NJ. Bertillon DECEMBER "a
and l5 at the instance OF the Minister OIL
War, who thought his demonsItraiLohT HtiT
curious, interesting and conclusive, put
must confess" said NJ. Casimir-Perier,
amid a general litter in court, that
Judged them differently. He added: All
that was done and said among the Minis
ters was done without my knowledge.
The witness then related the facts in
connection with the futile efforts OF M
WaldeCk-ROusSeau to prevent the nrSt
Court-martial sitting behind closed doors
and said he Ghe witness) had never re-
t,eiyed aDv member of the DTeyfus family.
NJ. Casimir-P -Perier concluded this part OF
his statement by raising his voice and
speaking very eXcitedly while saying:
For the honor Of the chief magistracy
which l occupied, for the honor of the
republic, I viii not allow II to be said
that l had exchanged a word with cap
tain in the French army accused Of trea-
son"
This statement caused applause in court
which Colonel JOuaust speedily sup
pressed, threatening to clear the hall if
there was any repetition of it
Many people in the courtroom thought
NJ. Casimir-Perier was somewhat theatri-
cal in this utterance, as he turned and
delivered as much to the audience as TO
the court.
The former President ended his state
ment by SAYING: Il affirm, before this
tribunal of soldiers, that my resignation
was not connected with the diplomatic in
cident concerning Germany. 1t pains me
not 10 be able 10 second the court in the
work of justice cOntided to it, for, from
this place must emerge at last for the
sake Of the country, reconciliation and
peace. l can do no more than tell the
truth. the whole truth and nothing but
the truth. AS chief of the state or when
q citizen. I have always my respect for
France, regarded her as free TO make
q decision as she is herself revered. (Ap~
pause which was quickly suppressed)
Various questions We're then asked NJ.
CaSimir-Perier by the assistant judge and
p NJ. Demange on the subject of Captain
le Brun- -Renault's statement that Drew
fus had confessed to him, and the witness
said, emphatically. that he never had
from Captain LIE Brln-Renault a COM
nuncatiOn such as confession during
the captains visit to him. He added that
he was not prepared to deny that Generai
MERCER had told Captain LIE Brun- -Renault
to communicate this alleged confession,
but he affirmed that the captain did not
speak of 1t to him.
NJ. Demange then introduced the ques-
ton Of the letter which the anti-Drey-
NJ
Casimir-Perfer and in which it is claimed
he spoke OF engagements entered into by
NJ. Casimir-Perier respecting him
The witness emphatically replied that
he had never entered into any such en-
gagement as alleged, and he asked that
the letter which was published by the
Eclair of Paris should be produced in
court and that the whole matter be
cleared up. NJ. Casimir-Perier ended this
statement with slap of his hand on the
rail OF the desk.
Colonel Jouaust then asked Dreyfus if
he had anything to say. Thereupon the
prisoner rose and accompanying his ut
teranceS with gestures of his right hand
said:
My words have certainly been distort-
ed, for have no recollection of such let
ter. The words the former President of
the republic have just uttered are exact
I have never. even in my mind, supposed
there was any enga cement undertaken by
him and that he had not held thereto. NJ
Demange here asked me at the time of the
trial, in conveying through NJ. Waldeck-
Rousseau my request IOr pubic trial
that this publicity should only be on con
dition that the question of the origin Of
the documents remained secret. / gave
my word of honor not to raise this qUes-
ton, and in that l bow before the superior
interests Of my country. In my mind il
was with the defense, and not with the
President Of the republic, that the word
of honor was given. l never had an idea
that an engagement was made between
the President and myself. Never, never. .
Jouaust-Then you declare false these
letters in which it is said the President o1
the republic entered into certain engage
ments with you?
Dreyfus replied: In any case the sense
has been completely distorted"
Nj. Casimir-Perier gave his evidence with
q blanched face, but in the determined
tone of a man who maintains every word
uttered, which inspired confidence in his
words
The members of the court-martial lis
tened to him respectfully. When his tes.
timony was ended NJ. CasimirPerier was
conducted back to his seat by a non-com-
missioned officer, and all eyes were direct.
ed toward a door to the right.
There was moment of painful sus.
pense and then General MERCER entered
the courtroom and was conducted tC
the witness stand by a soldier. He lifted
his right hand before the crucifx ano
swore to tell the whole truth. He ap-
h. in IL IL