Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-08-29

THE FALLACY OF THE SYSTEM
BY WHICH THE ATTEMPT HAD
BEEN MADE TO FASTEN THE
AUTHORSHIP OF THE BORDER
EAU ON DREYFUs- MERCER
IS UNEASY.
RENNES, August 2S.-When the
Dreyfus trial opened this morning Gen.
MERCER, who was minister OF war
when Dreyfus was first tried. in 1894,
was present, as usual, in the front row
of the witness seats, thus definitely set
ting at rest the reports as to his having
fled to the island of Jersey aud as TO
his arrest
The first witness called to-day was
NJ. Paray-Javal, the draughtsman,
whose evidence was interrupted on Sat
urday by the adjournment of the court.
NJ Paray-Jayal was called by the de-
tense to refute the system by which
NJ Alphonse Bertillon, chief of the
Anthropometric department Of the Par
is prefecture of police, last week at
tempted to prove that the prisoner
wrote the bordereau in disguised
hand and by means of a key word in
terest," and that it could not have been
written by Esterhazy, although the doc
ument was in a handwriting resembling
that of Esterhazy.
With the aid of a blackboard NJ.
Paray-Javal demonstrated the faliacy
OF NJ. Bertillon's calculations and crit
icised the latters unfairness in not sub
jecting Esterhazy's handwriting to the
same tests as the prisoners writing.
At the same time the draughtsman de-
clared that even if NJ. Bertillon had
done SO. the results would not have
proved anything,
In brief, the mornings session may
be said to have been a field day for
the handwriting experts, who devoted
themselves to demolishing one anoth-
er's evidence. The public followed the
dispositions listlessly, but the judges
and counsel listened with the greatest
attention.
Gen. MERCER did not seem to be very
cheerful to-day. He hardly said
word to Gen. Gonse the whole morn
ing, but during the brief suspension OF
the courts sitting, he and Gems. Gonse
and Roget walked up and down the
courtyard of the Lycee, engaged in con-
versation.
Gen. De Boisdeffre was not present
to-day. He has been absent the past
few sessions, and it is humored that
he is DESTROYS of leaving the sinking
ship of the general staff.
The center of interest in The court
yard was Capt Freystaetter, OF the
marine infantry, who testified SO fay-
orally to Dreyfus on Saturday and who
seemingly gave the lie to Col. Maurel
who was president of the court-martial
in 1894, in a most important feature OF
the latter's evidence. The captain,
dressed in a blue-black tunic, indigo
blue trousers and wearing his five dec
orations, held yeritable reception Of
his friends who pressed around him
and shook his hand. These friends,
however, were all civilians. Not a sin
gle uniformed officer spoke to him.
which is the first fruit of his frankness
and clear indication of the determin-
alton of the military clique TO ostracise
him
When the first two witnesses had
testified and argued against III. Bertil-
Ions system, it was the opinion of the
sympathizers OF Dreyfus that If the
statements OF the witnesses were cor
rect they had simply pulvarized NJ.
Bertillon. The latter wished TO reply,
but the president of the court, Col.
Jouaust, declined TO allow the special
ist to go over his evidence again, TAX
ing the ground that the trial would
never end if every expert did the
same.
An amusing scene followed NJ. Ber-
tiIlon pleaded that he had personal
statement to make. and mounted the
platform. But he had hardly uttered
half dozen words when Col. Jouaust
saw that he was merely regrinding his
evidence, and, to the great satisfaction
of the audience, CURLY told the special
ist to leave the platform. which he did,
discounted.
u Tessoniere's testimony against
Dreyfus followed, and then VI. Clara
way, the expert, who had previously de-
clared that Dreyfus was the author
Of the bordereau, was called to the wit
ness bar. His testimony proved to be
OF the greatest interest, as he came to
confess that he had made an error. and
said that he was now convinced that
Esterhazy, and not Dreyfus, wrote the
bordereau. This announcement made a
deep impression on the court, and was
greeted By general murmur of salts
faction.
The next expert, ~ PeIIetier, also
testified fave rabiy to Dreyfus