The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1899-09-02
ADRAMATICINCIDENT
Gen. MERCER, a Bitter Foe of Drey-
fus, Charged with Perjury.
And Col. MnureI Is branded ns Liar
Roth Are Furious over the Ea-
posure-Other Proceedings
In Court.

Rennes, Aug. 2S.-At the sixth SEES
sion on Saturday of the third week of
the second trial by court-martial Of
Capt. Alfred Dreyfus, of the artillery,
on the charge of treason, the feature of
the day was a dramatic scene between
Capt. Freystaetter, one of Dreyfus'
judges i'm 1894, and Col. Maurel, presi-
dent of that court-martial.
If Capt. Freystaetter is speaking the
truth-and he has the reputation of be-
ing man of the highest honor, whose
conscience was troubled by relations
of the intrigues and maneuvers of the
general staff-Gen. MERCER committed
perjury in his deposition and Col. Maui
rel was guilty of the suppression of the
| truth.
Gen. MERCER i'm his evidence cate
gorically denied that the incorrect de-
ciphering of the dispatch from Panil-
zardi, the Italian military attache, was
communicated to the court-martial of
1894. Capt. Freystaetter now swears
that it was.
Col. Maurel in his deposition declared
that he read only one document of the
secret dossier. leaving the court under
I the impression that this was the only
document of which cognizance was
| taken. He was forced to admit that his
statement referred only to himself. but
| that all the other officers read all the
documents-a statement which pro-
voked loud murmurs i'm the audience.
Capt. Freystaetter, however, asserted
that Col. Maurel had openly comment
| ed on each document to his brother
| judges. This Maurel Indignantly de-
MED.
Capt. Freystaetter did not hesitate
second when NJ. Labori asked him il
he maintained his open statement. He
| replied:
"Not only did / read the documents,
but Col. Maurel read them and made
commentary after each"
The Lie Direct.
This was the lie direct to Col. Maurel,
| who did not protest, but merely object
| ed to the term commentary" Maure!
thus stands before the world as n self
| confessed liar,
His endeavors to throw mud at Capt.
| Freystetter by cynically asking why
the latter had not spoken before during
the last five years only recoiled on him
self and placed Capt. Freystaetter in n
still more creditable light. Capt. Frey
staetter's candid admission that he did
wrong unwittingly and that when he
knew of it he obeyed the dictates of his
conscience evoked a murmur of admi-
| ration
| Inf Man. no FIN
over the exposure, and after the court
rose and all the public were supposed
to be excluded. Gen. MERCER accosted
| Col. Maurel in the courtyard and gave
| him piece of his mind. even going to
the extent of calling him a blockhead.
Maurel vainly protested his helpless
ness and the impossibility of warding
off Labori's home thrusts in view OF
Capt. FreystaeIter's testimony. Final
~ MERCER left him in temper.
Capt. valerie on the stand.
After a brief adjournment the gov
eminent commissary, Maj. Carriere,
called upon Capt. Valerie, of the artil-
lery, to explain NJ. Bertillon's system
and to give an opinion on the subject.
The captain said he thought that NJ.
Bcrtillon's evidence might be summar-
lied in a sentence:
1.-THE bordereau was doctored and
the document fabricated by means of
secret writing, or writing with 4 key,
the key-word interest being found
on the blotting-pad letter attributed
to Matthew Dreyfus.'
Says Dreyfus Is Guilty.
The witness declared that as he
wished to remain on scientific ground
he would not attempt to define the mo-
tives actuating the writer of the Dor
dereau; but he was perfectly convincedit
could only have been Dreyfus. Esterhazy
had declared himself to be the writer,
but that could not be true, because il
had been proved the bordereau was
forged.
In conclusion. Capt. Valerie declared
the court now had in its possession ma
terial proof of the prisoners guilt.
(Sensation.)
Dreyfus RepIics.
When Dreyfus was asked the usual
question the prisoner pointed out that
the evidence of Capt. Valerie was only
repetition of NJ. Bertllon's and that
consequently his reply to the latter APP
piled equally to Valerie.
Reference having been made to doc
tored words in the minutes written by
him at the war Office, Dreyfus pointed
out that those minutes were written i'm
the presence of witnesses. He also
dwelt upon the fact that he had already
acknowledged the genuineness of the
"blotting-pad letter" which he reaf-
firmed, adding, that the hypothesis
that he doctored the bordereau in order
to have means of defense fell to the
ground Of itself, since he had never at
tempted to turn the system to use.
(Sensation.)
"A,l NJ. Bertillon's measures are
false. All without exception" ex-
claimed the prisoner, sebemently, amid
excitement.