Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-08-30
COLONEL CORDIER
Not Present but Believes Sand
herr Received Bordereau.
Remainder Of His Testimony Strongly
in Favor Of preyfus.
De Freycinet. the White Mouse" Of French
Politics. on the Stand.

| tenneS, Aug. 2@.-Neithcr side was
| pleased with the outcome Of today'5
proceedings before the courtmartial
| that is trying Capt. Dreyfus. The
| DrcyfusardS expected that Col Cordier
| who was deputy chief Of the intelli-
gcnce department under the late Lieut.
| Col. Henry, would testify that the Dor
| dereau was received directly by the
| late COL. Sandhcrr Had this expecta-
| ton been realized, the testimony would
have been strong point i'm favor of
| the accused because il would have
| been n reply to the antl-Drey
who have all along contended that
| Henry received the bordereau and for
warded it TO Sandherr. thing h
would not have done had the bordcrcau
| been. as the Dreyfusards assert. writ
! ten by his aCcOmpliCe, Esterhazy: for.
in that event, Henry would have rec
ognized the handwriting when he re
ccivcd the bordereau from the German
embassy ana would have suppressed
ii. instead Of forwarding ii to sand
heir.
Col. Cordier, however, testified, TO-
| day. that hc was absent from the IN
tcIigcucc department when the boz
il WAS received BY Henry. Naturally
this statement elatcl TIM aut:-Drey-
iusurds; but the Dr yiusarls Hal good
reason to congratulate themselves up
on the remainder Of Corslirr's testi-
mony. rs il MAS wholly III favor "
DryyfuS-
On tAc Other hand the procession of
generals ana officers ~ tne general
staff who demanded au opportunity To
confront Col. Curii"T WAS a good
pirce Of tactics from. The point If view
w thc anti Drcytuga as. because, an
the points thcy cont, strd was not Of
tho first Importance, vet their very ap-
pcarancc on the sage ana their con-
tradictions Of some of Cordicr's state
ncnts left a disuGrtyab!c impression.
The appearance If Cen. MERCER 10
question Col. Cordier came as a surprise
u many in the audience, who had sup
posed that after last Saturdays scene.
when MERCER was confronted with
Capt. Freystaetter. he would remain
quiet But Mcrcicr is game to the
death. His action. today, is inter
prcted as intended to show that he is
no going to throw up the sponge. Tho
part he played in 1894 lays him open
to arrest and this is a constant topic
Of discussion in the cafes and at Other
meeting places in Rcnnes. There APP
pears. However. to be an excellent rca-
son why the government will not tax"
any such serious step until the trial is
over.
Col Jouaust. president of the court
martial. could adjourn the trial indcti-
nitcly If MERCER who is an important
witness. were arrested. II the trial
We're adjourned for more than IS hours,
it would lapse ana the proceedings
would have to be gone over again from
the beginning.
Today's attendance was the largest
since the opening Of the trial. Every
body was on the Qui vivc to hear the
testimony of NJ. De Freycinet. senator.
former premier, former minister Of for
eiEn affairs and former minister Of War.
This adroit politician. the white
mouse" Of French politics, sat upon the
fence as wei as he could. His express |
sion Of 4 fear that the Dreyfus agita-
tiun would injurc the discipline of the |
army greatly annoyed the DrcyfusardS, |
rs calculated to influence the judges |
against the accused. But he followed it
with a euIoGy Of the pioneer of the |
Drcyfus campaign, NJ. Scheurer-k est- |
ner, former vice president of the Sen |
ate. whose character he said he held in |
the highest esteem.
Maitre Labor then secured another
concession favorable to Drcyfus by |
getting Nj. DE Frcycinet to admit that /
he could not recall single fact going !
10 prove that money had been sent into
France from abroad to prOmpt" \ /
campaign in favor of Dreyfus The
general feeling is. however, that his APP
pearance on the witness stand has not
materially helped the counsel of the
accused.