The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-09-01
oner which must fill all honest men with
Indignation"
This declaration of the prisoner made
deep impression on the audience.

OSSp luPIG GSSlOn OIl llG duuASllSS'
THINKS DREYFUS INNOCENT.
Mai. Forzinetti who was governor of
the Cherche-M Midi prison during the time
Dreyfus was imprisoned there, and who
testified in behalf of Dreyfus, declaring
he had never heard of the confession
Dreyfus is said to have made, was the
next witness called. He repeated his tes-
timony before the court of CESSATION,
adding that he frequently met Capt Le-
brun-Renault and Capt. Dattel and that
neither of them ever alluded to the al
legged confession. The witness declared
that he once taxed Capt Lebrun-Renault
before Gen. Gonse and other witnesses
with saying that he had spoken to the
witness Mai ForzinettD of the confess
sion and that Capt. Lebrun did not reply.
"WhereupOn," Maj. Forzinetti said, st
seized his arm and cried: If the words
repeated as yours are true you are an
infamous liar
Maj. Forzinetti then declared that, on
visiting Gen. de Boisdeffre to express
fears about the health of the prisoner, the
general asked him his opinion Of Dreyfus,
and the major replied:
MY general, had you not put, the ques-
ton to me would have kept my counsel
But since you ask my opinion, declare 1
believe he is innocent"
de CLAIMS theatrical devices to surprise
Dreyfus, to which Forzinetti declined to
be a party, and the major also said that
on one occasion, when Dreyfus was in a
crisis of despair, he, the witness. remain
ed with the prisoner, consoling him, I'M
til o'clock in the morning.
Col. Jouaust asked Mai Forzinetti If
Dreyfus ever had ideas of suicide, and
the witness replied that Dreyfus had
III
after his condemnation was read to him,
he was with difficulty prevented from
dashing his head against the wall
After the last visit of Du Patty de Clam
to Dreyfus, continued Maj. Forzinetti, the
prisoner wrote to the minister of war
letter, which concluded with the words:
when I am gone let them seek the cul-
prit."
At the conclusion of Maj. Forzinettis
evidence, Dreyfus, on Col. Jouaust's invi-
tation, and after reference to his inter-
view with Du Patty de Clam, said, look
ing with gratitude at the major:
There is a matter which Maj. Forzi-
netti has just recalled which has greatly
moved me and which I wish to recall,
for wish to say to whom l owe the fact
that I have done my duty, and to whom
I owe having done 1t for five years after
my condemnation. I had determined to
kill myself. had made up my mind not
to undergo the frightful torture of a SOL
dier from whom they wished to tear the
insignia of honor. Well, then, let them
say this that if I went to that torture
can say here that 1t was thanks to Nine
Dreyfus, who showed me my duty and
told me that if I was innocent I ought to
go to it for the sake of her and our chill
dren. If I am here, 1t is to her 1 owe 1t,
my colonel" l5.,
The declaration of Dreyfus that his life
was due to his wife deeply stirred all his
hearers. He spoke in broken voice, with
emphatic gestures, swaying to and fro
with emotion, and when he had finished
he sat down abruptly, evidently to con-
ceal his discomposed features from the
gaze of the spectators in court, who
when he is seated, are only able to see
the back of his seat. Tears were glts.
tening in his eyes, and he was clearly
suppressing an outburst of sobbing
The session concluded with the confron-
tations of Capt. Lebrun-Renault and
Gen. de Boisdeffre, the former explaining
that he did not speak to Maj. Forzinettl
of the Dreyfus confession because he
had received instructions to keep silent
Gen. de Boisdeffre denied that Maj. For
zinetu had expressed to him his conyic-
ton that Dreyfus was innocent.
The major maintained his assertion,
however.