The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-09-01
Of Conspiracies and Counter-Plotting Fill the
Air at Rennes.
Few DAYS Put the Generals Secretly
Eacht Himself SaddIing
in the Dreyfus Prosecution Ohers-Evidence
Yesterda Defendant.
A Secret Session to


Today.
writing but was actually written by Es-
terhazey. II am convinced" said M.
Meyer, by a magnifying glass, that the
bordereau was written in free hand
and without hesitation; whereas, 1T is
precisely hesitation in the formation
Of a stroke which reveals the use of
the method of tracing. / can affirm
that it is in the writing and in the very
hand Of Esterhazey. That is perfectly
clear to me-" (Commotion.)
Professor Auguste Molinier, of the
school of ancient manuscripts, gave
similar evidence. He said that each
fresh examination Of the bordereau
only served to further convince him
that it was the work Of EsterhaZey.
Amid deep attention the witness de-
mOnstrated how the conclusions of the
experts who attributed the bordereau
to Dreyfus were mutually destructive,
and dwelt on the defects of M. Ber-
tillons arguments, pointing out the
striking resemblances Of the alleged
doctored handwriting with Esterha-
zey's writing, who, he added, in every
body's opinion, had relations with Col
onel Schwarzkoppen, the former Ger
man military attache at Paris, and the
dissimilarities between the writing of
the bordereau and that of the pris-
oner.
The members of the court-martial
were apparently much interested and
asked Professor Molinier a number Of
questions to which he replied, uphold
ing his conclusions that Esterhazey
was the writer Of the bordereau.
MERCER AS PROSECUTOR.
General Mercier requested to speak
and called attention to the fact that
in his testimony before the court of
cessation Professor Molinier said a
change was apparent in Esterhazey's
handwriting after 1894 and asked that
the professors former evidence be
read.
M Labori, leading counsel for the
defence, inquired if General Mercier
intervened with the object Of verifying
Professor Molinier's evidence. Counsel
added that it seemed to him General
Mercier intervened less in the charac-
ter Of a witness than as a representa-
tive of the government commissioner.
Mercier replied that on this special
point he desired to confirm the evidence
of Professor Molinier which he said,
corroborated M. Bertillon's statement
/ that Esterhazey, the man Of straw,
changed his handwriting in order to re-
place Dreyfus. In conclusion, General
MERCER said: Having emphasized the
| point in regard to the change in Es-
| terhazey's handwriting in 1897, perhaps
| DeIOro, L am SdClSI6O. (COmnOIlOn.)
| Professor Giry, also of the school of
| ancient manuscripts, traversed similar
| ground to that covered by Professor
| Molinier. He said the bordereau had
only a superficial likeness to Dreyfus'
handwriting and asserted that it was
certainly the work of Esterhazey.
| The witness also said the bordereau
| was not written with the aid Of key
| words.
| a vi cly fhn with
ed a change in Esterhazeys caligraphy,
| and Professor Giry replied that he had
studied the question but did not think
there had been any marked change.
| JOUAUST SNUBS BERTILLON.
| M. Bertillon at this juncture said
! that he desired to speak, but the pres
| ident Of the court, Colonel Jouaust,
hastily arose and said amid laughter:
THE sitting is suspended"
| Then M. Bertillon resumed his seat
in high dudgeon.
| On the resumption of the sitting M.
Georges Picot, a member Of the insti-
tute, was called for the defense. Maitre
Demange, of counsel for the prisoner,
| explaining that Picot was summoned
because, in May last, he had an inter-
| view with a foreign military attache,
in the course of which mention was
| made of the document inserted in the
dossier by General Mercier.
MUST NOT MENTION NAMES
Colonel Jouaust recommended the
witness to be very cautious in his state
| ments. After promising to exercise
care, M. Picot started with saying that
he had an interview with the Austro-
| Hungarian military attache.
Colonel Jouaust stopped the witness,
saying: You cannot continue like
this
Major Carriere, the government COM
missary, also exclaimed, sharply: Il
protest in the name Of the government
and the state against the indiscretion
committed by the witness
A FOREIGN OFFICIAL SPEAKS
| FOR DREYFUS.
NJ. Picot then recommended his tes-
t1mony, saying he had an interview
with "a certain military attache'' and
| that the conversation turned upon the
Dreyfus case. The attache expressed
surprise at the incorrect attitude OF
| French officers" in doubling the word
of foreign officers
MY impression" added the witness
was that he was anxious to assert
firmly and unequivocally the absolute
Regarding the bordereau, the attache
said only three documents, enumerated
were referred to, the fact being that
the others were padding, meant to
swell the dosser.''
| Witness noted that the attache en-
ployed the expression hydraulic
brake" and never pneumatic brake"
IWHY THE BORDEREAU WAS
| WRITTEN
In regard to Esterhazey, the attache
| NJ. Picot said, declared that he consid.
cred him a swindler. The attache also
asserted that Esterhazey had relations
with Colonel Schwarzkoppen, who dis.