The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-05-30
REPORT OF
COURT OF
CESSATION
Everything Points to the In
nocence of the Devils
Island Prisoner.
ESTERHAZY IS GUILTY
The People Of Paris Listen to the
Evidence Without Showing
Excitement.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

PARIS, May 29.-The Court of Casa
ton met to-day to hear the debate on
the application for a revision of the
Dreyfus case. The doors of the Palace
of Justice were opened at II o'clock.
Persons connected with the case, news
paper men and others, began to arrive
half an hour previously. There was
much animation in the Hobbies of the
palace. but the crowds in the vicinity
We're not large. Extensive precautions
were taken to preserve order inside and
outside the building. The colonel
commanding the guard at the Palace
had been given special reinforcementS
by the Military Governor of Paris, Cen
eral Zurlinden, and considerable forces
of military and mounted police had
been assembled at the barracks in the
vicinity of the court. Spectators
about the palace were selling seats at
points of vantage for ten to twenty
francs each, but the business done was
not as good as during the lola trial.
when they easily obtained forty francs
for seats.
The courtroom was filled with Par
isian celebrities, the greater part of the
holders. Many Judges belonging to
other courts were among those present,
and absolute tranquility prevailed.
There We're about twenty ladies among
the audience filling the galleries.
The proceedings commenced at noon.
Amid profound silence the President of
the civil section of the court read his
report on the case. After recalling the
contentious under which the prosecu-
ton of Dreyfus was instituted in 1894
he dealt with the contradictory evil
dence of the experts in handwriting and
mentioned the protest of innocence by
Dreyfus, who said to Lieutenant Col
onel Henry This odious accusation
is the death of my life. | must have
justice dealt me- Henry replied that
the matter did not come within his
competence.
NJ. Ballot de Beaupre then read a
number of eulogistic reports on Drey
fus, when the latter was a military
school probationer on the general staff.
his interrogatory by Lieutenant Colonel
du Patty de Clam, in which Dreyfus
persisted in denying having had re-
lations with any foreign embassy. and
his statement that he had not given
any documents to any agent relating
to the defenses of the country. The
reporter afterward describes the scene
in Du Patty de CLAIMS office in the pres
ence of Chief of Detectives NJ. Roche
fort, and sketched the history of the
Dreyfus family.
According to Du Patty de Clam. Drey-
fus, when he saw the resemblance to
his handwriting, exclaimed: They
have stolen my handwriting. 1t was
also pointed out that Dreyfus, when the
report of Ormes-C hevilles was printed
al the court martial. protested he had
never seen the new gun used. and that
he did not know before July of the
disposition of the frontier forces. The
prisoner also said he had not had
copy of the firing manual, knew moth
ing of the documents respecting NADIA
gascar and said to the reporter of the
court martial: Il have now been more
than six weeks in confinement. | swear
l am innocent. The son of an Alsatian
Protestant, l abandoned everything to
serve France, and ] am to-day worthy
Of leading her soldiers on the battle
field. The martyrdom / suffer is afro
cious."
NJ. Ballot de Beaupre then dealt with
the Ormes Chevilles report of Dreyfus'
relations with married women.
The report said the first suspicion
of Dreyfus emanated from Colonel
Fabre. who was struck with the SIM
ilarity of the word artillery in the
bordereau and in a document written
by Dreyfus. Continuing, the report
dealt with Lieutenant Colonel Henry's
account of his conversation with Drey-
fus when the latter was transferred to
the Cherche Midi prison. Dreyfus said:
1T is terrible. l am accused of a
frightful thing"
Henry asked of what he was accused
and Dreyfus replied: Il am accused
of the crime of high treason
THE devil" answered Henry, "but
on what grounds"