The Portland daily press., 1899-08-19
PICQDARrS STORY.


tlon was mostly voorhees, emueiiished
or false and prepared in order to make
interesting reading.
In the enquiry made by NJ Quesnay de
Beaurepaire. former president of the
civil section OF the court Of eassation),
continued Picquart. you have an excel
lent example of the sort Of people who
can present In ths most spacious guise
what amounts absolutely to nothing.
You cannot imagine, gentlemen, what
people, Ia order to get money, If only a
modest 20 franc piece, have brought to
the intelligence department in the shape
Of so-called information with examina-
tion Inns proved to be worthless.
Dreyfus displayed the keenest interest
In Picquart's pretracted analysis Of the
doseier, which the whole audience list
ened to with profound attention. The
members of the court martial and the
former ministers of war were ell inter-
ested. OF the latter. Generals Pilot and
Zurlinden were in full uniform. Gen
Mercier was attired in civilian clothes.
Near them sat NJ. Bertullus. the exami-
ming magistrate, who gave such strong
testimony for Dreyfus yesterday. Mime.
Henry, who yesterday taxed M. Bertulius
with being Judas" was not present.
Concluding his examination Of the secret
dossier, Col. Picquart explained how he
had acquired the conviction that the
bordereau was written by Esterhazy and
how he ascertained that the anti-Drey-
fus proofs were worthless. He began by
detailing how he first learned OF the ex-
istence of Esterhazy and his efforts 60 dis
cover something about him.
The witness earnestly asserted that the
first occasion on which he saw Ester-
hazy's name WAS when he read the ad :
dress OF the Petit Bleu. He said he was
not acquainted with Esterhazy and never
had Esterhazy watched. Previous to this
the utmost efforts had beeen made to
prove thu contrary and to show that Pic.
quart knew Esterhazy before the discov-
cry Of Petit Bleu. The colonel empha-
sized this point with the view as ex-
planned of showing how certain nswspa.
pers had travested the facts and he Great
ed mild sensation by adding. 81 shall
have occasion to point out other and sim
liar examples"
The witness then rebutted the charges
against him of unnecessarily delaying
the prosecution of Esterhazy. He said
his object was to avoid arousing suspicion
In regard to an officer who. perhaps was
entirely innocent. "What mistake"
he added, would have been ayerted in
1894 had they acted in the same way in
regard to Dreyfus." This remark caused
murmurs of applause in court. What
the witness gathered about Esterhazy's
character, he continued, created the
worst impression upon him, but he
learned nothing to connect Esterhazy
with any act of espionage. Therefore
he did not mention his suspicion. An
agent, however, was ordered to watch
Esterhazy, who had completely compro-
missed himself through his relations with
an English company of which he had
agreed to become director. "That could
not be PERMITTED In case of French
officer" said Picquart Moreover Es-
terhazy gambIed, led life of debauohery
and lived with Nine. Pays"
Turning to the leaking at headquarters,
the witness described the negotiations OF
MAJOR Lauth with the spy Richard Cuers
at Basic, showing how tho spy promised
information about the battle-ground how
he, Picquart was induced to allow Lieut..
Col. Henry TO accompany Major Lauth to
Basic.
Picquart also described the vague re-
plies Of Henry when questioned on the
subject of Esterhazy before his departure
and the futllity of his visit to Basic be-
cause Of Cuers's refusal, when he saw
Henry to impart the promised informal
ton. This incident caused the winners to
wonder whether instead of trying to
make Cuers speak. Henry and Lauth had
not done everything possible to impose
silence upon him. Before the Basiie in
cident Col. Picquart had decided TO speak
to Gen. DeBoisdefere about Estsrhazy.
SIN answer to my request,' said the
witness, "Gen. DeBoisdefere asked me
to get him to meet him at the train on
his arrival from vichy. While driving
from the railroad station to the Generals
hotel told him all had done in regard
to Esterhazy. affirm that Gen. De
Boisdefere understood that the question
was to remain secret between us. /
know Esterhazy was anxious to enter the
war Office and did not regard his desire
favorably. I communicated my impress
sions to my chiefs who approved my
steps and the application of Esterhazy
was rejected. His insistence. however,
only increased my uneasiness regarding
him and / resolved TO obtain q specimen
of his handwriting. was Immediately
struck with the similarity of his hand
writing and that of the 5ordereau and
forthwith / had the letters of Esterhazy
which were in my possession photo
graphed and shown the photographs to
Major Patty du Clam and NJ. Bertillon
(the handwriting expert), between Au-
gust Is and September s. The Colonel
emphasized this point because NJ. Bertil-
Ion affirms he saw the photographs In
May, 1896, and made a note of them
whereas the letters hal not been written