The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-09-01

Rennes, August 27.-(sunday.)-The
! government has decided to prosecute
The Eclair for the publication of the
! "Canaille de D." document, one OF
the four documents secretly communi-
J Gated to the Dreyfus court-martial OF
1894, and which has been shown not 10
refer to Captain Dreyfus at all.
The object of the government is 10
| discover VINO communicated it 20 The
Eclair. The assumption is that the
| communication was made by Colonel
du Patty de Clam or possibly by Gen
eral Gonse. The publication occurred
three years ago, but under the law
prosecution can be maintained at any
time during the following five years.
The government a issued orders
| for the prosecution Of a contributor to
The Eclair and NJ. Hassard, director
| of The Patrie. The former will be
charged with having printed a perver-
| sion Of the 'Canaille de" docu-
ment, as That beast of a Drey-
fus is really becoming too exacting."
This evening it is rumored that the
| government has also decided to arrest
4 deLtIdl MtICIel, Uul Tic IulllO1 10 nv
confirmed. Last evening a report was
in circulation that General MERCER had
] fled to the island of Jersey, blu this
story proved to be without foundation.
| Early this morning the gendarmes were
still posted outside the residence OF
General st. German, military COM
| mander of this district, with whom
General MERCER has been staying dur
ing the trial. Their presence indicated
that he was still there, and in reply to
questions they declared that they had
not seen him leave the grounds.
This afternoon he was undoubtedly at
home, although he declined to receive
callers. No one who a studied his
, character and methods believes that
, General MERCER would flee at the pros
pect of arrest. He has altogether too
much doggednesS in his composition.
General ST. Germans house is in one
of the suburbs of Rennes
MONDAYS COURT PROCEEDINGS.
Rennes, August 2S.-The balance Of
the evidence today, for a change, was
in favor of Dreyfus. Five witnesses
were for him and two against him. The
most interesting testimony was that of
Chief Handwriting Expert Charavay,
who had come to declare he had chang
ed entirely his opinion, which in 1894
was aNlinst and now is in favor OF
Dreyfus, who he today affirmed was
not the author of the bordereau. His
candid confession of error was received
with murmurs of satisfaction in court,
which becamesdiscreet applause, IN
spite of Colonel Jouaust's patent dis
approval when he solemn1y added: u
declare here, on my soul and conscience,
that the bordereau was written by Els
terhaZey."
The most important incident, how
ever, was Colonel Jouaust's acQuies-
cence to Major Carriere's request that
a rogatOry commission be instructed to
take Colonel du Patty de CLAIMS depo-
sitiOn. The initiative came purely from
the government cOmmissary, Maltres
Labori and Demange having no faith
in such a measure, because it allows
du Patty de Clam to escape cross eX-
animation, which is the only thing worth
having in the present circumstances
Du Patty de Clam being a witness fol-
the prosecution, Major Carriere will
simply prepare a list of questions which
an examining magistrate will put IL
du Patty de Clam at his residence, ano
nobody supposes that the witness viii
be very much embarrassed by the in
terrogatorieS.
Today the central figure in the court
yard, which is the meeting place fol
all the leading personages OF the tria
during the suspension Of the sessions
was Captain Freystaetter, who was
LIlS dbJCC III hd4iy Al Ia hS
upon his manly and soldier-like bear
mfg. Indeed, the interest in him was
SO great that some persons waited a.
night long outside the door &C the couri
in order to obtain standing room in the
rear part of the court room, in the hope
of seeing hin at today's sitting, an i'm
preston having gone abroad that he
might be recalled. His modest anC
frank manner inspired admiration in al
except the generals and the other mill.
tary witnesses for the prosecution who
seemed afraid of him, and scowled in
his direction from the other sic Of thu
court ward.
Captain Freystaetter will not remain
here until the end of the trial, but viii
leave Rennes in q few days.
NJ. de Freyciente, former minister o.
war, arrived this afternoon and will
testify tomorrow.
BERTILLON'S THEORIES CONTRO.
VERIFIED.
NJ. Paray-Javal, the draughtsmar
called by the defense Saturday to re-
flute the testimony of Nj. Bertillon. TIT
famous anthropometer. resumed HI:
testimony at the opening of the cOur
this morning n with the assistance
of a black board, proceeded to show thu
fallacy of the calculations of NJ. Bertil-
Ion n the latter's unfairness in no
submitting the handwriting Of Ester
hazey to the same tests as the prison
ers. He declared, however, that ever
if NJ. Bertillon had lone so the results
would not have proved anything. The
witness, however, insisted NJ. Bertillor
had adopted a vicious method in Only
making a partial experiment.
Continuing, M. Paray-Javal proceeded
to show hat the geometric r~egularitie:
alleged by M. Bertillon did not in reali'
ty exist. He pointed out a number o.
irregularities in the handwriting Of tn:
bordereau and said the same Irregular
ties were particularly noticeable in Els
, terhazey's caligraphy. He also contend
ed that he alleged regularity of tn
key word interest" was only approx
mate and proceeded to illustrate his ar
guments on the blackboard, showing
that all NJ. Bertillon's proofs applied a:
equally to Esterhazey as TO Dreyfus.
Finally, M Paray-Javal declared tha
NJ. Bertillon's measures to the wore
interest which served as the basis fol
the whole system was entirely falls,
and, therefore, NJ. Bertilion's entire sys
tenn falls to the ground and no Longer