The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-08-23


have in his possession a document
which was a state secret?
General MERCER made no reply. Coun.
sci then asked what right had Genera
MERCER to retain possession of all the
documents in the secret dossier, anG
General MERCER still kept silence.
II am asking for the official RESPONSE
bility," said NJ Labor, and | make
note of the fact that it is refused.
will reserve the right to take all meas
ures which think proper" This caus-
ed a stir in the court and when coun-
sci added that he would later ask Colo
mel Jouaust TO recall General MERCER
and would put numerous questions to
him, to which, however, he could forsee
the general would refuse to reply, the
commotion in the court room was pro-
longed.
Reverting next to Lieutenant Colonel
Rollins testimony, and the testimonial
that Roliln had given to the spy Guenee
M. Labor read the testimony of Guenee
before the court Of cessation, pointing
out that after such testimony none of
the information which Guenee supplied
in 1894 could be maintained against
| Dreyfus.
Replying to a question as to the char
acter of Laioux and the confidence
| which could be placed in his statements
| General Gonse handed in report Civ
| ing Lajoux the worst possible charac-
| ter.
| DREYFUS' REPLY TO ROLLINS
| TESTIMONY.
| Dreyfus then made a statement re-
| garding q passage of Rollins testimony
referring to the searches made in his
| Oreyfus) house in 1894. Everything"
| said the prisoner, was seized without
exception"
Colonel Jouaust-Some of the pages
were missing of your notes taken at the
| lectures given the military college.
| That has been the subject of remark
Dreyfus-No, colonel, not in 1894.
TESTIMONY OF A WAR OFFICE
EX-SECRETARY
NJ Ferret, an ex-secretary of the min
istry of war, who is alleged to have
caught Dreyfus prying into the work Of
some of his fellow officers during their
absence, testified that toward the end of
1898, on returning from his luncheon, at
an hour when the officers We're usually
out, he found Dreyfus in the Fourth bu-
reau, standing with a stranger, a civil
ian, at the table, consulting a document
which seemed to the witness to be con-
nected with the transportation of
troops.
M. Demange inquired-"Why did you
not give this testimony in 1S94?'
The witness said that he regretted
that he had overlooked it. Besides, ii
was not his business to suspect his
chiefs.
NJ Demange-The court will form its
own opinion of this five years silence.
M. Labori-When did the witness first
mention these facts?
Ferret do not remember. (Mur-
murs in the court)
M. Labori-Try. 1t would be interest
ing to have an explanation.
Ferret--It was about a year ago.
The prisoner protested against such
statements, which. he said, were moth
ing but vile insinuations" collected by
a former minister of war. This caused
a sensation.
Il never went into my office" contin- |
ued Dreyfus, ''at any other time than
the hours of duty. l declare that 1t
was impossible, or at least difficult, for |
a civilian to enter the offices Of the min |
istry of war"
Dreyfus added that while his wife |
was at Houlgate in Normandy in Au- |
gust or September, 1894, he happened |
to 60 to his office at noon though the |
usual hour was . o'clock
GENERAL GONSE ON WAR OFFICE
RULES.
Colonel Jouaust questioned Dreyfus |
relatives to his hours of duty and the |
difficulty in introducing stranger into |
the offices, after which General Gonse |
asked for permission to speak in order
to complete his testimony. He said he
received a letter last evening from NJ.
lie Chatelier chief engineer of the de-
partment of roads and bridges, and the |
general read letter in which lie Chate-
lier said;
During six or seven years / had a
permit from the ministry Of war, and |
went there at leas: a hundred times. ] |
did not have to show my permit more
than ten times On another occasion |
was accompanied by a friend who enter
ed without any other formality than OPP
ening the gate and saluting the sentry"
(Laughter).
General Gonse read another letter of
similar purport, and Dreyfus said: 1.-THE
rule was strict. The letters only prove
that certain persons did not observe it."
M. Demange said: ut also proves that
since the ministry of war was so easily
entered, others besides officers could
easily procure information"
OF LIEUTENANT COL
ONEL BERTIN.
Lieutenant Colonel Berth, who was
chief of Dreyfus' bureau in 1894, follow
ID. He traversed the old ground of
Dreyfus' entry into the department, tes-
tilted to the prisoners great zeal at
1rst, and said that this later was re-
placed by great carelessness in matters
If detail.
"In face of this" said Berth, 'I
gradually ceased to consider him an
assistant He left an enormous amount
If uncompleted work. Thus after de-
,oting much time to initiating him into
he secrets of the concentration of
roops on the Eastern railway system
n time of war I did not receive any
ervce in exchange"
The witness added that the reports he {
rave Dreyfus when he left were such