Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-08-25

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The testimony OF the first Witness Of |
| the day, NJ. Linolle. former Official OF the |
| government, was also In favor OF Dreyfus. |
| as 1t was in direct contradiction OF what |
NJ. De Breuil deposed yesterday regard |
| ing the alleged intimacy of Dreyfus with
| the German attathe at the house OF NJ
Bodson, n mutual friend.
| The president of the court then called
! the next witness, Colonel Maurel. who was
| president of the Dreyfus court-mart.al an
! 1884. Complete silence fell upon the court
| as the infantry sergeant VINO was actlnS
asher conducted Maurel to the witness bar.
The colonel was attired in a black frCck
coat and wore the red ribbon of the Legion
| of Honor at his buttonhole. His ha.r -
gray gray and ! he has ragged. IRON sray mus
tache. His face showed anxiety. AS M.
| Labori dashed him with po.n,ed questions
| the colonel hesitated and then answered in
short, choppy manner, and when M La
| left the platform with the pale face and
| scared look of Il man who has awakened
from d nightmare. Counsel had drawn
from the colonel confession that the
| secret dossier was communicated to the
| judges OF the court-martial of 1854 by Colo
| mel Du Patty de Clam This ayowal pro-
| declaration that he only read one of the
| documents did not affect the main fact,
| document had no effect upon him, az his
mind was already made up. was nullifed
by his subsequent declaration that this one
| document sutiiced to convince him.
| NJ. Labori then put series OF searching
| questions TO General Mercier with refer
| ence to the communication of the secret
dosser for the court-martial and his attt-
| tude in 1884, and an interesting scene en-
sued. The general refused to reply to all
ages at arms between counsel and Colonel
Jouaust, who upheld General Mercier,
while the dialogue between the general and
M Labori became acrimonious. Counsel
| became very heated and showed 1t In his
voice and gestures. The general, however
troubled his mind might be, seldom de-
| T.
eriStic of him.
The lawyer made strong point on the
part EsterhaZy played.
Mercier said he did not know Esterhazy,
and only saw him once at the Zola trial.
That is very interesting exclaimed NJ.
present at the Esterhazy trial?'
The general replied that he was not ct there
and that he knew nothing about the EVIL
"What?" cried NJ. Labori. General Mer-
cier. who was the chief accuser of Dreyfus,
did not even follow the proceedings In the
EsterhaZy trial?'
A loud murmur of surprise and indignant
comment came from the audience. but Colo
mel Jouaust Immediately suppressed 1t.
Counsel then brought General Mercier to
his assertion that S5,0000G0 francs were sent
by the defenders of Dreyfus. and asked the
general to say how he knew this, who sent
it and other awkward questions which
the general was unable to answer
| A question as to how the bordereau arriv-
ed at the offices, of the general staff, its
date, etc, was then introduced. which led
to strange scene for court of law. Cen
eral Roget on mounting the platform to
give explanations. was followed by General
De Boisdeffre. NJ. Gribelin, Major Lauth
and other military witnesses. all holding up
speak. while at the same time NJ. Labor
was. firing questions. The result was a
court could stand 1t no longer and when
the government commissary. Major Car
riere, also interpolated few remarks;
Colonel Jouaust turned to him and asked
him to be quiet remarking that the judges
could not hear half dozen people at the
same time.
During the course Of the morning NJ. La
bori questioned General Mercier with ref
erenGe to document in the secret dossier
which. 1t is affirmed. existed prior to 1854
and yet was not produced at the first court
martial of the prisoner.
The general confessed that he did not
know of its existence, and the same state
ment was elected from General Gonse,
who declared that Colonel Sandherr was
responsible for its non-production.
These replies We're tantamount to a con-
fession that Colonel Sandherr and Lieuten-
ant Colonel Henry played with the minis
J te: of war, and even that General Gonse,
assistant chief of the headquarters staff,
the chief of the intelligence department,
. keeping from the two latter just what he
pleased.
Then NJ. Labori proceeded to take up the
Panizzardi dispatch and to bring out the
contradictory translations Of it and the
, falseness of the final version.
After hearing General Mercier and Cen
Jouaust declared the court would rule the
5 dispatch out of evidence.
| The examination of General Mercier hav-
ing been concluded, Colonel Jouaust asked
Dreyfus if he had anything to say, and
, the prisoner, in calm voice, replied to
Mercier's statement that he. Dreyfus,
5 could have obtained the information about
i, the artillery promised in the ,bordereau,
while staying at Bourges, where artillery
, trials were being held. Dreyfus entered
into an explanation as to how he spent
n hnt ha II mot ty,fa
himself about the trials of the new gun
! brake General Risbourg recounted what
l Captain LeBrun-Ren said about Drey-
i, fus. and this brought the latter to his
! feet with a thrilling declaration. He point
ed out that the captain shook him by the
: hand when he returned to the prison, which
> Is at variance with what General Risbourg
recounted.
Moreover" cried Dreyfus, when a
frishtful charge has been hanging over a
, mans head for five years, people ought not
8 to talk of convictions, but should bring
proofs. Otherwise, cease to understand
the matter"
, This indignant protest caused deep SEN
. sation in court.
Continuing. Dreyfus proceeded to. totally
deny the story that he had made a con-
r fession to Captain LeBrun-Renault.
. The remainder Of the sitting was taken
, up with the deposition of minor witnesses.
mostly M. Beaurepaire's puppets, whose
evidence, when it did not bore the audi
ence, produced merriment.
place, the first when Labori asked General
Roget 20 give his opinion of Esterhazys s
role and his visit to the German embassy
1 October %. 1897. Roget replied. in the tone
of studied disdain which he habitually
adopts toward counsel for the defense: Il
absolutely refuse to tell you
NJ. Labori warmly insisted. but the pres
ident of the court crushed him with curt
refusal even to allow General Roget to re-
1 spond.
The second scene was between NJ I.abori
and Colonel Jouaust, after the deposition
+ of the Royalist, Deputy De Grandmaison,
, which consisted of a claptrap TRADE
against foreigners intervening in the af-
: fair. and title tattle. quite outside of the
ending with the preposterous words ad-
dressed to the Judges: IF you think Drey-
E fus innocent acquit him. But if you de-
! eide he is guilty, you must pronounce his
condemnation"
The deputy accompanied this instruction
to the court with sweeping gestures and
( turn to leave the stage amid roars of
Grandmaison met with fierce. stage VII
= lain look that again convulsed the court.
NJ: Labori, however, called the deputy
D back He wanted to examine several of
NJ. De Grandmaison's statements. but Col
onel Jouaust refused to allow the questions
to be put, at which counsel became tre-
t mendously indignant and insisted upon his
9 right to do so, and a warm alteration
ensued between the president of the court
n tanned his decision. which was indisputably
] unfair to Dreyfus. and NJ. Labori sat down.
gagged and boiling over with indignation.
PRESIDENT LOUBET HOPEFUL.