Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-08-29
BALANCE OF YESTERDAYS EVIL
DENCE WAS IN HIS FAVOR.
SEVEN EXPERTS ON THE STAND
FIVE OF THEM SWEAR DREYFUS
DIN NOT WRITE BORDEREAu.
NJ. BertiIIon's Fantastic Evidence
Riddled by VI. Paray-Javni-M.
DeFreycinct TO Testify To-
da.-Paty de CLAIMS
Deposition.

RENNES, Aug. 2s-The balance of the
evidence to-day. 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 Charvay,
who had come to declare he had changed
entirely his opinion, which. in 1894, was
against and now is in favor of Dreyfus,
who, he to-day affirmed, was not the au-
thor of the bordereau. His candid con-
fession of error was received with muir
murs of satisfaction in court, which be-
came discreet applause. in spite of Colonel
Jouaust's patent disapproval, when he
solemnly added: Il declare here, on my
soul and conscience, that the bordereau
was written by EsterhaZy."
The most important incident. however,
was Colonel Jouaust's acquiescenee to
Major Carriere's request that a rogatory
commission be instructed TO take Colonel
Du Patty de CLAIMS deposition. The initia-
tive came purely from the government
commissary, Maitres Labori and Demange
having no faith in such a measure be-
cause it allows Du Patty de Clam to
escape cross-examination, which is the
only thing worth having under the present
circumstances. Du Patty de Clam being a
witness for the prosecution Major Car
riere will simply prepare a list of ques-
tons which an examining magistrate will
put to Du Patty de Clam at his residence,
and nobody supposes that the witness will
be very much embarrassed by the inter-
rogatories.
To-day the central figure in the court
yard, which is the meeting place for all
the leading personages of the trial during
The suspension of the sessions, was Cap
tain Freystaeter, who was the subject of
ron narlrS To- ,fN.
and soldier-like bearing. Indeed, the in
terest in him was so great that some per-
sons waited all night long outside the door
Of the court in order to obtain standing
room in The rear part of the courtroom. in
the hope of seeing him at to-day's sitting,
an impression having gone abroad that he
might be recalled His modest and frank
manner inspired admiration in all except
the generals and the other military wit
-nesses for the prosecution, who seemed
afraid of him, and scowled in his direction
from the other side of the courtyard.
Captain Freystaeter will not remain here
until the end of the trial. but will leave
Rennes in a few days
NJ. De Freycinet, former minister of war;
arrived this afternoon and will testify to-
morrow.
When the trial opened this morning Gen.
eral Mcrcier, who was minister of war
when Dreyfus was first tried, in 1894, was
present, as usual in the front row of the
witness seats, thus definitely setting at
rest the reports as to his having fed to
the Island of Jersey and as to his arrest
The first witness called to-day was NJ.
Paray-Javal, the draughtsman, whose evil
dence was interrupted on Saturday by the
adjournment of the court
NJ. Paray-Javal was called by the de-
fense to refute the system by which NJ.
Bertillon, chief of the anthropometric de-
partment of the Paris prefecture of police,
attempted last week TO prove that the pris-
oner wrote the famous bordereau in dis
guised hand, and by means of key-word
interest" and that it could not have been
written by Esterhazy. although the docu-
ment was in handwriting resembling that
of ssterhazy.
With the aid of a blackboard NJ. Paray-
laval demonstrated the fallacy of NJ Ber-
tillon's calculations and criticised the lat
tcr's unfairness in not subjecting Ester
hays handw riting to the same test as
the prisoners writing. At the same lime
the draughtsman declared that, even If NJ.
Bertillon had done so the results would
not have proved anything.
In brief, the mornings session may be
said to have been a field day for the hand
writing experts, who devoted themselves
10 demolishing one another's evidence. The
public followed the dispositions lstlessly
but the judges and counsel listened with
the greatest attention.
General Mercier did not seen, In he very
,,.,.o.e,,I o.. a.. o. I'll. - -.
'., lui I'M, Iiaiuly I saiu d woru
10 Sehefal 1ohse uurins the Whole morn
ing, but during the brief suspension of the
courts sitting he and Generals Gonse and
roo, r,alLed nm ara down IN. .o,r,- 40 Nd
~ ~ - - ' ~ . } O.
OIL the bycee' engaged IN conversation.
ne RoiShpdrrA mot
in court to-day. He has been absent for the
past few sessions, and il is rumored here
that ne is desirous of leaving the sinking
shin of the general staff.