Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-19

port now alleged to be false referred to 1t
several times in the midst of his toast.
In order to recall to him the terms of his
toast and to show that our documents are
authentic 1 will recall only the last phrase.
After expressing regrets at the departure
of "a and telling him we should have the
best recollections of him, he added. and I
quote the text
For a lon., time to come in all the
armies of the world. in America and Asia,
"A" will long be the talked-about and it
will be said, IA" was quite unique"
Maj. Cuignet's statement was apparently
designed to prove the acuteness of the in
telligence department and is to elicit q
vigorous denial
NJ. Demange-"The paper handed in by
Gen MERCER is therefore only an extract"
The witness next aired his idea as to how
Dreyfus might have secured plans of the
fortresses. But counsel pointed to Patty de
CLAIMS report at the time OF the arrest of
Dreyfus in which he declared that no doc
ument had disappeared, or could have dis
appeared from the ministry of war.
When Dreyfus was asked If he wished
to reply to this witness, he declared he had
never asked Maj. Cuignet for documents
except by the desire of his chief, Mai.
Berth.
"All the details which Maj. Cuignet has
given this subject" said the prisoner.
"sprang out of his own imagination. and
are due to the same state of mind which
prompts unreasonirg bitterness even
against an innocent man"
Ready to Hear Patty de Clam.
Amid a buzz of excitement, the name Of
Maj. du Patty de Clam was called out,
whereupon Maj Carriere said Patty de
Clam had been officially informed that his
presence was necessary to the court-mar-
tial, and it was hoped he would be able to
GENE soon as possible, but the govern
ment commissary had heard nothing from
him since this notification was sent
At the request of NJ. Demange it was de-
cided to notify Patty de Clam that the
court-martial was ready to hear his depo-
sition
There was further thrill of curiosity
when Gen. de Boisdeffre, former chief of
the general staff of the French army. ad-
vanced to the witness box and took the
customary oath to tell the truth. The gen.
eral remarked that in view of the exhaus-
tive evidence already given he would try
to be brief. He hurriedly reviewed the
leakage in the ministry of war, the dscov-
'
of Dreyfus and the latters alleged confess
sons. before the ceremony of degradation,
to Capt. Lebrun- Renault. Witness said
he believed the confessions were genuine.
He next referred to Col Picquart's APP
though the witness had hesitated to APP
point him because he thought Picquart too
self-confident and not sufficiently deferen-
tial toward his chiefs.
1T has been said" continued Gen. de
Boisdeffre, that a secret package of pa
pers was shown the judges of the court
martial of 1894. 1 positively assert that,
50 far as l am concerned, never ordered
Col Picquart to convey any envelope to
Col. Maurel | may add that Col. Picquart
never doubted the guilt of Dreyfus, and
never even expressed doubts of his guilt
when he took over the duties of chief of
the intelligence department. The first in
structions | gave him We're to follow up
the Dreyfus affair, and it is well known
what was the result of these instructions"
interview Regarding Esterhazy.
The general next described the interview
between himself and Col Picquart when
the latter first mentioned Esterhazy, with
out, however connecting him with the
Dreyfus affair Witness discredited Col.
Picuuart's statement that the latter asked
him twitness) not to mention the investi-
CATION to Gen. Gonse.
Gen. Gonse, said Boisdeffre, 'iS a
friend of thirty years standing. | always
had the greatest confidence in him and
should certainly not have entertained re-
quest to leave him in ignorance of what
was occurring
Gen. de Boisdeffre, whose evidence was
followed, especially by the mem
bers of the court martial, then related the
incidents of his interviews with Picquart,
how he sent Picquart to see Gen. Gonse.
and Gen. Gonse's subsequent letter to the
witness advising a continuance of the in
vesjiGations regarding EsterhaZy, but add
ing that the affair must not be mixed up
with the Dreyfus affair. AS Col PicGuart
persisted in trying to hurry matters and
was negiecting his other duties, the witness
prop ,sed to the minister of war to send
him, not in disgrace, a mission to Ton
king; but the minister Of war, the general
asserted, found another mission for him.
Everything, the general added, went quiet
ly for a year, until NJ Scheurer- esther
interviewed. This was followed by the de-
ANNEXATION of Esterhazy by Matthew Drey-
fus and The inquiry into Esterhazy's pro-
ceedings.
''At that time" the witness said II was