The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-08-30
THE TRIAL OF DREYFDS. !
Ex-Premier De Freycinet's Testi-
mony Favors the Accused.
COLONEL GoRDIER's TESTIMONY.


| 1t Is Com batted by Procession or
Generals and OnIcers. Including
General Mercier-The Latter Will
Not Throw Up the Sponge. Z,
Rennes. Aug. 30.-Neither side was
pleased with the outcome Of yester-
days proceedings before the court mar
tial that is trying Captain Dreyfus,. /.
The Dreyfusards expected that Colonel
Cordfer, who was deputy chief Of the
intelligence department under the late
Lieutenant Colonel Henry, would tes-
tify that the bordereau was received
directly by the late Colonel Sandherr.
Had this expectation been realized the
testimony would have been a strong
point In favor of the accused, because
it would have been a reply to the anti
Dreyfusards. who have all along con-
tended that Henry received the border
eau and forwarded 1t to Sandherr, q
thing he would not have done had the
bordereau been. as the Dreyfusards as
sert, written by his accomplice. Ester
hazy, for in that event Henry would
have recognized the handwriting when
he received the bordereau from the
German embassy and would have sup
pressed it, instead of forwarding 1t to
Sandherr.
Colonel Cordier, however. testified
that he was absent from the intelli-
gence department when the bordereau
arrived. but that he believed it was re-
ceived by Henry. Naturally this state-
ment elated the anti-Dreyfusards, but
they had no good reason to congratu-
late themselves upon the remainder Of
Cordiers testimony, as 1t was wholly
in favor of Dreyfus.
On the other hand the procession of
generals and officers of the general
staff who demanded an opportunity to
confront Colonel Cordier was a good
piece of tactics from the point of view
of the eanti-Dreyfusards. All the points
they contested were not of the first
Importance, but their very appearance
on the stage and the contradictions of
some of COrdiers statements left dis
agreeable impression.
The appearance of General Mercier
to question Colonel Cordier came as
surprise to many in the audience, who
had supposed that after last Saturdays
scene, when Mercier was confronted
with Captain Freystaetter, he would
remain quiet. But Mercier is game to
the death
His action is interpreted as intended
to show that he is not going to throw
up the sponge. The part he played in
1894 lays him open to arrest, and this
is constant topic of discussion In the
cafes and at other meeting places In
Rennes. There appears, however, to
be good reason why the government
will not take any such serious step
until the trial Is over Colonel Jou-
aust, president of the court martial,
could adjourn the trial Indefinitely II
Mercier, who is an important witness,
were arrested. If the trial were ad-
journed for more than 48 hours 1t
would lapse. and the proceedings
would have to be gone over again from
the beginning.
Yesterdays attendance was the large
est since the opening of the trial.
Everybody was on the qui vive to hear
the testimony Of Charles De Freycinet,
foreign affairs and former minister Of
war. This adpoit politician, the white
mouse" of French politics, sat upon the
fence as we'll as he could. His ex-
preston of fear that the Dreyfus
agitation would injure the discipline OF
of the army greatly annoyed the Drey-
fusards, as calculated to influence the
judges against the accused. But he
it with an eulogy of the
pioneer of the Dreyfus campaign, M.
Scheurer- -kestner former vice presi-
dent of the senate, whose character he
said he held in the highest esteem.
M. Labori then secured another con-
cesson favorable TO Dreyfus by get
ting M. De Freycinet to admit that he
could not recall a single fact going to
prove that money had been sent into
France from abroad to promote
in favor of Dreyfus. The
general feeling. however, is that his
appearance on the witness stand has
not materially helped the accused.