Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1899-09-12
STORY OF THE TRIAL.
Progress of the Testimony from Day
to Day for Five Weeks.

to Day for Five weeks.
! First Day. Aug. THE preliminary
! formalities were gone through with. the
| roll of witnesses called and the original
accusation read to the prisoner. Dreyfus
was subjected TO q long examination by
! Col. JOuauSt. president of the court. The
! accused denied each charge against him,
and explained points which had been IN
| doubt
| Second Day, Aug. S.-The court sat be-
| hind closed doors, to examine the secret
dossier.
Third Day, Aug. 9.-Secret session
? continued. 1t was announced that CAST
mir-Perier would lie confronted by Gen.
MERCER when the open sessions were re-
| sumed
Fourth Day, Aug. 1O.-Secret session
| continued Gen. MERCER was quoted rs
| saying 1T must be Dreyfus or myself. y
| Fifth Day. Aug. 11.-Secret session
! continued. 1t was announced that Du
Patty de Clam would be too i'll to attend
! as Il witness.
Sixth Day. Aug 12-Public sessions
were resumed CasimirPerier. former
| President of France. testified that he had
| resigned that office because of differ
cnces with the minister of foreign af-
fairs and because France and Germany
were on the verge of war over the Drey-
| fus affair He denied having received
the alleged confession of Dreyfus. made
to Lebrun-Renault. Gen. MERCER testi-
| fed that France and Germany were dam
gcrously near war; that he had prepared
orders for the mobilization OF the army.
] and placed the orders in the hands of the
| telegraph operators. y secret meeting at
| the EIysee, however. resulted in a salts
factory explanation to the German gov
eminent, and war was avoided. Mer-
| cier asserted his belief in the guilt of
| Dreyfus. and claimed that NJ. de Frey
| cinet had told him that a foreign syndl-
cate had spent 35.OOO,OOO francs in the
| Dreyfus campaign to Overturn the French
| government. MERCER was Kissed by the
| audience as he left the witness stand.
Seventh Day. August 14.-While OH his
way to the courtroom. NJ Labor. chief
counsel for Dreyfus. was shot by an I'M
| known assassin. who made his escape.
Col. Jouaust refused to postpone the sit
| ting of the court-martial until Labor
could return. Gen. MERCER was con-
fronted with Casimir- Perier, who insist
ed that the danger of war in 1894 had
| been exaggerated. Gen. Billot testified
as to his first doubt as to the guilt of
Dreyfus, but that he was finally con-
vinced of his guilt. Cavaignac. former
minister of war, gave his opinion that
stated that he believed the accused
guilty. NJ. Hanotaux, former minister
of war, supported the evidence Of the
generals. 1t was an unfayorable day for
Dreyfus.
Eighth Day, August 15.-It was an
nounced that Labor would recover. The
court held no session, as it was ma
tional feast day.
Ninth Day. August 16.-Mme. Henry,
widow of The suicide, Col Henry, de-
Tended the honor of her dead husband
She testified that Col. Henry reconstruct
ed the bordereau in her presence. and
had forged the "cette canaille de D.
| TO 4 o
honor of the army. Lebon, minister OF
| the colonies during the latter part Of the
prisoners stay on Devils island. told Of
the fortunes inflicted Oh the prisoner. He
| admitted tampering with Dreyfus' let
tiers. Gen. Roget testified that, while
EsterhaZy had confessed, his word could
not be believed
Tenth Day, Aug. 11.-Col Picquart
testified at length in favor of Dreyfus
and told how he had discovered that Els
terhazy was the real traitor, and how
his efforts to prove it We're thwarted by
the generals. NJ. Bertullus told of Col.
Henrys confession of forgery of docu-
ments used against Dreyfus. The SEES
| sion rs field day for Dreyfus
ElcN enth Day, Aug. 1S.-Col. picqu;,-
/ took up the secret dossier and proved that
many documents favorable to the accused
had been taken from it, and others forged
| to Indicate the guilt of Dreyfus. The
ten by Col. Schneider, the Austrian at
tache at Paris. and which had been cited
by MERCER as convincing proof of Drey-
| fus' guilt. had been forged. 1t was an
other favora bic day for Dreyfus
Twelfth Day, Aug. 19-Maj. Cuignet
testified fatty against his former asso-
ciates in the office of the general staff.
His evidence was favorable to Dreyfus.
Thirteenth Day. Aug. 21.-Dreyfus
practically acted as his own attorney,
proving easily that the testimony Of Capt
Junck was false. Cochefort told of the
arrest of Dreyfus. The rest of the day
was given up to witnesses, who shed
little light on the guilt or innocence OF
the accused The day was favorable tc
Dreyfus.
Fourteenth Day, Aug. 22.-Labori re-
turned to the court, and put new life into
the defense He compelled MERCER tC
admit that he had taken documents from
the dossier, and secured copies Of the
Schneider letter. to which he had nc
right A Capt. Maistre read letter il
which it was asserted that Dreyfus had
attended the German army menauvers
On horseback in Alsace-Lorraine The
day was favorable to Dreyfus.
Fifteenth Day, Aug. 23.-Little posi-
tive evidence was given on either side
Witnesses discovered by Quesnay dc
Beaurepaire repeated rumors they had
heard, which were easily refuted by La
bori.
Sixteenth Day Aug. 24.-The story
that Matthew DreSfus had attempted t,
bride Col. Sandherr was refuted. Col