The record-union., 1899-08-20

decided to notify De Clam that the
court-martiaI was ready to hear his
deposition.
There was a further thrill of curiosity
when General de Boisdeffre, formerly
chief of the general staff of the French
army, advanced to the witness box and
took the customary oath to tell the
| truth.
The General remarked that in view Of
the exhaustive evidence already given
he would try to be brief. He hurriedly
reviewed the leakage in the Ministry OF
! War; the discovery of the bordereau;
the arrest and the trial of DreyfuS, and
the latters alleged confessions, before
ceremony Of degradation to Captain
Lebrun- -Renault Witness said he be-
lieved the confessions were genuine. He
next referred to Colonel Picquart's ap-
pearance in the Intelligence Depart
ment, although the witness had hesitat-
ed to appoint him, because he thought
Picquart too lf-confident and not suffi-
GENTLY defferentiaI toward his chiefs
1T has been said, continued General
Boisdeffre, that a secret package of
papers was shown to the Judges of the
court-martial of 1894 | positively as
sert that, so far as am concerned, /
never ordered Colonel Picquart to con-
vey any envelope to Colonel Maurel. l
may add that Colonel 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 1 gave him were to follow
up the Dreyfus affair, and it is well
/ - Of
| structions.
The General next described the in
terview between himself and Colonel
Picquart when the latter first men
toned EsterhaZy without, however,
connecting him with the Dreyfus affair
! Witness discredited. Colonel Picquart's
statement that the latter asked him
| (witness) not to mention the inyestiga-
tion to General Gonse.
| General Gonse" said Boisdeffre, lis
a friend of thirty years standing. L
have always had the greatest confidence
in him, and certainly should not have
entertained an idea to leave him in lg-
norance of what was occurring.
General Boisdeffre, whose evidence
was attentively followed especially by
the members of the court-martial, then
related the incidents Of his interview
with Picquart; how he sent Picquart to
see General Gonse, and General Gonse's
subsequent letter to the witness advis-
| ing a continuance of the investigation
regarding Esterhazy, but adding that
/ the affair must not be mixed up with
the ADreyfus affair. AS Colonel Pic
quart persisted in trying to hurry mat
ters, and was neglecting his other du-
ties, the witness proposed to the Minis
ter of War to send him, not in disgrace
to mission to Toning, but the Minister
of War, the General asserted, found an
other mission for him.
Everything, the General added went
on quietly for a year, until M. Scheu-
rer- -Kestner intervened. This was fol-
lowed by the denunciation of EsterhaZy
by Matthew Dreyfus. and the inquiry
into Esterhazy's proceedings.
"At that time,' the witness said, Il
was convinced of the guilt Of Dreyfus,
and this conviction is as strong to-day
as ever. (Sensation.) 1 regard it 3s
an abominable crime to have endeav-
ored to substitute for him a man of
straw, however disreputable he may
have been and whatever his offenses,
which, in any case, We're not less than
| the guilt of Dreyfus. My conviction is
the same as at the commencement of
the affair. Esterhazy. it is true, to
certain psychological and we'll chosen
moment, confessed to having written
the bordereau, but he has made many
other statements. He is always telling
/ lies. What is certain, he could never
have delivered the documents enumer-
ated in the bordereau."
Then the witness briefly referred to
| the trial and acquittal of Esterhazy,
and the latter's threats to proclaim
himself a tool of the general staff, af-
ter which the General alluded to the
Henry forgery and NJ. Cavaignacs in
terrogations of Henry.
You know the result" said he, ap-
parently much moved. Il will not tell
you what I suffered at that moment.
AS soon as everything was ended l ten
dered my resignation, but was asked
| to withdraw it. 1 was told every one
could make a mistake. but | replied
that while everyone was liable to err,
/ everyone had not the misfortune, as |
had, to assert to jury that document
was genuine when in reality it was
/ forged; that everyone ought to stand by
ones word and that when a man hap
pened to experience such a misfortune
there was nothing left for him but to
go away and from that moment I have
held aloof." (Sensation)
Replying to the court, General Bois-
deffre admitted that the leakage at
military headquarters continued after
the condemnation Of Dreyfus. 1t ceased
for a year, but in 1895 a paper was
discovered proving the communication
| to a foreign Government of a document
relating to the distribution of the artil-
/ lery. and showing that a foreign Gov
ernment was perfectly acquainted with
the changes made.
Answering a. question put by MEM
ber of the court. relative to the con-
| ficting testimony of General Mercier,
the former Minister of War, and NJ.
Casinir- -Perier. former President of the
French republic, witness replied that
I he certainly had an interview with
! General MERCER early in January, dur
ing the course of which Mercier re-
marked in regard to the representations
of a foreign ambassador to the Presi-
dent of the republic: 1T is not going
to happen this time. either. You can
sleep in peace. The incident has been
settled"
De Boisdeffre declared he was no less
certain of what had been said in regard
to the confessions of Captain Lebrun-
Renault The General was also per-
fectly certain the incident at the Elysee
did not occur January ), 1895. 1t was,
/ he said, the 9th or 7th. What is