The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-08-08
EXILE Of DEVILS ISLAND
At LAST FACES HIS JUDGES
With Dramatic Fervor Dreyfus Procaims His Innocence
Of the Charges Brought Against Him-Denies the
Authorship Of the Bordereau-He Was. Subject
ed to Searching Cross-Examination.
DO you recognize this document"

do you recognize this document"
| Dreyfus replied with a passionate
| outburst:
NO colonel am innocent declare
| it here as 1 declared it in 1894. 1 am a
| victim"
| Here his voice was choked with sobs,
which must have stirred every specta-
tor in the court. The voice of the
prisoner did not seem human. 1t re-
sembled the cry of a wounded animal.
He ended his reply with the words:
| Five years in galleys-my wife
my children-my God, l am innocent,
| innocent"
Colonel Jouanst said: Then you
deny 1t 2"
Yes. colonel"
| Colonel Jouanst then read the bor-
dereau. and afterward asked:
| In 1890 you were at Borgess."
Dreyfus-Yes, colonel
Jouanst-The 120 break was then
| made and you were in a position to
| know the construction of the break?
Dreyfus-I knew the principle of it.
Jouanst-Had you any information
! respecting it's working?
Dreyfus-No. l did not know the de-
| tails. never having worked it.
Did you have the break at the mil
! itary school?"
| Il don't remember"
| AT the beginning of 1894 you en-
tered the general staff?"
Yes, colonel
| Have you talked about gun 120
| and its breaks?"
Dreyfus, who then had regained his
! composure, spoke distinctly and in a
way which carried conviction with it.
| Answering the last question, he said:
| No, l never had any knowledge of
this gun while l was on the bureau
of the general staff"
| The second document of the bor-
dereau relates to mobilization. Had
you any knowledge thereof?'
| mo, l was not in that part of the
bureau dealing with mobilization
| You had to do with transports. Now
when regulations concerning convey
| ing of troops in 1894 were modified
there were difficulties in insuring the
| transportation of troops and provis-
| ional measures were taken which were
changed in the following spring. Did
you know of these difficulties?'
Il had no knowledge of this ques-
ton in 1894. l had certain documents
concerning provisioning and conveying
of troops
"Yon had papers in your possession
| intended for print?'
| Yes, l sometimes made mistake
I in the bureau to which they should be
| sent"
You had these papers twice."
Il did not have any confidential doc
uments."
You must have known contents of
| these documents?"
Il never asked for them from any
ONE
THE third document relates to ar
| tillery formation; you ought to be ac-
quainted with these matters?"
NO"
Major NORM Milon sent you special
| documents from the 18th to the goth of
July, 1894, the month before the date
of the bordereau?'
Il only had incomplete informa ton. -
AT the end of 1894 had you knowl-
edge of information sent to Lieutenant
Bac by the third bureau on effective
ness Of batteries of the 120 gum"
No"
colonel Jouanst. with a movement of
impatience: This is astonishing.
| turn to the fourth document, a note re-
| ferring to Madagascar. There are two
papers The corporal who copied it saw
you pass through his office, going to
the coloners room?"
Il went through it occasionally"
You could have obtained this docu-
ment from the corporal's desk?"
This is not usual"
! mo, but it could be done. Copying
was finished on the 2Sth and the bord-
ereau dates from several days later
| Now for the fifth document, the pro-
posed firing manual for the field ar
tillery. Did you know the contents of
the manual?"
Dreyfus. emphatically: Never"
Witness says you communicated 1t
to him?"
vehemently, mo, never"
THE major loaned this firing manual
to you?"
mo. colonel, deny 1t absolutely"
| Dreyfus then entered into an explain
alton of dates, but his memory failed
him. Colonel Jouanst took up the fam
Gus phrase, Il am starting for the man
| euvers."
He said: You had never been to
maneuvers because it was the Gus
tom for only proba TONERS to go, but
at the date of the bordereau you did not
know you would not go?"
There had been fresh orders given"
| Major Carriere here intervened, say
| ing: But there were two sets of or
it was decided not to send probation
ers to maneuvers."
What work were you engaged on in
fourth and first bureaus?"
| Dreyfus enumerated the different
| tasks, adding: Il was only occupied
with current matters and perhaps few
| studies, of which I forget the subject"
AT military school you were re-
preached with saying the Alsatians
were happier as Germans than as
| Frenchmen?"
mo. / never uttered such word"
How do you account for a bad note
! against you written by a certain gen.
| eral?"
He said he wanted no Jews on the
| general staff
How do you know what he said?'
Through conversations"
You attributed this bad note to your
| religion?"
| Yes"
! I'm 1892 you went to Mulhous. What
| did you do there?"
|