The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-08-26
In the Dreyfus Trial, as to who. in
Their Opinion, Wrote the Much
Talked OF Bordereau,
ONE FAVORS THE PRISONER,
While the Other, in Mysterious
and Unintslligibls Language,
Accuses Drcyius.
HIS LlBORED TESTIMONY
Not Altogether Satisfactory to the
Judges.Du Patty de Clam
Too i'll to Appear.

100 Ill 20 Appear,
RENNEs. August 25,.After NJ. Ber-
uIlon, the handwriting expert, who is at
the head of the anthropometric depart
ment of the prefecture of police of
Paris. had concluded the first install
msnt Of the so.called denomination of
the guilt OF Captain Dreyfus, a. promi-
nent Dreyfusard referred to him as the
I'm de steele cagllostro." The Drey-
fusards refuse to regard him as any
thing but the prince of quacka. They
cover his remarks with rldlcule, and
protest that the admission Of his fan
tastlc theories as evidence before the
court martial Is disgrace to France.
"c'est une honte," was the remark
heard on all sides when the session
closed, and the audience. mainly mads
up Of Dreyfusards, was being pressed
outside by the gendarmes, who clear
the court room as soon as the court
adjourns.
Nevertheless, even the Dreytusarus
do not deceive themselves as'to the eff
feet N. Bertlllon's testimony; or dem
Onstratlon," may have upon the Judges,
who, they fear, vii be gulled by what
the Dreyfusards consider spurious. All
the judges have passed through the
Ecole Polyteehnique, the highest school
Of science in France. and they are thus
peculiarly interested in such 'evidence"
as n. Bertlllon's. Moreover, with the
aid Of innumerable diagrams and spec
linens of writing, which he submits to
them, they may be able to follow his
reasoning intelllgibly. which is more
than any member OF the audience could
do to-day. If the Judges accept Ber-
tlllon's premIses-that Dreyfus, as an
expert spy, did not write ordinary
hpndwritiRg, but in close Imitation.
even contriying to give the letters the
appearance Of having Deen traced. In
order to be able to repudlate them as
a forgery II detected-then the strue-
ture built upon this ground work may
be scientifically correct.
Even Dreyfus, when shown Bertil-
Ions demonstrations. admitted the in-
genulty and plausiblllty of the system,
thoughhe naturally declared that 1t was
built upon false basis.
shows his AnImus.
remarkable feature OF NJ. Bertillon's
deposition was the heat and excite
ment he put into what was expected
would be a calm, dlspasslonate exposi-
tion of his theories. He Numbered,
shouted and waved his arms as though
engaged in some terrible dispute. Once
he literally shrieked, and members OF
the usual audience who had been unable
to follow him and were taking the air In
the court yard, rushed back into the
hall, breathiessiy inquIring what had
happened, and imagining that he was
Illuminating some dreadful denuneiosion
OF the accused.
Their excitement was turned into
hllarlty when they found that he was
merely impresalng the judges with the
Significance Of the exact space, meas
ures In centlmetres. between two words
in the bordereau.
The military witnesses all of whom
sit in a bunch, leaving Colonel Picquart
and N. Bertulus severely isolated. fol"
lowed N. Bertillons statements with q
grave and wise expression Of counten'
ance upon which never u suspicion of a
smile appeared, as though they under
stood every word. Evidently they had
received a mot d'ordre to preserve this
attitude, for without seeing the dia-
grams they could not have understood
any better than did the general pub
lie.
The Echo de Paris announced to-daS
that the counsel Of Dreyfus had obtain
ed possession Of certain documents
mentioned In the bordereau in Esterha-
zy's writing. which they would produce
in court next week as a coup d'theatre'
The correspondent OF the Associated
Press inquired rs to this in competent
Dreyfusard quarters this afternoon. He
was assured that the statement was
erroneous but was also told that the
defense intended, in the event Of Cap
tain Dreyfus being re-condemned. to
ask the German government TO COM
municate these documents proving his
Innocence, and that they had reason to
believe that such u request would be
granted.