The Portland daily press., 1899-08-26
MUMMERY.
NJ. BertilIon'S Remarkable
Evidence.
How He Demonstrated"
the Guilt of Dreyfus.
Climax Reached In French Judicial
Proceedings.
The Judges Hear Him
Soberly.
The "Expert" win Go On Stand
Again Today.

Rennes, August s5.--After NJ. Bertil-
Ion, the handwriting expert who is at
the head of the Anthropometric depart
ment Of the prefecture Of police of Pnris,
had concluded the first installment OF his
so-called demonstration of the guilt of
Captain Dreyfus prominent Drayfusard
referred to him as "The fin de sIecle
Cagliostro."
The Dreyfusards refuse to regard him
as anything but the prince of quacks.
They cover his remarks with ridicule and
protest that the admission of his fantastic
theories as evidence before the court mar
tial is a disgrace to France.
Nevertheless even the Dreyiusards do
not deceive themselves as to the effect
M. Bertlllon's testimony or demonstra-
tion may have upon the judges, who, they
fear. will be guiled by what the Dreyfus-
ards consider spurious. All the judges
lave passed through the Ecole Polyteoh-
nique, the highest school OF science In
France ami they are thus peculiarly in
terested in such evidence" as M. Bertil-
Ions. Moreover, with the aid of the In
Vulnerable diagrams ana specimens of
writing which he submits to them, they
may he able to follow his reasoning intel
ilgibly which Ii more than any mem Der
of the audience could do to-day. II the
judges accept Ijsrtillon's prsmises--that
Dreyfus as an expert spy did not write
ordinary handwriting but in close imita-
tion. even contIiving to give the letters
the appearance Of having been traced in
order to be able to repudiate them as n
forgery IL detected-then the structure
built upon this groundwork may be
scientific lily correct.
Even Dreyfus when shown Bsrtlllon's
demonstrations, admitted the Ingenuity
and plausibiliy of the system though he
naturally declared that 10 was built upon
a false basis.
A rsmark able feature of II. Bsrtillcn's
deposition was the heat and excitement he
put into what was expected to be a calm
idispassionate exposition of his theories.
The Eoho de Paris announced today
that the counsel of Drsyfus had obtained
pcsssssion of the certain documents men,
| toned In the bordereau in Esterhazy' s
writing which they would produce in
| The correspondent of the Associated Press
inquired as to this in competent Drey-
fusard quarters this AFTERNOON. He was
assured that the statement was erroneous,
but was told that the defense intend
ed, in the event of Captain Dreyfus being
re-coudemned to ask the German govern
ment Co communicate these documents,
proving his innocence and they had rea-
son to believe such request would be
granted.
THE PRoCEEDINGS IN DETAIL.
At the opening of the session of the
Dreyfus court martial today, considerable
comment was caused By the request of
NJ. Gribelin, the principal arcnivist of the
headquarter's staff for permission to ab-
sent himself for "a hours, owing to the
summons of the Minister of War General
Marquis de Gallifet. who desired to see
him in Paris.
| 1t was suggested that the minister OF
war wishes to refresh Nj. Gribelin's mem
ory which has been so strongly anti-Drey-
| fus. Then followed the reading OF a medi-
| cal certificate. signed by two doctors,
l whose names were not familiar to the
huuloucet settiuB lurtn tndt OOt. Du Ehby
de Clam is too i'll TO leave his he'd and
appear at Rennes, at which the audience
\ was not surprised.
Mime. Du Patty de Clam also wrote to
the government oommissary Offering o
written. supplementary deposition from
/ her husband. NJ. Lahori after securing
/ the names of the doctors who signedtho
certificate, asked the court to appoint two
we'll known physicians to report officially
on Du Patty de CLAIMS condition.
Col. jouaust, however. declared 1t was