The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-08-30

~ "a that the suspicious Of the prisoner
xuiit became definite. Witness said HI
believed the bordereau arrived at the wa
Office after September "a He could no
say who received Il. Very few officers
were then aware that treason had beer
committed. Witness thought II necessar,
10 enter into these particulars In reply 4
the statements OF his assistant. Majol
IAuth. before the court of cessation.
AT this point Major Lauth rising IN tn
center Of the court, exclaimed: II hes
Seave to speak. my colonel
Proceeding With his testimony. coione
Cordier said he believed the bordereau was
handed to Colonel sandherr by Colonel
Henry.
Colonel Cordier then explained what
was the ordinary channel by which in.
formation reached the war office.
THE ordinary channel" he said was
a very clever spy attached 10 the intel
ligence department who had the habit oil
visiting great houses. but who preferred
the company of servants 10 the company
OF their masters"
Cordier then described the method Of
piecing documents together by Henry, who
was usually entrusted with such work,
The witness said piecing documents pos
eessed fascination for the men engaged
upon such work. like the passion Of far
tune telling by cards.
Men who have once pieced paper" said
the witness, amidst laughter. will always
continue to do so.
Referring to the spy who had been
dubbed us the ordinary channel" Colo
mel Cordier said the former did not directly
receive the documents from the embassy
when they were distracted. a woman. he
exclaimed, served as an intermediary and
the ordinary channel having been closed
It was found necessary TO negotiate direct
ly with the intermediary. otherwise the
woman with whom rendezvouses were
usually made in churches. But as the
ordinary channel" services were still
available elsewhere, his pay was con-
tinued
Possibly" continued the witness 1.-The
spy endeavored to renew his relations
with the embassy. Such was the SITUATION
at the moment of the reception OF the
bordereau,"
Dealing with the leakage disc overed
by the military authorities. Colonel Cor
der said he ascertained it was occur
ring at Bourges
Witness recalled the fact that an arii
icer named Thomas was sentenced for
treason in 1924 The foreign correspond
ent did not notice his arrest and conse-
quently a letter address to him was in
tercepted and a reply was sent This let
ter asked for plans OF a shell. The head
quarters stan obtained the plans and sent
them TO Thomas correspondents, The lat
ter replied thanking Thomas and enclos-
ing bank notes which were checked to the
funds of the staff. Whatever has been
said to the contrary, witness maintained
that the leakage at Bourges could not be-
aseribed to Dreytus. This was the opin-
ion OF Colonel Sandherr, who frequently
had recourse. to witness intimate knowl-
edge, OF this question IL the futile efforts
to discover evidence against Dreyfus.
Cordier, whose evidence greatly inter-
ested his hearers, described the various
leakages. He especially referred TO very
serious case designated as leakage of
st. Thomas Aquinas, IN which clerk OF
the church OF ST. Thomas Aquinas Paris,
was mixed up in espionage and serious
leakage in the ministry OF marine. The
witness recalled how information Of the
leakage OF 1884 was received primarily.
The name mentioned was that OF gentle
man 30 years % age, who used to convey
documents to the embassy which the Wit
ness described as a house with a large
garden.
Colonel CordIer emphasized the fact that
the above personal description did not
bear the slightest resemblance to Drey-
fus. but resembied much more closely
another officer, whose name had been
mentioned and who could no longer be
prosecuted or convicted.
The witness then referred 10 the spy
Gueune's denunciations 10 the effect that
the officers OF the headquarters stan were
guilty of treachery. but the colonel eN-
planned that 1t v ~ very difficult TO ac-
cept Guenpe's statement as the truth.
Referring next to what he styled the
huge undertaking of Richard Cuegs, La
joux q Co. the colonel said the object
was nothing less than recruiting German
Jpies for the service OF the French gov
srnment He said the organization would
have been OF the greatest utility in the
syent OF war and regrets We're frequent
during the last war in regard to The la *
Of spies.
cuers he pointed out, spoke French
admirably and therefore II could not be
maintained that only German was fpoken
at the interview at Basic between Cuers
Henry and Lauth. one Of Cuers special
services. continued the witness was FUR
nlshing Germany with false information
He therefore was sometimes Obliged to
say he had succeeded in suborning u
French officer and in this way Cuers was
induced to declare he had obtained the
collaboration Of an offices OF the head
quarters staff. Proof OF this could be
found at headquarters in the dossier of
false documents delivered TO Germany.
Cordier then described the events prior
10 the arrest of Dreyfus and showed that
only single real leakage. namely. the
plans for the fortress, had occurred at
the time OF his arrest. The document
known as "Cette canaille dc D." he ex-
planned, was contemporaneous with this
leakage.
General Roget here asked leave 70 speak.
but Colonel Cordler continued, showing
how the leakage of plans OF fortresses was
facilitated by the carelessness OF the head
quarters staff and maintained that the
leakage was stll occurring when the Wit
ness left the war office.
Reyerting TO the manner In which the
suspicion against Dreyfus crystallzed the
colonel described the efforts to pry into
the prisoners life and said the inforIna-
ton hrst received was very bad and CON
stituted strong proof against the prisoner
Later. however. 1t assumed quite q sensa-
tionai aspect. II was admitted that before
MS marriage. Dreyfus was not "unim-
peachable morally, nor was he entitled to
wear wreath OF orange blossoms
Ch vTyS YTyf