Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-08-20

At the request of NJ. Demange, the ma
ia, aspTsisi9 t .s otias OLA on P
| de CLAIMS share in the preparation of the
| forgery, was read. 1t showed that Cuignet
emphatically declared before the court of
cessation that he was convinced an in
vestigation would easily show that Patty
| de Clam was the principal author of the
| Henry forgery.
Witness claimed he thought he was do
| ing his duty "in saying all that was in his
mind"
DO you adhere" asked counsel, ito all
| You said before the full court of cassa-
| tion?"
This question greatly confused the wit
| ness, who attempted to explain by saying
| he was only arguing at that time" ana
that 1t was not for him to judge Paty de
| Clam.
NJ. Demange pointed out that, in spite
| of the many arguments. Major Cuignet
! had advanced against Patty de Clam. the
military judge, Tavernier, threw out the
| case.
Now added NJ Demange, Major
! Cuignac has advanced as much against
Dreyfus. The court will be able to APP
preciate the value of his arguments"
Counsel then asked why Cuignac had
| employed the expression report to de-
| scribe the Schneider letter. and the wit
ness replied that he was justified In doing
no, owing to the similarity of the express
slons in it with the terms usually en-
ployed in reports.
NJ. Demange pointed out that the docu-
ment included in the dossier contained the
word report"
Does tne original he asked. contain
this word?"
No" replied the witness
Replying further, Cuignot said the docu-
ment also referred to the campaign in favor
of Dreyfus, and to orders sent to Brussels,
the headquarters of the espionage system.
NJ. Demange-'The paper handed in by
General Mercier is, therefore, only an ex-
tract"
/ The witness mex gave his idea as to how
Dreyfus might have secured plans of the
IOrtreSSpS. counsel tp 10
CLAIMS report at the time of the arrest of
Dreyfus, in which he declared that no doc
ument had disappeared, or could have dis
appeared, from the ministry of war.
When DreyfuS was asked If he wished to
reply to this witness, he declared he had
never asked Major Cuignet for documents
except by the desire of his chief, Major
Bertin.
IAN the details which Major Cuignet has
given on this subject" said the prisoner,
'sprang out of his own imagination. and
are due to the same state of mind which
prompts unreasoning bitterness, even
against an innocent man."
Amid a buzz of excitement, the name of
Major Du Patty de Clam was called out.
Whereupon Major Carriere said Patty de
Clam had been officially informed that his
presence was necessary to the court-mar-
tial and it was hoped he would be able to
come as soon as possible, but the govern
ment commfssary had heard nothing from
him since this notification was sent.
At the request Of NJ. Demange, it was
court-martial was ready to hear his depo-
sition.
There was a further thrill of curiosity
when General De Roisdeffre. former chief
of the general staff of the French army,
advanced to the witness box and took the
customary oath to tell the truth. The gem
evidence already given, he would try to
be brief. He hurredly reviewed the leak
age in the ministry, of war, the discovery
of the bordereau. the arrest and trial of
Dreyfus and the latters alleged confess
sions. before the ceremony OF degradation,
to Captain LeBrun-Renault Witness said
He next referred to Colonel Picquart's ap-
perance in the intelligence department, al
though the witness had hesitated to ap-
point him because he thought Picquart too
self-confident and not sufficiently defer
entail toward his chiefs.
1t has been said," continued General
pers was shown the judges of the court
martial of 1894. l positively assert that, so
far as | am concerned, 1 never ordered
Colonel Picquart to convey any envelope to
Colonel Maurel. l may add that Colonel
Picquart never doubted the guilt of Drey-
fus, and never even expressed doubts of
his guilt when he took over the duties of
chief of the intelligence department. The
| first Instructions l gave him were to fol-
low up the Dreyfus affair, and it IS well
known what was the results of these in
structions."
The general next described the interview
between himself and Colonel Picquart when
out, however, connecting him with the
Dreyfus affair. Witness discredited Col
onel Picquart's statement that the latter
asked him (witness) not to mention the in
vestigation to General Gonse.
General Gonse," said Boisdeffre. 'is a
MaSs q had hPy fbe
and should certainly not have entertained
a request to leave him in ignorance of
what was occurring"
General De Boisdeffre, whose evidence
was attentively followed. especially by the
members of the court-marttal, then relat-
ed the incidents of his interviews with
eral Gonse, and General Gonse's subsequent
letter TO the witness advising a continuance
of the Investigations regarding Esternazy
but adding that the affair must not be NIX
ed up with the Dreyfus affair. AS Colonel
Picquart persisted in trying to hurry mat
ters and was neglecting his other duties
the witness proposed to the minister of war
10 send him, not in disgrace, on a mission
to Tonking, but the minister of war, the
general asserted, found another mission
for him.
Everything, the general added, went
quietly for year, until NJ. Scheurer-Kest-
ner interviewed. This was followed by the
denunciation of Esterhazy by Matthew
Dreyfus and the inquiry into Esterhazy's
AT that time" the witness said, ''I was
convinced of the guilt of Dreyfus, and this
conviction Is as strong to-day as ever"
(Sensation.)
Il regard it as an abominable crime"
to substitute for him man of straw, how
ever disreputable he may have been and
whatever his offenses, which. in any case,
would not lessen the guilt of Dreyfus. My
conviction is the same as at the commence
ment of the affair. Esterhazy, it Is true,
at a certain psychological and singularly
well chosen moment, confessed to having
written the bordereau, but he has made
many other statements. He is always tell
ing lies. What is certain Is that he could
never have delivered the documents enum-
Grated 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, after which the gen.
eral alluded to the Henry forgery and NJ
Cavaignac's interrogationS of Henry.
You know the result" said he, apparent
ly much moved. Il will not tell you what
l suffered at that moment. AS soon as
everything was ended l rendered my res
ignation. but was asked to withdraw 1t.
was told everyone could make a mistake
but I replied that, while everyone was
liable to err, everyone had not the mis-
fortune, as had, to assert to a jury that
a document was genuine when, In reality,
it was forged: that everyone ought to
stand by ones word. and that when a
man happened to experience such a mis-
fortune there was nothing left for him but
to go away, and from that moment had
held aloof." tSensation)
Replying to the court, General De Bois-
deffre admitted that the leakage at military
headquarters continued after the condem-
nation of Dreyfus. 1t ceased for year
but in 1925 Il paper was discovered proving
the communication to a foreign govern
ment of document relating to the distri-
button of the artillery, and showing that a
foreign government was perfectly ac-
quainted with the changes made.
Answering question put by a member of
a court-martial relative to the conflicting
testimony of General Mercier the former
minister of war, and NJ Casimir-Perier,
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