Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-08-26

RENNEs, Aug. 26.-When the opening
Of the fifth session of the third week oi
the second trial by courtmartial of Cap
tain Alfred Dreyfus of the artillery
charged with treason, occurred, tine
clerk of the court read medical Ger
titicate, signed by two doctors whose
names We're unknown to the audience
declaring it was impossible for Colone
Du Patty de Clam to leav his bed, come
to Rennes and testify.
Maiue Labori, leading counsel for the
defense, asked the president of the
court, Colonel JOuauSt, to instruct two
weIl-known medical men to examine
Du Patty de Clam, but Colonel Jouaust
refused.
Rowland Strong, an English news
paper man, was then called to the wit.
ness bar and deposed to the fact that
Major Count Esterhazy confessed to
him that he wrote the famous bor-
dereau.
said tuat Esterhazy, while admitting
the authorship of the bordereau, said
the documents enumerated in it had
been betrayed by Dreyfus to Germany.
NJ. Henri Well, d former officer of
the headquarter' staff, was then called,
but he was absent and his deposition
was read. The facts i'll the case were
published April 70. NJ. Weill's state
ment, in substance, was that Esterhazy
told him i'll 1894 that Dreyfus was inno-
cent, but that this would not prevent
his conviction, because he was a Jew.
Sensation
A brief discussion ensued regarding
the character of Colonel Picguart's for
mer orderly, Savaignaud, who testified
The day before TO posting letters in May
and June, 1897, addressed by the colo
mel to NJ. Schuerrer-kestner,t the former
vice president of the senate, who was
prominent i'll obtaining revision of the
Dreyfus case. During this discussion
Savaignaud protested that he had been
contounded with bandsman of the
same name who had bad character.
A former sergeant, who was at one
time employed in the war office, testi-
fed to seeing Dreyfus copying tine list
of railroad stations mentioned i'll the
plan of mobilization, to which Dreyfus
replied:
''It is true, but l copied the list by or
der of Captain Besse." p" [Sensation.l
The evidence OF the handwriting ex-
perts followed. NJ. Colbert referred to
his 30 years of service during which he
had reported on thousands of docu-
meDts and added, visibly affected: 81
protest against the term interested ex-
pert, adding, turning toward the pris-
oper, CATER all have no right to COM
PLAN when / look at this unfortunate
man now before you Great sensa-
ton.
The court closely followed NJ. Co
bert's exhaustive story of his examina-
ton of the bordereau and his interview
with Generals Mercier, De Boisdeffre
and Gonse.
NJ. Colbert asserted that the handwrit-
ing OF the bordereau was natural and
fluent, but that it was almost illegible,
whereas Dreyfus, even when writing
rapidly, always wrote most legibly.
The witness asked General Gonse if
an envelope accompanied the bordereau,
as he, NJ. Colbert, wished to see what
the writer's careful caigraphy was like,
that the address of letter
is always in tirmer hand than its con-
tents.
General Gonse refused the request ON
the ground that the witness must not
know the name of the addressee.
General Gonse, it appears from the
vas greatly enraged when
he learned of the result of NJ. Colbert S
OF the bordereau and WIS.,
tied the expert repeatedly. The latter
always insisted upon learning the name
Of the suspect.
The witness described how, from an
OF an official report on
Dreyfus. from which Dreyfus' name
had been removed, NJ. Colbert had the
malicious satisfaction of telling General
Gonse the name of the officer they
to arrest.
lG was after NJ. Colbert had refused to
Dreyfus that M. BertilIon
was entrusted with the examination of
he bordereau, and, after few hours
;tudy. NJ. Bertlllon positively attributed
jhe bordereau to Oreyfus.
Colonel Jouaust asked NJ. Colbert for
l more definite criticism of the border
'au, and the witness replied that he no.
iced certain similarities between the
of the bordereau and that
IT Dreyfus, out, he added, there were
,roved to hlm that Dreyfus was not the
on had since been confirmed, because it
vas now proved the bordereau was the
work OF Esterbazy. [Sensation.l
Replying to the court, NJ. Colbert sug-
rested that the judges compare the bor-
lereau with u letter admitted to be III
ssterhazy's handwriting and dated
rom Rouen, Aug. II, 1884, and with
documents written by the prisoner.
"You will then Enthusiastically recog-
lize," Nj. Colbert added, "that the bor-
reau is i'll Esterhazy's handwriting and |
Iot i'll the handwriting of Dreyfus."
Great sensation. The witness ut this |
unctrre identified the borderauu us the |
anne Which was submitted to him and |
Ie proceeded to point out tine identity |
f letters therein with letters in dOcu. |
nents admittedly written by Esterhazy, |
aying that while the resemblance was |
lot apparent in Dreyfus' handwriting
Il EsterhaZy's s there were marked pecu- |
arities of punctuation and the manner |
t beginning the lines, which were also |
i'll the bordereau, but which
ierc 10; found i'll the prisoners calig- |
Apply.
Proceeding, the witness traversed the
Id ground of the peculiarities of the
racing paper which it is known Ester
azy used and said the date of the bor-
ereau must be July "a, 1894.
General Gonse asked permission to
uestion NJ. Colbert and said:
In what army list did you look for
he name of Dreyfus?"
NJ. Gobert-I used the list which is
enerally kept Ill business houses.
The general pointed out that this list
id not give the information claimed
v NJ. Colbert. But the latter main-
llned that he had stated nothing but
ne pure and simple truth.
General Gonse having alluded to GER
,in undesirable ocuuaintances formed