The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-09-08

| ing that he NJ Regis intends to pre-
serve the greatest calm. but adding that
| If an attempt is made to arrest him he
win resist.
| The detailed proceedings follow:--Amid
| intense silence and the cynosure of every
eye Maitre Demange shortly after the
| opening of the proceedings of the Dreyfus
court martial today, rose to make
| speech for the defense. HIS opening re-
mark seemed to meet with approval
However solemn, he declared, the
occasion may be. I must at the outset
protest with all my soul against the allie
cation which one of the witnesses did not
shrink from uttering. This witness did
not hesitate to declare that whoever adj
vocated the revision of this case, that IS
to say, whoever believed in the innocense
of Dreyfus, was working against the
Army and against the country. l here
declare that he does not know me and
| that he does not know Maitre Labor1
Neither Labori nor myself would be here
| if these statements were true. Let me
| tell you simply this:-
The day on which, amid the shock of
furious political passions saw let loose
over our country this tempest of mad
ness. when 1 saw everything l had learn
ed to revere and love since childhood inn
perilled, I, a Frenchman, the son OF a
soldier, endured every torture When l
turn my eyes towards Devils Island,
where was buried alive one who. from
the bottom of my heart, believe to be
martyr, l began to wonder II divine
Justice had not abandoned him. Since
then have recovered have hardened
to the voice of my conscience and have
| pursued an undertaking course, free from
anger or passion, not needing hatred or
| prejudice 1 have done my duty. You
will do yours, which is to meet out JUS
tice.
Continuing, NJ Demange said he wished
to clearly define the prisoners position.
saying
sWhen the case of the revision began,
Dreyfus was a convict and serious pre-
sunptions of his innocence were neces-
sary before the case could be taken up
by the Court OF Cessation. Iooay, . II bis 70
euilt Let no one blame US, therefore,
# we have not proved the innocence OF
our client. The task was not lncuilpens 1,li
upon u.s. 1t is for the Government Com
missioner TO show he IS guilty ol lhe
abominable crime imputed to him ~.
NJ Demange then protested agaInsI lIe te
sugg estion that it had been attempted 70
put Esterhazy on trial. explaining az
ttb tbe defense desired was that the inno-
cence of Dreyfus should appear, dazziihs
tiaI should complain it. CounSei was
satisfied that the Judges of 1894 were
honest, like the present judges, bua y
The former had seen Esterhazy,s manu-
writing they would have pronounced
different verdict - sa4a,is aeal-
ing with the inform;atl9o9aa, 99a, coLlesseGd
ssT,he only real information IS tnat
found in the words cried from his soul.
Even before his conviction, what was ms
- = i win not take my life. because am
NJ, Denange dilated upon the prisoners 8
increasing protestations Of innocence anu apl
claiming
IN them you see his soul. which speaks.
Alone in his tomb ne &c eomneff hnne ef seeing Mh9
his innocence acknowledged
Among the letters of Dreyfus read by
M. Demange was one IN which, after as
serting his innocence and declaring he al
ways served his trieolor nag with deVo-
tion and honor, the prisoner complalneq
that he was treated on Devil Island
like an ordinary convict. 1t concluoeS--
That is soldiers SOUL" exclaimed NJ:
Demange, and it is that man you call
a traitor That is the man who in your
presence restraints his sobs and his emo
..Ah, gentlemen, / would rather defend
! guilty men who are clever dlssemplers
| than an innocent man VINO is TOO SIN
other letters of the prisoner were. read,
/ all breathing the same desire to i've 70
/ see his honor restored though the writer
! was broken down in health and spirit.
One Letter, written in 1884, appeals to
| General de Boisdeffre to lend his gener-
| Gus aid in securing for the writer restor-
alton of his liberty. of which he had been
Writing to his brother, the prisoner
said
while one or more scoundrels are
| walking free it would be a happy release
for me to die. But 1t would be a dis
grace to Lucille and my children
| The letter continues with urging his
brother to find the culprits, while care
fully protecting the interests OF the coun-
try. $1,000.
man2'' asked M. Demange, adding, Yet.
though General de Boisdeffre received the
| letter he did not forward it to Matthieu
Dreyfus- - W.. .o,,o,,nooa
Dreyfus guilty. while admitting 1t was i'm
possible to produce proofs. General DE
Roget also affirmed their belief IN MS
| guilt But, happily, they stated no rea-
sons and, instead Of proofs, only aceumu-
| lated presumptions.
After pointing out that the Generals
| only studied the case at the very moment
| when public ALTERATION had reduced the
| whole question to a conflict between Drey-
fus and the army thus making 1t inn
! possible that the Generals should not be
| prejudiced and possibilities and presump-
| tions seemed TO them to be proofs, M.
Y Dernange said: -
Il must acknowledge. however, the
| honesty and honorable conduct of the
Generals, who could not have acted-other-
| wise than they had done"
| Counsel then paid an eloquent tribute
to the honesty of purpose manifested
lby tho Generals.
counsel read the report of Captain Lee
IRanault of the Republican Guard
who had the prisoner in custody previous
! to his degradation, and maintained that
the exact words of Dreyfus, which were
now known, only reflected the ideas OF
/ Colonel Paty du Clam had previously ex-
pressed to the prisoner, adding that al
| though du Patty de Clam maintained the
contrary it was certain imagination had
played a much greater part than reason
in the acts of du Patty de Clam 1t was
also significant that the report drawn VI
by du Patty de Clam on the day follow
ing his interview with Dreyfus had dis
| appeared Du Patty de Clam, counse
pointed out, had evidently forgotten his
remarks to Dreyfus, as ne had forgotter
other facts.
| M. Demange said he was surprised al
the attitude of General Gonse towards
the alleged confessions and marvelled al
the fact that Captain Lebrun-R Renault
who was sent to the Elysee Palace ex.
pressly to repeat the confessions, did moi
mention them. 1t was likewise inexplica,
Bile that General Saussier and Genera
MercIer took no steps to verify the so.
called confessions which were lost sigh
of until M. Cavaignac sprung them upor
the Chamber of Deputies as proof OF the