The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-08-29

I habit Of using in documents of the
l war office, NJ. Demange asked how the
| witness accounted for this, and the spe-
! cialist explained with some confusion,
| that it was a necessary counterpart Of
| the precautions taken by the prisoner
| when he wrote the bordereau, "in order
| to make out that he was the victim Of
I a plot" (Sensation.)
| M. Labori asked M. Bertillon how he
| reconciled the result of the present ex-
| periments; namely, that the bordereau
| was written by Dreyfus tracing Ester
| hazey's handwriting, with his opinion
in 1894 that the bordereau was written
by Dreyfus, unless it had been most
| carefully forged.
| To this NJ. Bertillon replied that it
| was only hypothesis. Hereupon M. La
| bOri remarked that the forgery was
| then of such nature as to constitute
| proof in favor of Dreyfus, "yet, today,
it is made proof against him.
Continuing, counsel said: Since the
| witness admits EsterhaZey has written
by the same mathematical methods as
| Dreyfus, why has he attributed the
| bordereau to Dreyfus rather than to
| EsterhaZey?"
| M. Bertillon-It was on Dreyfus'
| blotting pad that the key word inter
est was found and Esterhazey might
| have had access to this word.
M. Labori-Does M. Bertillon admit
that Esterhazey is a traitor?"
Colonel JOuauSt refused to put the
question to the witness. (Sensation.)
| M. Labori, continuing his questions,
| asked NJ. Bertillon's opinion as to what
system of defence might have been
| employed by the writer of the bor-
dereau if the document had been found
| by him?
The witness, in a confused and al
most inaudible tone, declared the pris-
oner would then have maintained the
document was forgery and would
| have adduced it as proof Of a plot.
Replying to further questions, M.
Bertillon admitted he had discovered
| in EsterhaZey's writing peculiarities
! similar to those in the bordereau.
After short incidental discussion of
| the Weyl forgery which, it was be-
lieved, was perpetrated by order Of the
prefect of police, Colonel Jouaust ask
ed the prisoner if he had anything to
say in reply to the witness, and the at
| tentiOn of those present was Immediate
! ly riveted to Dreyfus, who explained
how the exclamation ooh, the wretch!"
| escaped his lips. M Bertillon," the
prisoner said, was constantly turning
| to me while testifying and calling me
| the guilty man. I retorted wretch to
him. These are the circumstances un-
! der which 1 uttered the word. I have
nothing to reply to the deposition OF
the witness. But there is one thing Of
| which l am absolutely sure and that is
that I am not the writer Of the bor-
dereau"
Referring to his papers which were
seized at the war office, Dreyfus said
| it would not be strange to see notes
written by officers altered
| Referring to the so-called "blotting
pad paper Dreyfus said: This letter
is perfectly genuine. Madame Dreyfus
can testify to that point. No one here
will doubt the word of Madame Drew
fus, and you, gentlemen, less than any
one," he added, looking steadily at the
judges.
After brief adjournment, the gov.
ernment commissary, Major Carriere
called upon Captain Valerie, of the ar
Itillery, to explain M. Bertillon's system
and to give an opinion on the subject
The captain said he thought M. Bertil.
Ions evidence might be summarized
into a sentence: 1.-The bordereau was
doctored and the document fabricated
by means of secret writing or writing
| with a key, the word interest being
found on the plotting pad letter ar
tributed to Matthew Dreyfus. ''The
SYSTEM continued the captain, "was
| evidently devised to offer the prisoner
two means of escape. Either he would
deny being the author of the bordereau
by pointing to the difference of the
handwriting, or he would contend it was
a plot, by showing the documents were
traced over his writings
Captain Valerie attempted to prove
his hypothesis by traversing practical
ly the same ground as already labori-
ously covered by M. Bertillon.
MAUREL AND FREYSTAETTER
| CONFRONTED.
Major Carriere asked the court to
| Cov -,
| Freystaetter
| AS Captain Freystaetter, his breast
iglittering with decorations, advanced
with firm step and an air Of energy
he created good impression. He de.
posed, saying:
OF 1894. My belief in the prisoners
guilt was due to the evidence of ex-
perts and Colonel Henry and Colonel
du Patty de Clam. 1 should say it was
strengthened by the reading of docu-
ments which were communicated to US
the judges, in a private room. (Great
sensation). The secret dossier con
tanned: a. A biographical dossier
imputing to Dreyfus acts of treason
committed at the polytechnic school al
Bourges, at the military college. and
while on the headquarters staff. (2.)
The document known as the fCette dc
ID document. (3) A letter which
handwriting. proved the genuineness OF
the Cette Canaille de D. documen,
and which was called the 'd'Avignon
letter. (Cries of "Oh!'). (4) A tele.
gram from a foreign military attachee
very distinctly asseverating the prison.
l er's guilt"
I This created a sensation and lively
interruptions followed this statement
This telegram, if remember right.
Jly," continued Captain Freystaetter