The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1899-08-29
HANDWRITING EXPERTS.

1AoAO LAY TOR 1nem IN the Oroytus
Courtmartial.
RENNEs. Aug. 29.-General Mercier
was present as usual in the front row
of witnesses seats when the fourth
week Of the second courtmartial of
Captain Dreyfus was begun.
NJ. Jaufray-Laval, the draughtsman,
whose testimony was begun Saturday,
continued with the aid of a bla ckboard
his refutation of the argument of NJ.
Bertillon.
In brief, the mornings session may
be said to have been a field day for the
handwriting experts, who devoted
themselves to demolishing one another's
evidence. The public followed the de-
positions listlessly, but the judges and
counsel listened with the greatest atten-
ton.
General Mercier did not seem to be
very cheerful. He hardly said q word
to General Gonse the whole morning.
but during the brief suspension Of the
courts sitting he and Generals Gonse
and Roget walked up and down the
court yard of the Lycee, engaged in con-
versation.
General Boisdeffre was not present in
court. He has been absent for the past
few sessions and it is rumored here that
he is DESTROYS of leaving the sinking
ship OF the general staff.
Ere ystastter's Levee.
The center of interest in the court
yard was Captain Freystaeter of the
marine infantry, who testified so favor.
ably to Dreyfus on Saturday, and who,
seemingly, gave the lie to Colonel
Maurel, who was president of the court.
martial of 1894, in a most important
feature of the latter's evidence. The
captain, dressed in a blue-black tunic,
indigo blue trousers, and wearing his
five decorations, held a veritable recep.
ton of his friends, who pressed around
him and shook his hand. These friends,
however, were all civilians. Not a sin.
gle uniformed officer spoke to him.
which is the first fruit of his f~rankness
and a clear indication Of the determine.
ton of the military clique to ostracize
him.
When the two first witnesses had ties.
titled and argued against NJ. Bertillcn's
system, it was the opinion of the SYM.
pathizers OF Dreyfus, that if the state.
ments of the witnesses were correct
they had simply pulverlzed NJ. BERTH.
Ion. The latter wished to reply. but
the president of the court, Colonel
Jouaust, declined to allow the special.
ist to go over his evidence again, taking
the ground that the evidence would
end if every expert did the same,
An omusing scene followed. NJ. Der.
tillon pleaded that he had a personal
statement to make, and mounted the
platform. But he had hardly uttered
half a dozen words when Colonel
Jouaust saw he was merely r~egrinding
his evidence, and to the satisfaction of
the audience, CURLY told the specialist
to leave the platform, which he did dis.
committed.
Confessed He Had Made an Error
NJ. Tessonier's testimony against
Dreyfus followed and then NJ. Carayay.
the expert who had previously declared
Dreyfus was the author of the borde.
reau, was called to the bar. His testi.
mony proved to be of the greatest inter.
est, as he came to confess that he had
made an error, and came to say that
he was now convinced that Esterhazv
and not Dreyfus wrote the borderean.
This announcement made a deep i'm.
preston on the court and was preeted
with a general murmur of satisfaction.
The next expert, M. Pelletier. also
testified favorably to Dreyfus.
M. Couard, another expert. then de.
posed that, as the result of his examina.
ton he had become convinced that the
Dordereau was not written by
Esterhazy, but he could not saw
it was written by Captain Dreyfus.
because he had not seer the prisoners
handwriting. This witness kent the
court in a continual roar Of laughter by
the extraordinary m%odulations Of his
voice, misplaced emphasis and gestures.
The final witness, M. Varienand
maintained the declaration he had
made before the court of cessation, that
the bordereau was not written bv Es. |
terhazy. Colonel Jouaust then an.
nounced that NJ. De F%reycinet, who re-.
signed as minister of war. May = of the
present year, and who was succeeded
by M. Krantz, who in turn was snc.
ceeded by General, the Marquis de Gal. t
lifet. on the downfall of the Dupuy
ministry, would be among the wit |
nesses at the next session, and the see-
sion was closed with the request that .
rogatOry committee be sent to Colonel
Du Patty de Clam. whose illness pre.
vents his attendance in court, to which
Colonel Jouaust agreed.