The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-09-09


sary before the case could he taken up
by the court Of cessation. To-day, Il
la for the public prosecutor 10 prove his
guilt. Let no one hlame US, therefore,
II we have not proved the innocence OF
our client. Tho task was mot incum-
bent upon US. It Is for the government
commissioner to show he Is guilty OF
the abomlnable crime imputed to him."
NJ. Demange then protested against
the suggestion that II had been at
tempted to put Esterhazy on trial. exc
planning that oil the defenGe desired
was that the Innocence OF Dreyfua
should appear, dazzling and complete,
and that the court martial should pro-
claim II. Counsel was satisfied that
the judges OF 1894 were honest, like the
present judges. But II the former
had seen Esterhazy's handwriting, they
would have pronounced a different ver-
dict.
Counsel then entered into details,
dealing with the information collected
regarding the prisoner In 1884, He
said:
'The only real information ls that
found In the cries from his soul. Even
before his conviction, what was his first
~ will not take my life, because !
am innocent"
NJ. Demange dilated upon the prlSon-
ers increasing protestatlons Of inno-
cence and his touching letters to his
family, explaining:
I'm them you see his soul, which
speaks. Alone In his tomb he COM
munes with himself. He cherlshes the
hope OF seeing his innocence acknowl-
edged"
Among the letters Of Dreyfus read by
NJ Demange was one IN which. after as
sertlng his Innocence and declaring he
always served the tFicOlor with devotion
and honor, the prisoner complained that
he was treated on DEVILS island like an
ordinary convict. 1t concludes with the
words:
II wish to live"
"That Is soldiers soul. exclaimed
NJ. Demange. And II y that man you
call a traitor. That iS the man who in
your presence restraints his sobs and
his emOtl sls. All. gentlemen, would
rather defend guilty men who are cleV-
er dlssemblers than an innocent man
who Is too sincere"
other letters OF the prisoner were
read, all breathing the same desire to
live to see his honor restored, though
the writer was broken down IN health
and spirit.
One letter, written in 1881 appeals to
General De Bolsdeilre to lend mis- gen
erous aid In securing for the writer
restoration to the liberty OF which ne
had been robbed.
His Hopeless Cry.
Writing to his brother, the prisoner
said: while one or more scoundrels
are walking free, 1t would be a happy
release for me to die, but It would be Q
dIsVrnce to Lucille and my children"
In this letter the writer urged his
brother to fnd the culprits while care
fully protecting the interests OF the
country.
man?" asked NJ. Demange adding:
'iYet, though General De Bolsde1re re-
ceIved the letter, he did not Forward II
to MatthIeu Dreyfus."
'iFlye ministers OF war" said NJ De-
mango, pronounced Dreyfus guilty
while admitting that It was impossible
TO produce proofs. Gen. de Boisdeftre,
Gen. GOnse and Gen. Roget also athrm-
ed their belief In his guilt. But, happi-
ly, they stated reasons and, Instead OF
proofs, they only accumulated pre-
sumptlOns."
After pointing out that the generals
only studied the case at the very mo-
ment when public alteration had re-
duced the whole question to cOnhlct
between Dreyfus and The army, thus
making It Impossible that the generals
should not be prejudlced, and proba-
bilities and presumptlons seemed 10
them to be proofs. n. Demnnge said:
"I must acknowledge, however, the
honesty and honorable conduct OF the
generals who could not have acted 9TH
erwlse than they have done"
Counsel then paid an eloquent triD-
ute to the "hOnesty OF purpose" mani
tested by the generals.
Dealing next with the confessions
counsel read the report OF Captain Le-
brun Renault, OF the republican guard
who had the prisoner in custody prevl-
Gus TO his degradation and maintained
That the exact words Of Dreyfus, which
were not known, only reflected ideas
Col. Du Patty de Clam had previously
expressed to the prisoner. adding that
although Du Patty de Clam maintained
tho contrary It was certain Imagination
had played much greater part than
reason In the acts of Du Patty de Clam.
II WINS also significant that the report
drawn up by Du Patty de Clam the day
following his. Interview with Dreyfus,
had disappeared. Du Patty de Clam,
counsel pointed out, had evidently for
gotten his remarks to DreyfusI as he
had forgotten other facts,
NJ. Demange said he was surprised at
the attitude OF General Gonse towards
the alleged confessions and mNrveled
nj the fact that Captain Lebrun-Re-
nault who was sent to the Elysee pal
ace expressly to repeat the confession.
dId not mention them. 1t was likewise
inexplIcable that Gen, Sausier and Gen.
NercIer took no steps to verify the So
called confessions. which were lost sight
Of until NJ. CaVaignac sprung them on
the chamber OF deputies as proof OF the
guilt OF DreyfuS. The court OF cussa-
tIon had Justly decided that they were
not confessions.
The Secret DOssicr.
Proceeding to discuss the secret dos
gIer. NJ. Demange examined the docu-
ments one after the other. He said
tbat nil interpretations OF the document
commencing doubt proofs" were hy-
nothetical: but they applied much more
easily to Esterhazy than 10 Dreytus' II
yns SO with the other documents.
There was nothing to indicate that
DTeyfus was concerned any more than
any one else. The leakage Inscribed 10
DTeyfus could only refer to the plans OF
fortresses. and this leakage continued
until 1897. 49,. -.
"Cette canallle de D." only Indicated
noor devil and could not be aseribed to
y mnn whom another letter described
as n friend in the second bureau. No
cTedcnce could be attached to some OF
Tho documents, while others did not
Apply at nil TO the prisoner.
THE sixth docUmcnt was letter writ
ton by Count Won Munster Ledenburg.
the German Ambassador to France from
Germany TO Col. Schwarzkoppen. the
r,iiItnry nttache of Germany at Paris,
nnntnInIng the words, "As to Dreyfus,
we are easy" NJ. Demange pointed out