THE DREYFUS CASE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2302, 14 April 1898, Page 8

THE DREYFUS CASE.

5 - | ZOLA. TO BE AGAIN PHOSE- | OUTED.

Paius, April 0. ai. So".a will be prosecuted by coait-martial. His (••sj.ailsion from the Legion of Honour has been demanded.

THE CLOSING SCENES. The London correspondent of the Argus, under date Febiuary 25, gives the follow!^ particulars of the extraordinary closing icenee of the notorious trial of M. Zpl* :fr * The 1 Zola trial m&inUined Its dramatic character to the' last, and ended, as everybody ' expected, in M. Zola's condemnation. Prom the very beginning the case has been a shameful bntlotiqae of justice, ana i*. has concluded is c, vi ••<■»• i-i've b'-nt-'JCF, one hewi«Bfc that cou j be jiifii.-.t-d, "I'a&b scjlrai 1^ may receive the i.pp;"ival o£ tha aimy, wJ.o hin, yecn led to believe that M. Zola ay^ck.^': thtui ; it is sure to bs appreciated by th.-, widening circle of anbiSemites. &r:d the turbulent clashes of Paris, but outsid? France — iv England, Germ -\y, Russia, and Italy, in fact everywhere — there is a feeling of l'ity, tiub unmixed witu contempt, for the sorry Rpe.ctaelee'wbi'ch IjJarope.hsis witnessed. M. Zola's thunderous charges <?S»l]eDgrl tha Dreyfus case 1 as' well" ss ttie EAsrliszy farial. X Dreyfus, he said, hadrbeen ilteg»jliy condemned, and the trial of Msjor'Estcrhazy Smd^baen a Sham, or, if i!s was not » shun?, it w%6 intended *to hide the origin&l blender involved io the Dreyfus trial. la older t\i correct the illegalities of which the Dreyfus couririnMbiai hs-$ b»en guilty, and to shub out al! that was possible regarding the Drejfus tt?a!, the M'.rJaf.vy restricted the Zola prosecution io the lEMerhuzy case. Responding to the Miaisf.eml desire, the president of the courb refused to permit aoytbing to be said on the defendant's behalf respecting tho Dreyfus case. xv»r would he permit the secret part of the E *«<■■» opsy trial bo be investigated. But, in addil'oii to thi*, he showed Btill greater bia3 by permitting Ihe military witnesses to talk aVju>- Drr-yf us if tbey liked, encouraged their s-^iggst 1 ' aud blusbtr,' and he himself bullied Z^H's witness?*!. Two of the witnesses, General IMHenx and Boisdeffre, put the army above the law. Geuei'*l Boisdeffro was permitted to dtclare that if Zola ' was acquitted the general s-tsff would .resign. According to tl'e*e worthies, • Dceyfus was a t-.aicor rightly cwivics**?, and ye 4 . General Mercier was compelled, under the brilliant cross-examinatif n oi Maitre Lsbori, to admit there wan a Btcret document which neither Dreyfus nor couneelhad seen. According ta the judgment of the raostt unprejudiced peopls, that admission alone wan a" crmple f o justification of Zolfe's charge th-.t Dreyfus bevd fceeu iliegaPy convicted. GEVEttAI- BOISDEFFHR IN THE BOX. Generfl B.jis-deffre appeared Iv the witness box to Rpeik upon the note which the War Office received aftr-r Dreyfus's cotiviction,' which w.aa deemed full pro-jf of D.-eyfos's guilt, i The geDfcral did aob describe thi3 missiva «cy I more cltatly than G-rieral PeUleas had done ou ; the prcrv-ieu** day. H* s?.ul : " I eontJrrn every • p Ant of tb« *.??.p-c«jS;ioj> of Geiiat.v.l lVi'.te-ix. iS ha,w. not auofchiM 1 *tuv& to sty. You j.;rymen are the Lotion. If' Vvq nation has nof'c'aafidenca ia th? oii^efa at {.ho bead of the army, they su'O r*,ar]y to l?.av<r- the <a*»k to others." The President (to G<-:aocal BnlstUff.e) : You •si-Ay now w'thdiaw. Maitre L»bori dat'ord the right to cr;>6BLzainiiie. b'lL th* «iJ'«sMen4-r^^iis^d iiiii pern;ii«sicn, ami an angry rechokalion followed, vuhemeat prct^if btiajf mado from' the p'?bl. : c galleriss »g.i3Ußt- IvlwiJire Ltbori'ss demand. Th« sitting was suspendi-d, and a.s those who had bean ia t.hfl court ru*hsd into the lobbies, loud cnes of "Viva l'armeo" wera raised. At this ! stage a remarkable incH-Hi oocurrsd, which ha^ > caused considftr&ble comment Someone vc-u- : tnt?A to stout " Vive !a. Bdpvibi'que." Tw. was j follo«red-br ooberfl, bubthecrowJ knorked ttu'in i rlicuj and drowned their voices in aery of " Viva I'arroee," thus setting the army above tlic RppubHc. "THE HONOUR ASD SECURITY OF THE COUNTRY " WiHii ti'« s'tt'j'g iva? rwrißsoS Major E-:tcr-i:ssj wm put into ike box. He faced Mm jury, i with his back tarucd dkilainfully ou Mai tie L?,bori. The latter anked him question after quer-lion for a full hour, covering .the entire past of hia shady life. Tbe reading 01 the luckless letters, full of hatred against the Fieach army, wherein Msjor j S^lerhazy hoped "tbe brave Gesmans wculi ! c*j;os rc</re chsstiso tb.s Fivnrh cowards,'' cmseil S a «t»ep iir-prfSsion ; but Esf^rfe^zy stood the I oriu<iU jo sjlencjj. Wiien MMtr? L&boti a^.ked j Maj * Eaierhazy whe-thev he had had any j relations with the military atfcacbe' of the | Gtfman embassy ; whether he had had relations with s, foreign officer at Karieb&d ; or •whether he had visited the German embassy in uniform, the piesident displayed his usual ! pirsiality, for he. debarred the witness s'.jwb:- ! ing. Anotheo scsri^ followed between M*ifcre j La*>ou and the pre*ioenfc. " It is my right," said the brillianh advocate. "No," retorted the President, "there is | something higher — the honour and security of i the country." j Maitre Libori : " Then I will note that the i honour of the country allows a witness to do j wh.ib we reproach him «vioh doing and nofc to j say so." | When the court rose, "General Pellieux was I frantically cheered aa he left the hall. Major i Esterhazy wa3 greeted with cries of " Vive j I'armee," " Saluez la Victitne," "Death to the j Jews." Tue crowd bared their heads to him, I old men kissed him, and some young men, who i shouted " Vice la Repubh'que," were hustled and sbruck. Oae reporter, an Englishman, who looked like a Jew, was seized, amid crieß of " Down with the Jews. Away with him to the water." The police rescued him with great d'ffioulty. The mob then groaned for Zola, and eang the " Marseillaise." " THE MAN PICQUAET." On Saturday, Colonel Picquart was recalled, and referred to the shameful misstateraents published about him in the newspapers. He asked leave to call General Gallifett to testify on his behalf. The President : It is not worth while persisting in this. After a protest from Maitre Labor!, General Pellieux: was recalled, bub declined to answer any further questions, except with regard to the Zola affair. He said the strangest thing in the whole business was the attitude of " the man Picquai-t," who still wore the uniform of the army, but had come to the bar to accuse three general officers with having fabricated a document, and made use of forgery. General Picquarb, in reply, denied that he had impugned the good faith of the chiefs, though his judgment differed from theirs. A witness named Storck said he knew from a member of the Dreyfus court-martial that several secret documents were submitted to it. He could specify four of then?. The president would r>.v?& allow tUo mbufsa io srsseed. wi'/a

this matter, and a sharp collision bctiveea Haitre Labori t.ud the president resulted, and the attitude cf the l&tuer provolwd Maitra Labori to exclaim that he doubted whether ib would not be better for him to leave the court tuftn to allow h : iusfcif to be pinioned and gagged like this.

ADDRESSES FOR THE PROSECUTION.

On Monday the Advocate-general addressed the court for the prosecution. He was followed by M. Zola in his own defence. He contended that the Government wished to dictate to the jury the verdict they should return ; that the trial had been throughout on . his parb & desperate fight against the obstinate endeavour for darkness on the parb of the prosecution ; tta-i tha army had been dishonoured, nob by h;c;,,Srr'j by those who sought to identify it rrilh the cii-'fi.-atsationof Captain Dreyfus, an innocent rims, and the championship oS Major Beterhfrzy ; and that his own condemnation, iE Found sfuUfcy, would do .nobbing Jo restore (ho peart &nd public confidence, wuich could only be >?-,«<i.4b!ishFd by bhe A*r?.blisiiineut of the 5 uah, ... , zolas heplt. It is impossible to reproduce iv outline M. Zola's stirring address. Some idea of it, however, may be gathered from his scornful handling of Major Bsterhazy. He said :—"I: — "I leave history to judge of my act, which is a necessary one, bub I affirm that the army is dish.oiao-.ved_vvhaii gendarmes: >are allowed -to embrace M-ijoe-EsfcGrhazy after the abominable "letters written*. by him. • I affirra.thab bhose who dishonour that "greab national' army are those . who mingle the.c ries of 'Vive I'armee' with those of *A bas les Juives' and t ' Vive Eslerhazr. 7 Grand Dieu ! The people of St/Loui?, ol 3aysrd, of Conde arid Hoohe ; the" people which count hundreds of greab victories ; the ■aeoive of vue gteab wars of the Republic and of tbe Eco.nire : the people whose power, gr&ce, and gauetosiby have dazzled the world, crying ' Viva Es'erh?zy ' ! Ib is a shame, the stain of which our efforts on behalf of truth and justice c*n alone wash off. You know the legend which has grown up. They Bay that Caytai-1 Dreyfus was condemned justly 3.nd legally by heavenly-endowed, infallible <-Sscer«, it ■ i 3 impossible even ,to s<is;;ecs of a blunder without insulting the wh'ilp army. Captain ,Dreyfus expiates in intuited tormeats the' abominable blame, and as he is a Jew, a Jewish syndicate, we are told, is formed ; an international Sans P*trie syndicate disposing of huudredsof millions of francs, <ihfl object of which is to save the traitor ab any price, even by the most shameless intrigues. To tbi" end this syndicate has been heaping crima oa crime, buying consciences, casting France into » disastrous agitation, ready to sell her to aa enemy, willing even to .drive Europe to * general war, r >ther than renounce its terrible plan. It it imbecile, bub ib is with this poisoned bread th»t the unclean press has been nourishing • our poor people for months, and ib is nob •surprieir-g if .weare wibuessing a dangerous crisis, for when folly and lies are thus town broadcast, you ncc*?fj*«ariiy reap insanity." THE VERDICT AND SENTENCE.

Tuesday and part of Wednesday were devoted by Maitre Labori to bhe" close examination of the facSi of tbe ca.se. In tbe course o£ „one of h'S many brilliant passages Maitre La-bori t'ani, " A tln-ibie edifice has'been raised hj 'fchehooii 'and hypocrisy on tbe' parb of the s'w-Tg. Ler- them' not forgeb.th&t the name must txer-saferMl hi his';cry is- that of Pontius r.late," s-ncl. though ■ someone remarked '-• Judas," t^i? p'copl** rsuliser! tfee daring cornpar isou of the Rom in Prefect to the president of tbe caarf ft'cd the heads of the War Ot&cs. - An iaimbr.se bdrst of applause greeted the conciuMon of M*!i,"9 Labc-'i'a address, asd cheering was kept up for fully t-.ro minutes. Many of Ihe bar.'ißtei'j shook hands" wifeh the greab advocft.'^ , aad 3ff. Z la Vnaed him. The eoarL was fciieo rlfiSKd, aud in the crowd a miiit?Ty officer was heard to excUim, " Our cliiu's hurs been msulled. We are being sne-reff at arid v>":ovok«d." M',f;--:M ',f;--: 40 minutes the jury gays a verdict of " Guilty,." wUbont fxreuuating circumstances, agftjrisfc" both M. Zi\», a>J(i M. Parrsux, the priafcer of " A'^ro-r,'' i'.\ which M. Zola's letter appeared. | "Toe prftside'Jt tben io.fik-'.S'J «hfi he»avies6 imi pu?onanttDt which ihe law pr-rtcits upon M. Zolft— viz., 152 naraths, with a 3000 francs fine I s*n»i costs. Oc M. Pe:r*ux lie imposed a senLfe«..res"of fcr.r mtiothf-' iiarn-'soiiciflijt-, a fine of ; 3000 fm.M, ami c*:s.

HOW lEE VFHDKT WAS 3EO?HVED.

On tbe tiighb Afctr the trial had beau concluded thers was immense excHemeot in Pario. The mob cbeoml lbs army and shouted •' Down with the Jew?," "Down with Z 'la." There wpre a few broker: he&Jf, but Iher^ would ha7e b»<2ii wanv more t: ZAt. had been acquitted.

Ye*'.erdV-» Vie trial again came before fthe O »».uibi-r of Deputies in the shaps of complaints agiinsii Generals Psllisux and B-isdeffce for afejrepHng to o*«awe the jucy. M. Hubbard reminded the Chamber th^fc the principle of the Republican policy was that the army was subordinate to the civil power. M. Meliae, ths Premier, made a powerful speech, in deff-t.ee of the arm,", which was still the" respacrlal sovant o£ Ihe nation. Thoegb. General Boi*dr'ft'«s had used a stfiaorfladas phrase, the friends of Cap win Dreyfus -had given greab provocation. "After the jury'u decision no ons could now conduct in good faith the old crusade, and the law would have to be strictly enforced for the protection of the cammuniby. The French papers approve of the verdict, ' ftccoidiug to th&ir colour.