The Judge.--“Go ahead.”
M. Labori.--“I never before saw an assize court like this. All means
are sought here to prevent the light from being thrown on any point.”
The Judge.--“These are _your_ witnesses.”
M. Labori.--“Pardon me, these are not _our_ witnesses; they are
witnesses. M. du Paty de Clam is called because we wanted a complete
investigation, and, whenever we put a question, in the absence of a
good reason why it should not be answered, we are offered two bad
ones. When there has been a consideration of the matter behind closed
doors, they say: ‘We will not answer, because this occurred behind
closed doors.’ I say this to the jurors: Are you not as worthy to keep
a secret as French military officers? If closed doors are necessary,
let the doors be closed. We do not distrust you. Then they appeal to
professional secrecy. When that will not do, they invoke secrets of
State. And when they can invoke neither professional secrecy or secrets
of State or closed doors, they invoke private secrets. Consequently I
have no further questions to put to M. du Paty de Clam.”
_Testimony of Colonel Henry._
The next witness was Colonel Henry.
M. Labori.--“Will Colonel Henry tell us how far the facts related
in Major Ravary’s report are correct, and what documents Colonel
Picquart took from the files? Will Colonel Henry tell us whether that
report described correctly the scene that took place in his presence
in Colonel Picquart’s private office between M. Leblois and Colonel
Picquart, and what that scene really was?”
Colonel Henry.--“I was absent when the file was taken by Colonel
Picquart. I was on leave of absence, in August or September, 1896.
Colonel Picquart asked M. Gribelin for the file, and he gave it to him.”
The Judge.--“M. Gribelin made the same answer.”
Colonel Henry.--“M. Gribelin, the keeper of the archives, to whom I had
given the key of my closet,” ...