The court gave its consent, and M. Labori put this question to General de Pellieux: “Will you explain your statement that the fac-simile ‘Matin’ was a forgery?”
General de Pellieux.—“I maintain that among the fac-similes reproduced by the journals there are some that singularly resemble forgeries.”
M. Paul Meyer.—“But what interest had ‘Le Matin’ in committing a forgery in 1896, when nobody was thinking of Major Esterhazy?”
General de Pellieux.—“I have always said that the reproduction made by ‘Le Matin’ was the least imperfect of all. It is not the same with the fac-similes that have appeared in certain pamphlets.”
M. Meyer.—“I have made no use of those. But the resemblance, according to ‘Le Matin’s’ fac-simile, between Major Esterhazy’s writing and the writing of the bordereau is undeniable.”
General de Pellieux.—“You have never seen the original of the bordereau.”
M. Meyer.—“I have seen the ‘Matin’ fac-simile, the fidelity of which has been admitted by M. Bertillon. That is sufficient for me. No one called your word in question, my general, but you are lacking in the power of observation. As for your experts, you perhaps will permit me to say that I do not consider myself beneath them in point of intelligence. The president of the civil court asks me to select most of them. Do you think that, if I had selected myself, he would have blackballed me? I prefer an expert examination made by myself from a fac-simile, to an expert examination made from an original by people whom I do not know.”
M. Meyer then asked General de Pellieux to procure for him at least the original photographs of the bordereau.
General de Pellieux.—“Oh! I would like nothing better, and I regret that the reports of the Esterhazy experts cannot be brought here and discussed. I was absolutely opposed to closed doors. They were declared in spite of me, but I have no right to violate them.”
M. Labori.—“But certainly somebody has a right to authorize this production. Let the order be given, and the light will stream forth. Oh! we have made some progress in the last week. Here we are, almost in agreement. If this trial goes on, we shall all walk out of here like honest people, arm in arm. It will be admitted that there has been only an immense misunderstanding between us, and that nothing is easier than to honestly repair a judicial error involuntarily committed. Well, my general, do what we ask. Get the minister of war to produce the bordereau. Pray him to show us this bit of transparent paper which is so securely locked up in his department, and let everybody see it. If it were not that certain minds are anchored in a blind obstinacy, we should soon see that in this whole matter there is not wherewith to whip a cat. It is a great pity that M. Couard is not here. It would be a pleasure to witness a discussion between him and M. Meyer, his former professor in the Ecole des Chartes.”