The Monmouth Inquirer

French System of Trial Burlesqued.

The secrecy of the original Dreyfus trial was bad, and the semi-secrecy of the Esterhazy trial was worse. The public was permitted to know only of the evidence that looked black for Major Esterhazy, but the evidence on the strength of which he was acquitted and the guilt of Dreyfus practically reaffirmed, was kept secret. It is clear, however, that the case turns very largely on a question of handwriting and the chances for deception in this are notoriously great. It must be said that some of the inferences of the French tribunal on this subject were uncommonly like the reasoning in the famous trial in "Alice in Wonderland."

It will be remembered that there, too, a letter, containing a set of verses, was the chief thing:

"Are they in the prisoner's handwriting?" asked another of the jurymen.

"No, they're not," said the White Rabbit, "and that's the queerest thing about it." (The jury all looked puzzled.)

"He must have imitated somebody else's hand," said the King. (The jury all brightened up again.)

"Please your Majesty," said the Knave, "I didn't write it, and they can't prove I did; there's no name signed at the end."

"If you didn't sign it," said the King, "that only makes the matter worse. You must have meant some mischief, or else you'd have signed your name, like an honest man."

There was a general clapping of hands at this; it was the first really clever thing the King had said that day.

"That proves his guilt," said the Queen."--New York Evening Post.