The Portland daily press., 1880-11-12

or. Then when the man was supposed to be
thoroughly informed, Birmingham bought his
ticket and sent him to this city, consigned to
the paper whose purposes he was designed to
serve. In the office Of this paper he was ques-
toned and given $40, with the promise of 300
more when his work was completed His tes-
timony, from beginning to end, was fabrica-
ton. When he arrived here he was registered
at French's Hotel under the name of Welch,
and in Cumberland he was registered as Muir
ray, so that he has had five names within
week.
O'Brien's statement, which was made public
in full to-day, shows he was brought to New
York to swear that he was Robert Lindsay;
that on the way he was drilled and instructed
in the part he was to play, and was given
copy of the Truth to study the letter; that he
was to have 800 and expenses; that he was
given money while testfying by Hart, and was
- ompanied by an employe of Truth all the
time. He was drilled one evening in the
Truth office about mines by Lawyer Howe and
about secret organizations, names of streets
IN L! mn, etc, by Post and Hart who prompted
him as to his answers to be made in Court. He
nav.r lived in Cumberland. and never knew
William II. Thompson. Was never in Ly n.
He never saw FL. l.. Morey, never saw the
original Morey letter until shown it in Court
and never heard of it until he saw printed
15pi Y1fk. o' IL A''e' ne iS'' Cumberland i0f Ne"
The grand jury to-day indicted O'Bren for
perjury. Morey will be used as States evil
dence and is detained as witness
MoREY TURNED OVER TO HIS UNCLE AND
o'BRIEN SENT TO THE ToMBs
AT the conclusion of the examination Morey
was returned to the custody of his uncle, with
orders to produce him this morning at 10
O'Clock, when his confession was read TO
him for his signature. O'Brien, as Lindsey,
according to his own story, should now be
called, was taken to the Tombs and handed
over to the temporary custody of Warden Finn
who locked him up. The following entry was
made on the blotter previous to his assignment
to his cell: "James O'Brien, alias Robert
Lindsey, % years old unmarried, residence
Georgetown. ID. c., occupation laborer; crime,
perjury" The prisoner said he was a base
into his confession by the fact that he was in a
very bad fix" Persons with whom "he had
entered into an agreement had failed to fulfill
it" and left him in lurch, out of which he
scarcely knew how to extricate himself. He
would not reveal the names of these persons
and was equally reticent as to whom he had
implicated.
MORE IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS COMING.
Other and more important confessions are
said to have been made and arrests are expect
60 tomorrow.
THE HISTORY OF THE PERJURY.
To understand the connection of William
M. Price with the confession of O'Brien, it
is necessary to refer back to election day, when
William II. Barnum, chairman of Democratic
signed Robert Lindsey" and setting forth the
same facts testified to by O'Brien in the Philip
trial, which he now says are false. Price is
chairman of the Democratic Central Commit
tee of Allegheny county, and sent these afi-
davits to Barnum. They were made before
O'Brien was taken to Cumberland at ALL and
were signed Robert Lindsey by man
named O'Connery, who was to come to this
city and testify under the name of Lindsey.
On the night before election O'Connery be-
came drunk and roamed about the saloons of
Cumberland, boasting of the atfidavits he had
signed. 1t was evident it would not do to send
such man here to testify, hence O'Brion was
obtained in Washington and substituted for
the original Lsndsey.. O'Brien says Hart gave
him $40 when he arrived here last Saturday
and promised him 800 when his work was
done and he started for home. In his confess
sion he admits that he never saw the atfidavits
signed "Robert Lindsey
In this connection the following despatch,
received yesterday by Col. H. j. johnson, post
master at Cumberland, Md, who is now at the
Fifth Avenue Hotel is importani. 1t is ssigned
by leading citizen of Cumberland:
CUMBERLAND. Md, Nov. TO-
1.-TWO wit tnesses here can identify the man
in the Tombs. They know his name.
They can also prove that Price sent the oon-
tents of the afidavts before they were made,
Also that the man in the Tombs is not the
man who made the affidavits."
DISCLAIMERS BY THE LAWYERS FOR THE
DEFENCE.
The lawyers for the defence all and several
II profess to wash their hands of any responsi-
billty for the inculpated witnesses, Morey aud
O'Brien. Gen. Roger A. Pryor said he never
saw either of the men before, or had any direct
or indirect communication with them until
they were put on the stand. He did not even
then examine them, but left that to the Tombs
lawyer in the case to whom it belonged.
Chas. w. Brooke, associate of Pryor, knows
no!hlng OF these two witnesses. In the ab-
sence of Hart's counsel his partner said !:
nothing whatever about these two witnesses
beyond The fact that they professed to have in
formation which would prove of beLeft to his
client. He put them on the stand, having first
informed himself of the general purport of
what they knew or professed to know for the
purpose of eliciting that information. O'Brien s
breakdown was as much surprise to him as
to anyone else. No criminal lawyer would put
such witness On the stand knowing that he
was about to fail so signally, as by SO doing he
would only iniure his own case."
THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE RE-
sPoNsIBLE.
Being asked who brought these men for
ward Ill the trst Instance, the lawyer said the
National Democratic Committee. There is no
use making any bones about that. The part
of the case relating to these two men, Morey
and O Brien, is from its inception the work of
the National Democratic Committee. O'Brien's
affidavit was originally made in Cumberland,
Md, one day before the election, at the in
stance of VIM M. Price, member of the
committee, who had heard of O'Brien's state
ment and suggested to him the advisability of
putting it in the form of an affidavit. AS to
Morey, be was discovered in Lynn by local
Democrats. who had interested themselves in
working up the case, and was brought to our
attention in that way. don't recall the names
OF the particular Democrats. There we're a
number, including several from this city, who
were up there at work on the case. AS for
Hart and his counsel, they are entirely inno-
cent OF any improperly in the matter. Indeed
Hart caused O'Brien to distinctly understand
before he gave his evidence that in so far as
he told the truth he (HarD would stand by
him, but that if he caught him lying he would
be one OF the first to urge his punishment
WHAT MR.. HEWITT SAYS.
The only members of the Democratic Ma
tionaf Committee in the city yesterday were
Abram S. Hewitt and VIM. L. Scott Neither
were anxious to be interviewed. Mr.. Hewitt
said he knew nothing beond what he had pre-
vi OuSly testified to in court. re had spoken
the whole truth and hoped to be relieved from
any further connection with the Chinese letter.
He had nothing to do with the trial. and was
not interested either way. He merely repeat
ed upon oath what he had said in public, that
rooms, and after examination he pronounced
it genuine. That was the only time to his
knowledge that the letter was discussed by the
committee. Mr.. Barnum might have taken an
active part in the defence, but he did not know.
William L. Scott of the Democratic Nation
al Committee sold the confession was an in
famous lie. The Democratic party had moth
ing to do with the defence of Philip. The
Democrats committee had sent for Morey be-
cause he claimed to have had an uncle by the
name of HI. L. Morey The committee was
bound to pa, Morey's expenses and might
have given $50 for that purpose.
DENY OF COURSE.
Sanborn who figures in Morey's narrative
was candidate for Presidential elector on the
Democratic ticket in Massachusetts,. He and
| Clark both deny that they offered Morey any
! inducements to testify falsely or that they
knew he was so testifying.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE HOTEL REGISTER.
Mills & Carter of the kirkland House,
| Lynn, make the following explanation: A
man claiming to be o. B. Wilson carried TO
| Mayor Prince of Boston letter signed, or
| purporting to be signed, by w. Fl. Barnum,
| Chairman of the National Democratic Com
mittee. in which Mayor Prince was re-
| ested to aid the bearer in procuring what he