St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-09-18
ParnelliteS and the London
Times on the Judicial
Rack.
First Session Of the Commits
sion Which Will Sift the
Charges.
Both Sides Profess to Be Salts
fed With the Primary
Bout.
The Widest Scope Will Be
Given to the In
CURRY.

LONDON, Sept. 1.-THE commission
appointed by parliament to examine into
the charges made by the Times against
Mr.. Parnell and other Irish members of
the house of commons opened its first
session at IL o'clock this morning in the
! probate court. Owing to the limited
size of the court room, it was impossible
to admit more than a select few of the
public. Representatives of the press
occupied the bulk of the space, 200 re-
porters. representing provincial, Lon
don and American newspapers, having
obtained tickets of admission. Judges
Hammer, Smith and Day, who COM
| pose the commission, entered the
! court room precisely at II o'clock.
Sir Charles Russell and Herbert Asquit,
| Liberal member of parliament for the
Eastern division of Fife, appeared for
| the Parnellites. and Mr.. Ruegg watched
| the case for O'DOnnell. Judge Hau-
non said the circumstances under which
the commission met were novel. He
stated briefly the scope and nature of
| the principles on which the commission
| proposed to conduct the inquiry. The
commission, he said, was directed to in
quIre into the report upon charges
| made against certain members of the
house of commons and other
persons in connection with the
U'DOnnell-Times action. The COM
mission held that the inquiry
should be restricted to the charges that
! were made the cause of that action.
Parliament also gave them, in addition
to their specia! powers, all the
Unctn6 in jn6nnG nf the
high courts of justice. They pro-
posed, in the first instance, to make
the inquiry as though it were an issue
between Mr.. O'DOnnell and the Times,
reserving to themselves the power to
call anybody who might be able to
throw light on the issues therein in
volved. The inquiry would be carried
on insacc0rdance with the rules of the
ordinary courts. Before proceeding,
Judge Hammer asked Sir Charles
. Russell for whom he appeared.
Sir Charles replied that he rep
resented eighty-four Irish.~s-m em-,
bers of parliament. Mr.. Graham said
he was retained, with Attorney General
was made for permission for the repre-
sentatiOn of Scotland Yard by counsel.
Judge Hammer said he would decide
upon the application if it were found
that the inquiry involved the police.
Sir Charles Russell demanded that he
be allowed to inspect the letters and
photographs bearing on the case, and
that the commission issue an order for
the discovery of the dOcument;upon the
authority of which some of the Times
charges were made. He asked that
commission be appointed to take evil
dence in the United States, and that an
order be issued releasing Mr.. Dillon
from Jail, so he may give testimony be-
fore the commission. He wanted
especially to see the Egan-Harris letter,
which he claimed was a forgery. Coun-
sci for the Times agreed to
produce certain letters, but object to
the commission issuing an order
for the discovery of the documents
Mr.. Parnell entered the court room
while the discussion concerning the
production of the letters was proceed
ing. Sir Charles Russell said he did not
confine his application to two letters.
He wanted to inspect all the letters and
documents referred to in the articles on
"ParnelliSm and Crime" Judge Han
nen stated that he had not read them,
and said that counsel must inform the
court what were necessary, so as to
guide them. Sir Charles stated to the
charges published in the Times
was that certain Parnellite members
of the house of commons were con-
nected with an Illegal association, and
were SharerS in the crime of murder.
One alleged proof of this charge was a
letter in which Mr.. Parnell approved of |
a fund-meaning an assassination fund. |
Judge Hannen said he understood that |
the Times would produce all the letters
and documents affecting Mr.. Parnell |
and the others against whom it brought |
charges. If the parties could not agree |
as to the production of the papers, the |
commission would deal with the dis |
puted points i'll chambers afterwards. |
the Times. After a review of the |
history of the ''Parnellism and |
Crime'' articles, he said it was now
asked that the Times should state |
whence it had derived it's information, |
bat if it divulged its sources of inform |
alton, the object of the commission |
might be defeated and its inquisitOrial |
character lost. Sir Charles Russell here
insisted that the case should not pro-
coed until the commission decided the |
question as to the production of all the
documents i'll possession of the Times.
The judges adjourned to chambers to
IL ~
commission returned to the court room
and Judge Hammer asked, assuming the
commission thought they had jurisdic-
ton to order the discovery of the docu-
mentS, what restrictions Sir Charles
Russell would claim. Sir Charles
stated that he wanted to know in plain
language if the Times charged Nr. Par
nell or his associates with completely in
the Phoenix Park murders. Mr.. Ora
ham replied that the Times would pro-
duce evidence to substantiate all the
charges it had made in its articles on
and Crime"
The commission again retired to DELHI
crate. Upon resnming the sitting,
Judge Hammer said that the commission
having considered the question as to
whether it was empowered to order the
discovery of the documents, it was of
the opinion that it had the power to
direct such discovery. The commission
would take upon itself the right to con-
slider what documents it would be right
for Sir Charles RusSell's clients to in
spect. The court thought that the de-
tails against the persons the Times ac-
cused ought to be given. The court had
determined to enter thoroughly into
the inquiry and follow it out
to the end. Sir Charles Russell
made application for the release of Mr..
Dillon on bail, in order that he might
appear before the commission. MI.
Graham, for the Times, made no OBJ
lection to the granting of the applica-
ton. He said that two persons now in
penal servitude for connection with the