Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-02-22
PLAUSIBLE PIGGOTT.
The Renegade Fenian Fur
nishes Further Facts.
LABOUCHERE AND LEWIS IN 1T
Witness Does Not Show Up to Ad-
vantage When Subjected to
CrOss-ExaminatiOn.


Cross Examination.
Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD.
LONDON, February q. Pgott was
again on the stand in the Parnell case
He testified that he had interviews will
Eugene Davis at Lausanne in January
1886, and pretended he (Piggott) wsl
wanted to write a pamphlet on the
League and desired to embody signed
documents. Davis declined to furnisf
the documents, saying that the Feniar
Brotherhood was bound to Parnell not tt
interfere with his plans till after certain
time. Finally Davis, for $1,000, fur
nished witness the principal facts, with
the understanding that they were to be
written, but not published till certain
time. Witness at once wrote out from
this information and gave it to Houston.
This was the statement read yesterday.
Subsequently in Paris a man named
Morris for e500 furnished witness the
documents which he had failed to get
from Davis. They were in bag and
consisted of five or six of Egan's letters,
some of Parnell's and some old &C.
counts. Witness read the letters and
made memorandum, but did not copy
them.
Pigott here identified six letters Of
Egan's and FIVE of ParnelPs, including a
letter which appeared in the Times, and
scraps of accounts produced in court as
the contents of the bag.
Piggott said he did not know P rnell's
u L Al
knew his signature. He believed the
signature 8 attached to the letters to be
those of Parnell. He had no idea as to
who wrote the body of the letters. Wit
ness returned to France April 20, 1886,
the offer. After long discussion, Muir.
ply told the witness that it would be
utterly impossible to obtain the letters
unless witness went to New YORK. Wit
ness consulted with Houston, and went
to New York. There he saw Breslin, to
whom Murphy had given him letter.
Breslin handed witness q sealed letter,
which be said witness was to deliver to
.Murphy In Paris. Witness continued:
"I returned to London and told Houston
what had occurred. He believed the
letter contained the authority to deliver
the bag. l went to Paris July 10th and
saw Murphy at the Hotel St. Petersburg.
L handed him tine letter. He said it was
all right, but he could not give me the
pie. Two evenings later Murphy took
me to cafe in the Rue st. Henore. He
conducted me to a private room where
five men were seated around table.
These men, he said, represented the
Clan Ma Gael. He made me swear on q
Catholic prayer book that under no cir
cumstances would I reveal the source
from which I obtained the docu.
ments. also swore 1 would
not mention names, and if any
the letters I would not testify. Piggott
did not get the documents that night.
Witness detailed the purchase of the
letters and Murphy's offer to purchase
them. Witness knew Egan's writing
and signature, and was convinced that
Egan wrote the letters ascribed to him.
Murphy was displeased with his refusal
to return the letters.
Piggott, resuming, said that he first
heard of the existence of the other letter
at the beginning of 1888. His informant
was Thomas Brown member Of the
Clan Ma Gael. Hayes introduced Brown
and the witness in the Cafe Royale Rue
st. Honore, Paris. Brown produced the
letters and the witness sent to Houston
copies of two of Parnell's and one of
Egan's. Piggott had not the slightest
doubt that the signatures were genuine.
In July, 1888, he heard of other letters.
A person in Paris who declined to reveal
his name, offered to surrender them for
$500. He was paid G200, of which wit
ness received ESQ back.
Piggott continued: A man named
O'Brien visited me in Dublin under the
alias of Sinclair. He said Parnell had
sent him to try to get me to assist Egan.
Labouchere, he said, was acting for
Egan and would pay me a very high
price if l had any letters of Parnell's TO
sell. Sinclair suggested that l should
see Labouchere in London, and gave me
s5 with which to pay my passage. l
went to the place mentioned, but Labou-
chere was not there. declined to hold
conversation with Sinclair. afterwards
wrote to Labouchere without Sinclair's
knowledge. Labouchere replied, and
had an interview with Parnell and La
bouchere at the latter's house.
Continuing, Piggott said that at the
meeting referred to Parnell told him that
he held prlma 1acl0 evidence tpat VIII
ness had forged the letters, and Labou-
chere waited witness to admit the forg-
cry. Lewis entered during the interview,
and said that if the witness followed
directions he would be his best friend,
but if he failed to follow instructions he
(Lewis) would prosecute him mercilessly
for perjury and forgery. Afterwards
witness saw Labouchere alone outside of
the room, when Labouchere said he was
prepared to pay $1,000, but that money
matters must not be mentioned to
Parnell. Witness induced Labouchere
to think that he would accede to his pro-
posal, but on returning to the room he
said nothing would induce him to swear
the letters we're forgeries. Lewis then
asked witness to write to the Times that
he (witness) believed the letters to be
forgeries, when the Times would with
draw the letters. The following day
witness asked whether Labouchere' g
offer would hold good if witness induced
the Times to withdraw the letters. Lewis
said "Yes." On the day after, witness
accidentally met Parnell and Lewis.
The latter denied he had given witness
ouv onaurarco Parra ra1l,c ,mounar yQe