The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-02-27
for the arrest OF Pigoft on charges Of
perjary snd forgery.

-
for the srrest of Pigoss on charges Of
perjary snd forgery.
nsvrrTss orfxras.
CHICAGO. Feb. aB.- Alexander Sulii-
vaa this ncrniBg received the fellow
ing cak1egrzn from Michael Dayixt
~Pigoss has boiled. The general
belief here Is uhat the 7Tsa<s and the
government paid him 90 clear cut. -
EGAS DETECrED THE FORGKR.
The sTimesss Cane Near Winning
why LIE Caron Testified.
LONDON. Feb &-From 3 gentle
man high in authority In the prosecu-
ton in the ParneiI- fsnses case. a repre-
sentative OF the Associated Press 10
oay heard the true story OF how the
conspiracy ag2ins. Parnell was de-
fecIed. Ii constitutes one of the most
romanfic In the history of politics.
Without the evidence by which the
conspiracy was exploded the 7smss
ccaid undoubtedly have won its case,
notwithstanding the spursousness OF
the letters Up to July of last year
Pa-neil. his counsel and colleagues
we're wholly at sea, and every effort TO
discover the forger and get at the bot
tom OF the case had proved futile.
at this time evidence was sent from
the United states by q Young Cafho-
nc priest. Rev. Father Dorney OF ChE
caga. TO " h0m il had been entrusted
by Patrick Egen and Alexander Sullf-
van, its conpliers- Its value was in
estsmable, and no one was avnre OF
It's existence saVe Egan, SuiiiyaEas and
Father Dorney until it Was delivered
70 Parnell in person.
The discovery that Pigott was the
forEer WAS made by Egan in Lincoln.
Neb.. while Parnell, his detectives and
experts, were yainly trying 70 find
clue in Great Britain. Egan was
soreiy perplexed by the forged letters,
the fae-simiies OF which be got in the
London Times. The signature to those
attributed 10 him was remarkably
goosi. Expressions and odd abbrevia-
tlofls peculiar 20 him were in the text
he considered erybody who posi-
bly, could have been the forger, but
could not arrive at q conclusion He
remembered that pigott had been in
forgeries many years before, but the
idea that he might be concerned ia
these seemed absurd.
In scratinizing the forged fac
similes, however he finally discovered
that one signed with his own name
was written avowedly 81 a certain ad-
dress in Paris, and the recollection
flashed upon him that Pigott was the
only man 10 whom ne had ever given
it. Pigo;t had written him asking for
a confidential address to which he
might send important Information,
and Egan, concluding to learn what il
was, secured this address, which
proved the key TO the forgeries. Egan.
who is methodical In habit, had saved
his correspondence for years. He
searched his volumes OF letters until
he found Pigott's. BY comparing
them with the handwriting of the
forged letters. he saw he had the
forger He submitted the letters writ
ten BY Pigott to experts, together with
the fac-similes of the forged letters.
They Immediately detected character
istic pecaiiarities, which were con-
firnsed under the microscope.
Egan had Pigott's letters and the
forgeries photographed, and started
for Chicago. where he placed all the
papers before his friend, Alexander
Sullivan, who is also a solicitor. A
brief was drawn up by him and Sui
Ivan IN the latter's office. 1t related
the chief incidents in Pigott's career,
and showed he had been forger years
before. When Pigott tried to sell the
irisisadn newspaper to Parneil, Par
nell and Egan were furnished an in
ysniory, apparently authenticated hy
n esil-known Dubiin accountant,
showing the value of the property.
Egan proved that the inventory was
false and that Pigott had forged the
accountants signature to it, Pigott
was also caught in another similar
transaction. These facts Egan COM
mitted To writing.
He had meanwhile ascertained the
process by which Pigott made the
spurious letters. He found among his
papers some letters written by him In
which entire sentences appeared that
were also in the forged letters Pigott
had traced these sentences carefully.
word for word; then he interpolated
or added other sentences or phrases
completely changing the meaning OF
the whole letter while preserving the
integrity OF the portions. The dates
were also changed to make criminal
interpretations, applicable TO illegal
events.
Egan also found letters written by
Parnell which had been similarly used.
photographs of all these and OF Pig
otis begging and matchmaking letters
were enclosed with the originals on
the package, with memoranda recall
ing 10 Parnell all the circumstances
attending the writing or reception OF
each.
This precious piece of luggage the
young priest conveyed TO Parnell.
Until itcame the Tmes'scase was as in
vulnerable as it was fraudulent. No
hint of the contents of the package
ever became public until Par
nell himself, in an interview
he had with Pigott. III the
presence OF Labouehere and Lewis
asked pigott certain questions which
disclosed 10 the culprit that evidence
had been secured against him. Pigott
either reported this 10 the Times or
was watched by its detectives and
traced into parnell's presence. Then
he had TO partially confess TO his
employers. and the attorney general
and his colleagues then compelled
LeCaron 10 testify, and be as malig
uant as possible, swearing that
Parnell declared he favored armed
revolution and that Alexander
Sullivan got him lie Caron) into
secret revolutionary organization.
This was for the purpose OF breaking
the force of Parneii's information
about Pigott's antecedents. But
Pigott aad no suspicion OF the over
whelming completeness of the knowi-
e:ige conveyed in the package TO Par
nell, and did not realize until
he got into Sir Charles Russell's
clutches that no calumny could
impair the fatal effect upon him and
on the Tgmes case of what Parnell
knew Had Egan not made the dis
coyery the truth of the letters could
only have been denied; but their false
hood could not have been demon
straied. The situation would have
been Times victory and the victory of
the Times would be the ruin OF Par
nell, the Home Rule party and the in
finite discredit of the Liberals.