, 1889-02-27

llOu HAS gone 10 pieces AT the 0rst touch.
Parnell is proved innocent by the only
man the Times relied on to prove him
guilty. Whether the Times proceeds or
not Parnell will claim the right to dis
prove the other charges.
How the Forgeries Were Discovered.
LONDON, Feb. 26.-Frcm a gentleman
high in authority in the prosecution Of
the Parnell- Times case a representative
Of the Associated Press to-day heard the
true story OF how the conspiracy against
Parnell was detected. 1t constitutes one
of the most romantic narratives in politi-
cal history. Without the evidence by
which the conspiracy was exploded, the
Times would have undoubtedly won its
case, notwithstanding the s~puriousness of
the letters. Up to July last year Parnell,
his counsel and colleagues were really at sea
and every effort to discover the forgers and
get at the bottom of the case proved fut-
lie. At this time evidence was sent from
the United states by a young Catholic
priest, Rev. Father Dorney of Chicago,
to whom it had been instructed by Pat
rick Egan and Alender Sullivan, its com
pliers. Its value was inestimable and
no one was aware of its existence save
Egan, Sullivan and Father Dorney until
it was delivered to Parnell in person. The
discovery that Pigott was the torger was
made by Egan in Lincoln, Neb., while
Parnell, his detectives and experts were
vainly trying to find a clue in Great
Britain. Egan was sorely perplexed by
the forged letters, fac SMILES of which
he got in the London Times, The sigma
ture to those attributed to him were re-
markably GOOD, at the expressions and
odd abreviations peculiar to him were in
the text. He thought of everybody posi-
BILE who could have been the forger, but
could not arrive at a conclusion. He re-
membered that Pigott had been in foreer-
les mani years before, but the idea that
he might be concerned IN these seemed
absurd.
In scrutinizing the forged fac SMILES,
however, he finally discovered hat one
signed with his own name was written
avowedly at a certain address in Paris
and the recollection flashed upon him
that Pigott was the only man to whom he
had ever given it. Pigott had written
him asking for a confidential address to
which be might send important informa-
ton and Egan concluding to learn what
it was secured this address, which proved
the key to the forgeries. Egan, who is
m~ethoGieai in habit. had saved his CORES.
pondence for years. He searched his
volume of letters until he found Pigott's.
By comparing them with the handwriting
Of the forged letter he saw he had the
forger. He submitted the letters written
by Pigott to experts together with the fac
simile of the forged letters. They imme-
diately detected the characteristics and
peculiarities which were confirmed under
a microscope.
Egan had Pigott's letters and the for
geries photographed and started for Chi
cago, where he placed all the papers be-
fore his friend Alexander Sullivan, who is
also a solicitor. A brief was drawn up
by him and Sullivan in the %latter's office
in Chicago. 1t related to coIncidents IN
Pigott's career aud showed that he had
been a forger before. Years before, when
Pigott tried to sell the hrishman news
paper) to Parnell and Egan, he furnished
an inventory apparently authenticated by
well known Dublin accounts 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
committed to writing. He had mean
while 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 inter
polated or added other sentences or
phrases, completely changing the meaning
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integrity of portions. Dates were also
changed to make certain interpretations
applicable to illegal events.
Egan also found letters written by Par
nell which had been similarly used. Pho
tographs of all these and of Pigott's beg
ging and matchmaking letters were en-
closed with the originals in the package
with memoranda recalling to Parnell all
the circumstances attending the writing
or reception of each. This was the pre-
clous piece Of luggage the young priest
conveyed to Parnell. Until it came the
Times case was as inyulnerable as it was
fraudulent. No hint of the contents of
the package ever became public until
Parnell himself in an interview he had
with Pigott, in the presence of Labou-
chere and Lewis. asked Pigott certain
questions which disclosed to the culprit
that evidence mad been secured against
him. Pigott either reported this to the
Times or was watched by its detectives
and traced into Parnell's presence. Then
he had partially to confess 20 his employ.
ers and the attorney general, and his col
leagues then compelled LeCaron to testify
and be as malignant as possible, swearing
that Parnell declared that he favored
armed revolution, and that Alexander
Sullivan got LeCaron into the secret revo.
lutionary organization.
This was for the purpose OF breaking
the force Of Parnelrs information about
Pigott's antecedents, hut Pigott had no
suspicion of the overwhelming complete
ness of the knowledge conveyed in the
package to Parnell and did not realize I'M
til he got into Sir Charles Russelps pres
ence that no calumny could be brought to
impair the fatal effects upon him and the
Times case. What Parnell knew, had
Egan not made the discovery of the truth
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