The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-02-16

Solicitor Soames Continues His Evidence and
Brings Out Interesting Points.

Solicitor Soames Continues His Evidence and
Brings Out Interesting Points.
LONDON, Feb. 15.-Mr. Parnell was pres
ent at tO-day's session of the Parnell COM
mission. Mr.. Soames, solicitor for the
Times, was further cross-examined. He
offered in evidence a schedule of all the
signatures of Mr.. Parnen that he possessed.
He said that Mr.. Parnelps writing varied
considerably, and produced a letter in
which Mr. Parnelps name was written in
six different ways.
Presiding Justice Hannen ordered that
the letter be photographed.
Continuing, the witness denied that he
had heard that Piggot and the league
clerk he interviewed in Ireland had griev-
ance against Mr.. Parnell. Piggot, he said,
had made a statutory declaration that So
licitor Lewis had offered him f1,OOO if he
would swear that he had forged the letters
said to have been written by Mr.. ParnelL
The Times paid Piggot only f4O or
ESQ. The witness had PiggOt watched
and traced him into the company of Mr..
Labouchere. He paid Houston, secretary
OF the Irish Loyal and Patriotic Union, al
together, $4,000.
Upon redirect examination, Mr.. Soames
said that no bargain was made when the
letters were first brought to the Times.
Their genuineness was to be tested before
any payment was made. Mr.. Soames said
Piggot told him of interviews he had with
solicitor Lewis and Mr.. Labouchere. The
latter sent PiggOt several ten-pound notes:
One of these notes was forwarded
to Ireland, and there redirected to
Lone London The The witness h;rS produced ocom
panied it. 1t had never occurred
to the witness to ask Piggot how
he had acquired the letters; neither had he
asked Houston. Piggot showed the witness
letter from solicitor Lewis accusing him
[Piggotl of having admitted that he forged
the letters, and his reply, whereupOn the
witness required that the statutory declara.
tiOn be made, in which Piggot detailed all
the communications between himself and no
FL 900 by Mr.. Lewis on behalf of MIR:
Labouchere, if he would swear that he had
forged the letters.
This statement caused sensation in the
courtroom.
Continuing. Mr.. SOames said that Piggot
did not tell him of the correspondence he
had had with Archbishop Walsh, of Dub
lin, regarding the letters He had never
heard h Of this correspondence until ne
evening. Besides Mr.. Inglis, Mr.. SOames
said, the Times engaged Messrs. Birch and
Ellis as experts. He had never promised
Piggot sixpence, but knew that Piggot had
that it would be impossible for him to live
In Dublin after. giving evidence for the
Times and that he wanted to make some
provision for himself. The witness testl-
gestion, but that he [Piggotl might rest sat
isfied that the Times would never see him
ruined through his honestly testifying to
all he knew, Mr.. SOames said that a man,
calling himself Wilson, wrote to him.
recognized the writing as that of
man named OBrien. who was an
-emissary from Egan to Labouchere. The
offer to furnish information was simply a
plant" After that he had o Brien watched.
At Mr. Laboucheres instance O'Brien was
sent to Dublin to see PigOtt In Dublin
OBrlen assumed the name of Sinclair. The
men following O'Brien tracked him to La
bouchere's and Pigott's houses, and then
traced Pigott solicitor Lewis and MIR. Par
! nell TO Alr. LabOuchere'S residence. The
witness knew OBrien as q man who was
| known in America as Robertson. 1t was
! s'Rsberts0n" who deluded detective MOser
| tobe a forgery. Kirby was paid ESQ to go
| to America and procure from Sheridan the
| original Parnell letter. a fac-simile of w hich
| was published in the Times. Mr. Hurlburt
| saw this letter.
Mr. Soames was re-examined by Sir r. d.
| Webster. He said there was no bargain
| whatever with the Times to purch ase the
| letters. If the Parnell letters were forgeT-
/ les. then the writing or the others, signed
with the names of Egan, Campbell, Davitt
| and O'Kelly, of Tyrone, must have been
forged. The bodies of six disputed Par
nell letters were in the writing of Camp
! bell.
| Mr. Willacott, an employe of the Central
| News. deposed that in an interview with
| Mr.. Parnell, on the appearance of fac
simile letter, in 1887. Mr.. Parnell called the
letter an impudent forgery.
| Mr.. Macdonald, manager of the Times,
| deposed that in October, 1856, he got five
| Parnell and six Egan letters. He stipulated
that their authenticity must be tested
| before payment of the price which Houston
| said he gave for them. When the other
letters tthose of O'Kelly and Davitt) were
tested, he paid Houston 1,7S0, the exact
sum represented as expended in gaining
| possession of the letters, Houston declin-
| ing personal remuneration.
Upon crOss-examination the witness said
| he never asked how Houston got the
| letters. He had asked about the difference
in the writing in the body of the letters
| and in the signatures, and Houston replied
| that it was practice of the leaders of the
movement; that he wrote the letter, an
other signed it, and third person ad-
dressed the envelope. The commission al
this point adjourned.
| q