Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-02-16
FORTlFYlNG A FORGERY.

Attaches of The Times Testify
 Against Parnell.
 COST OF THE FAMOUS LETTERS. Solicitor Soames Says MT. Parnell's Writ
 ing Varies Considerably, Yet He Be-
 lieves All the Letters Genuine-Business
 Manager McDonald's Story.
 LONDON, Feb 16.-Mr. Parnell was present at the session of the Parnell commission. MT. Soannes, solicitor for The Times, in his cross examination, offered in evidence a schedule of all the signatures of Mir. Parnell that he possessed. He said that MT. Parnelrs writing varied considerably, and produced letter in which MT. Parnell's 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 Pigott and the league clerk he interviewed in Ire land had grievance against Parnell. Pigott, he said, had made statutory declaration that Solicitor Lewis had offered him 9l 900 if he would swear that he had forged the let ters said to have been written by Mir. Par nell. The Times paid Pigott only GAO or $50. The witness had Pigott watched, and traced him into the company of MT Labouchere. He paid Houston, secretary of the Irish Loyal and Patriotic union, altogether 9S,OO0
 Upon redirect examination, Mir. Soames said that no bargain was made when the let ters were first brought to The Times. Their genuneness was to be tested before any pay ment was made. Mr. Soames said Pigott told him of interviews he had had with Solici- tor Lewis and Mr. Labouchere. The latter sent Pigott several ten pound notes One of these notes was forwarded to Ireland and there re- directed to London. Witness produced copy of the letter which accompanied it. It had never occurred to witness to ask Pigott how he had acquired the letters. Neither had he asked Houston. Pigott showed witness letter from Solicitor Lewis accusing him Pigott of having admitted that he forged the letters, and his reply, whereupon witness required that the statutory declaration be made in which Pigott detailed all the com munications between himself and Solicitor Lewis including the offer of l,OOO by Mir. Lewis, on behalf of MT. Labouchere, if he would swear that he had forged the letters. This statement caused 8 sensation in the court room. Continuing, MT. Soames said that Pigott did not tell him of the correspond ence he had had with Archbishop Walsh, of Dublin, regarding the letters. He had never heard of this correspondence until he heard it mentioned in court Beside Mir. Ingalls,, Mir. Soames said, The Times engaged Messrs. Birch and Ellis as experts He had never promised Pigott sixpence, but knew that Pigott had asked Houston for f5,00O on the ground that it would be impossible for him to live in Dublin after giving evidence for The tv,n< h~ AaI k~ ,~l-z provision for himself. Witness told him he could not listen to such a suggestion, but that he PigotD might rest satisfied that The Times would never see him ruined through his honestly testifying to all he knew
 Mr. Soames said that man calling himself Wilson wrote to him offering to give infor 1 nation. He recognized the writing as that l of a man named O'Brien, who was an ennis sary from Egan to Labouchere. The offer to furnish information simply "plant :" 1 After that he had O'Brien watched. At Mir. Laboucheres instance O'Brien was sent to l Dublin to see Pigott. In Dublin O'Brien as l stunned the name of Sinclair. The man fol 1 lowing O'Brien traced him to Labouchere's l and Pigott's houses, and then traced Pigott ! Solicitor Lewis and Mr. Pa1nell to Labou- l chere's residence The witness knew O'Brien 1 as a man who was known in America as l Robertson. 1t was Robertson who deluded ] 4eteCtlVo MOSST ~lLu l6tt0IS WHICH Q6u S1nC6 | been admitted to be forgeries Kirby was
 paid e250 to go to America and procure from
 Sheridan the original Parnell letter, fac
 simile of which was published in The Times Mir. Hurlburt saw this letter.
 MT. Macdonald, manager of The Times de-
 posed that in October, 1886, he got five Par
 nell and six Egan letters. He stipulated that ] their authenticity must be tested before the
 payment of the price which Houston said he 1 gave for them. When the other letters
 those of O'Kelly and Davitt-were tested he
 paid Houston e1, ,7SO, the exact sum repre-
 scented as expended in gaining possession of
 the letters, Houston declining personal re-
 muneration. Witness was convinced that the
 letters were genuine, and he thought that
 before the second reading of the crimes bill
 would be a fitting time to show to the coun-
 try the character of the men making them l selves prominent in Irish affairs.