Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-02-15
FOR 1.-THE TINES"
THE SOLICITOR or THAT PAPER TEE
T1FIBa
Ee Produces Five Letters Before the Com
mission. Including q Fae-simils Of
thsPauous Times-Parnell Letter.
By AnslO-Amortcan cable to the Dispatch.


LONDON, February 1l.-Mr. soames, So
licitor for the Times, testified before the
Parnell Commission to-day that be visited
Dublin IN May, 1893. In quest OF evidence.
AT the offices OF Alexander Morphy, Crown
solicitor for Kerry. he had an interview With
person who was introduced 10 him as 3
former employee IN the Office oi the league,
aud who produced slip bearing the sigma
ture OF Miss Anna Psrnell, specimens OF
Patrick Egsn's handwriting. and bundle
OF documents which witness inspected at
length. He copied some Of these documents
and made notes OF others. Witness arranged
that the documents should be brought 10
London. and they we're brought here on
Whit Monday, 1888. and embodied in sn
affidavit produced during the trial OF a suit
81 O'DonnelI against Walter for libel.
witness was about TO put In evidence an~
other letter TO which II appeared no official
names were attached when SIR Charles Rus
sell, Of counsel for the Parnellites, objected.
Attorney. General Webster, for the Times.
argued that the letter WAS admissible, as 1t
hsd been obtained with other documents
from Phillips.
SIR Charles Russell said this was the frat
time he had heard Phillips name. lie did
not know Philips.
Webster said he regretted that be had
mentioned the name, but il had been proved
that Phillips was the accountant OF the
league. The letter, with other genuine
league documents, bad been obtained from
perfectly proper custody.
The Court refused 10 admit the letter in
evidence.
Soames, continuing, said he was first con-
suited regarding the alleged Paruel letters
At the end Of November or the beginning OF
H. I.ff,
including letter the fdc-SiDsile OF which Was
printed In the times.
Attorney General Webster said the letters
had been photographed.
~ Chiei.Justlce Ilnuen's request he
handed the photographs to the bench.
oOlnes said that MELON I'D. the manager
OF the London Times, handed him the let.
tiers. Witness did not know then from what
source they were obtained. He afterwards
asceItAined from whom they had come. The
letters were submitted to an expert in April,
1881. Before that genuine specimens OF
ParnelPs writing were collected and other
specimens have since been collected.
At AttOUey-Geueral Webster's request
the witness submitted genuine specimens OF
Parnelps signature.
>oames sad he had Outlined the speci-
mems OF writing Of Henry Campbell, Par.
nelPs secretary. He had no meaus OF iudg-
Ing who wrote the letter the fac smile oi
which was published. When The fac simiie
appeared in the Times Expert Ioglis asked
him to get further specimens Of Campbelps
writing. witness here produced further
specimens Of ParnslPs signature which he
| bad obtained since the fac simils was pub
hshed, including letters and summOnses
which PaTnell signed as magistrate.
orders OF admission 70 the House OF
Commons, paragraph written for
newspaper, and the Klmaluham Jail
book, which contained nine signatures,
the first written in December 1881. and
the last in MAY. 1889. Witness was advised
by Inglis before the fac simie was pub
lished. The Court here debarred the ques-
ton ~ 10 whether Inglis thought that the
letter which appeared in The Times was
genuine. S0ames said he believed the body
OF the letter was IN Campbelfs writing,
while the signature was Psrnel's. When be
discovered the Parnei letters he also came
across documents which be supposed TO be
Egsns. Three OF Egsn's letters were found
IN Carey's house. where two letters Ia Camp
bells writing were also discovered. WITT
ness produced these letters, together With
other specimens OF Fgsn's writing.
AZ ibis point Sir Charles Russell said:
." We are only able to give these documents
cursory glance. The Court must not as
sumo thst all will be urquestOned."
Mr. Webster reioined that he did not sup-
pose that sir Chsrles Russell would admit The
genuineners OF The letters.
Soames further testified that Richard
Pigot gave the ParneIl letters TO Houston,
secretary Of the Irish Loyal and Patriotic
Union, who banded them 10 Mcdonald.
Soslnes next produced a letter from Byrne
referring to a check for el0O which Parnell
promised him when he suddenly went 10
France IN September. 1887. Witness said be
had employed Detective MOSer 20 20 10
America 10 trace the source Of certain docu-
meuts which were known 10 be forgeries.
lie never used these documents IN any way.
They were not received through Pigott
On crOss-eXamlnation witness said he was
not consulted regarding the publication OF
The articles on .PlIneliism and Crime"
though he knew they we're being prepared
early in 1884, Flanagan, the son Of an irish
Judge. cO0pcrated with the gentlemen on The
sta1 Of the Times in preparing the articles.
10 10 January, 1883, twelve letters had been
obtained from Pigou. Later more letters
written by EgSn, O'Kclley, aud DaVItt were
obtained, making a total OF seventeen. Tie
did not know precisely what was paid for
the letters. Probably whatever was paid
passed through him. The first payment
Of cl,000 was made 10 Houston. 1t was
partly for his expenses 10 going to America
and partly for the payment Of Or. Ma
CURE and other assistants. The successive
subsequent payments to Houston were ECO,
$50, go. Gl2, ESQ, ESQ, G342 and G10O.
Witness PAID Moser about $4,000, Kirby
$3.50, and another agent named Thompson
G30O. Touching Dayitrs letter, witness said
be took pains 10 form a conclusive opinion.
lie decided that IL was genuine.
Before the court adjourned AttorneY.Gen-
ersi Webster SAID that be desired to state
that Flanagan had written for the Times
without the knowledge Of his father.
sir Charles Russell remarked that be quito
believed that.