Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-12
HOW PIGoTr CONFESSED.
Mr.. SaIa's Lively Description of the
Scene In Dir. Labouchere's Library.

Scene In Dir. Labouchere's Library.
From the London Telegraph.
Saturday is popularity supposed TO be the
Sabbath Of the daily journalist; and, firmly be-
hev1ng as do in the wisdom and necessity Of
resting one clear day out OF the seven, always
do my best to keep the last day Of the week as
a whole holiday. 1t does not matter how much
you recreate yourself so long as you abstain
from work. I look upon running down to
Brighton, busting ones china, trying to recon-
cile the cid volumes in ones library, and skim
ming the weekly periodicals as so many forms
of Saturday amusement; but the most pleas
urable relaxation of all is, perhaps, to q reaf
hard worker. to fall into gentle slumber in
your easy chair between breakfast and lunch
con. The involuntary dropping into the arms
of Morpheus shows that the machine which has
been moving so desperately during the week
has run down, and your sleep Is natural and
deserved. / was enjoying myself in one OF the
ways just limited at in my rooms in Victoria
street, Westminster, last Saturday, between l
and p. m, when a knock came at my study
door, and was handed letter which had been
brought in hot Taste by a servant who was in
structed to wait for an answer. The mIssIye
was Of the briefest possible kind. and was from
my old friend and near neighbor, Mr.. Henry
Labouchere, NJ. p, whose house Is at "a Gros-
venor gardens, within pistol shot of my fiat,
and the note ran thus: ''Can you leave every
thing and come here at once? Most important
business.-H. l." l told the servant that l
would be in Grosvenor gardens within quar-
ter OF an hour, and ere that time had expired
was ushered into large library on the ground
floor. where l found the senior member for
Northampton smoking his sempiternal cigar
cite. but with an unusual and curious express
sion of animation in his normally impossible
countenaDce.
He was not alone. Ensconced in roomy
fauteuil a few PAGES from Mr.. Labouchere's
writing-tsble there was a somewhat burly in
dividual of middle stature and of more than
middle age. He looked full sixty, although
have been given to understand that his age
does not exceed ffty-hve; but his elderly as
pect was enhanced by his badness, which re-
vealed very large amount of oval of fronts
fringed by gray locks. The individual had an
eye-glaas screwed into one eve. and he was
using this optical aid most assiduously for he
was porting over a copy OF that mornings issue
OF the Times, going right down one column and
apparently up it again; then taking column
after column in succession; then barking back
as though he had omitted some choice para
graph, and then resuming the sequence of his
lecture, ever and anon tapping that ovoid
frontal bone of his, as though to evoke men,
cries of the past, with a little silver pencil
case. When he was not tapping his Uranium
with the pencil-case he put it between
his lips as though he were chewing the cud
of sweet and bitter fancies, and then no would
twlddle the case between his fingers. 1 noted
the shambiing carriage of his head, and the oc-
caslonal twltching first Of one foot and then Of
the other; noted his somewhat shabby-gen-
teel attire; and in particular / observed that
the hand which held the copy of the Times
never ceased TO shake. | took careful stock of
all these peculiarities, since they enabled me
to recognize the individual as corresponding
precisely with what had read about him. and
with a sketch which had seen of his features
in some evening paper. Thus, when Mr.. La
bouchere, in his most courteous manner and
his blandest tone said: ALLOW me to introduce
you to a gentleman of whom you must have
heard a great deal, Mr. -" I replied.
There is not the slightest necessity for nam
ing him. know him well enough. That's Mr..
Pigott'
he wRIeGLEs, But DELAYS
The individual in the capacious fauteuil
wriggled from behind the Times an uneasy ac-
acknowledgement of my recognition; but, if
anything could be conducive to putting COM
pletely at his ease a gentleman who. from some
cause or another, was troubled in his mind. it
would have been the dulcet voice in which Mr.
Labouchere continued: 1.-The fact is that Mr.
PIgott has come here, quite unsolicited, to
make full confession. l told him that /
would listen to nothing that he had to say, save
IN the presence OF a witness, and remember
ing that you lived close by, thought that you
would not mind coming here and listening to
what Mr.. P1gott has to confess, which
will be taken down, word by word.
from his dictation, in writing" 1t
has been my lot, during a long and
diversified career, to have to listen to a large
number OF very queer statements from very
queer people, and by dint of experience. you
reach at last stage of stoicism. when little, if
anything, that is impaired to you excites sur
prise. Thus. if Nr. Labouchere had told me
that Mr.. Pigott proposed to avow that he had
discovered the philosophers stone or found
1aha ha hoA Co
universal theorem. or that he was the murder
er OF Eliza Grimwood. l should have been fully
prepared TO hear what he had got to say with
out lndulSIng IN any unseemly exhibitions of
astonishment. 1t was one thing, however, to
be told that Mr.. Pigott intended to confess and
quite another TO get the confession from his
lips. As In the case of the gentleman at Ty-
burn, who loft fitted the halter, oft traversed
the cart. and often took leave, but seemed 10th
to depart" so it did appear that Mr.. Pigott.
although he had screwed his courage
TO the sticking place of saying
that he was going to con-
fess. manifested considerable tardiness in orally
"owning up. Conscience, we were justified in
assuming, had ''gnawed" TO an extent sufficient
to make him willing to relieve his soul from a
dreadful burden; but conscience, to all SEEM
ing, had TO gnaw little longer and a little
more sharply ere he absolutely gave tongue.
so we let HIM be for about ten minutes. Mr..
Labouchere kindled another cigarette /
lighted cigar, and-excuse the vulgarity of
the phrase-eontinued to take stock of the man
IN the easy-chair, still porting over 1.-The Times"
still tapping from time TO time his forehead
with the pencil-case and still wrggling first one
foot and then the other. Perhaps conscience
was gnawing, like govt, in his toes.
A COLLECTED AND COHERENT TALE.
At length he stood up and came forward into
the light by the side of Mr.. Laboucheres writ
ng-table. 1t was very rude. of course TO stare
at him; but did stare and that persistently
he did not change color; he did not bIench:
but when at length-out of the fullness of his
heart, no dOubt-his mouth spake it was in a
low, half-musing tone, more at first as though
he were talking to himself than to any audi
tors By degrees, however, his voice rose his
dctlon became more fluent. il was rarely nee
essary to halt. to reconstruct phrase; and the
confession which subsequently found its way
into the possession of Mr.. George Lewis and a
copy OF which has no doubt been produced be-
fore the special commission, was from begin
ming 10 end, literally and verbally the compo-
sltion, as well as the uttsrance. of Mr. Richard
Plgott. III Is only necessary that in this place
L should say III substance that Pig
OFT confessed that he had forxed the letters
alleged to have been written u Sfr. ParneII.
and he infinitely described the manner in which
he. and he alone, executed the forgeries in
question 1t was to my mind as frank free
| and full confession that of the notorious
George Frederick Manning. who after repeat-
| eddy denying that he had had ANYTHING to do
| with the murder of Patrick o. Comor at length.