Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-02-16
A WHITE BOOK.
Germany Makes Public Her Core
spondence on the Samoa Difficulty.
She is Not at War With Samoa, But Only
Asks Revenge on Mataafa and His Fol-
Iowers-Soames Tells Long Story.
PARNELL COMMISSION.
The Cross-Examination of Mr.. soames Con-
timed.

The Cross-Exan1natlon OF Mr.. Soames Con
tinued.
LONDON, Feb. 15.-Parnell was pres
ent at to-day's proceedings of the Par
nell commission. Mr.. Soames. solicitor
for the Times, was further cross exam
ined. He offered in evidence a schedule
of the signatures of Parnen that he pos
sessed. He said Parnell IS writing varied
considerably, and produced writing III
LISTERS in which the writing of Parnell g
name was written in different ways.
Presiding Justice Hammer ordered that
the letters be photographed.
Continuing, the witness denied he had
heard that Pigott and the league
clerk he interviewed in Ireland
had a grievance against ParnelI
Pigott, he said, had made declaration
under oath that Solicitor Lewis had
offered him $1,000 If he would swear he
had forged the letters said TO have been
written by Parnell. The sum paid Pigott
was ESQ or f40. The witness had Pigott
watched and traced him into the company
of Mr.. Labourchere. He paid Houston,
secretary of the Irish Loyal and Patriotic
union, altogether $4,000.
Upon redirect examination Mr. Soames
tiers were first brought to the Times
Their genuineness was to be tested before
any payment was made
Mr.. Soames said Pigott told him of an
interview he had with Solicitor Lewis and
Mr.. Labouchere. The latter sent Pigott
several E10 notes. One of these notes
was forwarded to Ireland, and there
directed to London. Witness produced a
COPY of the letter which accompanied it J..
1t had never occurred to witness to ask
PigOtt how he had acquired the letters.
Neither had he asked Houston. Pigott
showed witness d letter from Solicitor
Lewis accusing him (Pigott) of having
admitted he forged letters, and his re-
ply, whereupon witness required that
statutory declaration be made in which
Pigott detailed all communications
between himself and Solicitor
Lewis, including an offer of $1,000 by
Mr.. Lewis on behalf of Mr. LabOuchere
if he would swear that he had forged the
letters. This statement caused sensa-
ton in the courtroom. Continuing, Mr..
SOames said Pigott did not tell him of
the correspondence he had had with Arch
bishop Walsh of Dublin regarding the
letters. He had never heard of this cor
respondence until he had heard it men
toned in court last evening Besides Mr..
Inglis, Mr.. Soames said the Times
engaged Messrs. Birch and Ellis
as experts. He had never promised
Pigott pence, but knew he got what he
asked Houston for, f5000 on the ground
that it would be impossible for him to
live in Dublin after giving evidence for the
Times, and he wanted to make some pro-
vision for himself. Witness told him he
could not listen TO such suggestion, but
that he (Pigott) might rest satisfied that
the Times would never see him ruined
through his honestly testifying to all he
knew. Soames said man calling himself
Wilson, wrote TO him offering to give in
formation. He recognized the writing as
that of the man named o 'Brien, who
was an emissary from Egan to
Labouchere. The offer to furnish in
formation was simply "plant. - Alter
that he had O 'Brien watched. At Mr..
LabOuohere's instance 'Brien was sent
to Dublin to see PigOtt. In Dublin
o 'Briens assumed the name Of Sinclair
The men following O'Brien traced him
to Labouchere's and Pigott's houses,
and then traced Pigott to Solicit
tor Lewis, and Mr.. Parner to
Labouchere's residence. Witness knew
o Brien was the man who was known in
America as Robertson. It was "Rob-
ertson' who snubbed Detective Moser
with letters which had since been admit
ted to be forgeries. Kirby was paid $3.50
TO go to America and procure from Sher-
idan the original Parnell letter, fac smile
of which was published in the Times.
Mr.. Hurlbut saw this letter.
Soames was examined by Sir r. D.
Webster. He said there was no bargain
with the Times TO purchase the
letters. IF che Parnell letters were for
geries then the writing of others signed
with names of Egan Campbell Davitt and
o Kelly of Tyrone must have been forged.
The bodies of six disputed Parneil letters
were in writing of Campbell.
viii Scott, an employee of the Central
News, deposed that in interview with
Parnell on the appearance Of the fac
smile letter in 1887, Parnell called the
letter an impudent forgery.
Mr.. Macdonald, manager of the Times,
1eposed that in October, 1886, he got FIVE
Parnell and six Egan letters. He stipu-
lated that their authenticity must be
tested before payment of price which
Houston said he gave to Parnell for other
letters. He paid Houston el7S0, the ex-
act sum represented as expended in |
gaining possession of the letters, Hous-
tom declining personal remuneration
On examination witness said he |
never asked how Houston got the let |
-ers. He had asked about the difference |
n the writing in the body of the letters |
md in the signatures, and Houston re-
piled that it was the practice of the lead |
ers of n movement that one wrote let |
.er and another signed it and third per- |
son addressed the envelope
The commission at this point adjourned. |