, 1889-04-10

tAN AS Sib OBGNIG
"RuSStl yesterday did not escape our at.
"tentloh. My learned friend said that
'Oehlnd PIgott there has been a foul con.
'Splrary. l desire. eInphatically to say
"lhat, II a foul conspiracy has existed.
"tnOSe whom We represent, nave had no
"share whatever in it. That they have
"been miSled and imposed upon ia true.
"out therein lies their fault, and If it be-
suggested that their error extt nds beyond
''thls fault, they earnestly ask TINT your
"LOrdSElpS will make the fullest inquiry
"lnt0 any part they have taken either in
procuring these documents or in placing
''tllem before the public"
We desire to endorse and tn annronr;.
ate every word of the foregoing Stiitkment.
IL IL our wish, Az it in our duty, TO give
expression to that feeling of sincere re-.
Grett to which the Attorney General re.
deFItd' Il was OhvloaS that, after Pigott,
on us own showing, had proved himself
I" 9e u person utterly unworthy Of credit,
ana after he had made Two confessions.
varying IN detail, but both admitting TINT
The letters which he had produced were
tainted with forgery, our dntv was unre-
seFvedIy to withdraw these letters from
the consideration of the Judges. More.
over, Mr.. Parnell having in the witness.
oOX stated that the letters attributed to
nun we're tOrgerle&, We accept in every
respect the truth of that stiEtrlnent. In
these, circumstances, We deem it right to
express our regret most fully and sincere.
~ at having been induced 10 publish the
letters IN question as Mr.. ParnelpS,. or to
use them in evidence against him. his
expression Of regret, we need hardly saw.
Includes also the letters falsely attributed
10 MI. Egam, Mr.. Davitt, aud Mr.. U'KelIy.
1t ~ clear now that PigOtt was ZuiltvS of
gross and diSgracrful fraud when Ire pro.
duceu the which reached. onr
hands. Into the circumstances finder
which We received and published them it
Is scarcely fitting we should enter. Nor
shall we now refer to the grounds abart
from PigOtt'S testimony, on which we con.
siderrd ourselves To be justified in dealing
with these letters az genuine documents.
TO do 30 would be to touch upon cOntrO-
Ve'"lal HfHter which cannot for the pre-.
sent be"prOperly dealt with i'm these co.
lnmns. We are bound, however, to Doillt
ont that though PigOtt was the source
from which the letters came. and though
they were thus contaminated by their orr.
GIN, he was not the person witfl whom we
communicated, and who placed the ttocu.
ments in our hands. Moreover. we lmimlst
add that We firmly believed the letters TO
he genuine until the disclosures made 'bv
Plg0tt ~ the course OF his cross q xanliIas
ton. :"
We heard on Tuesday 0f IA conspiracy
"Oehlnd PlgOtt and HouStOn," hut it mist
he evident to all reasonable persons that,
If, a conspiracy existed, The Times was
yIctlmlzed by it and, not ii party to- it.
Errors i'll Judgment may have been com.
mItled, and for them the penalty must be
paid. What we hive done, it must he
clearly. understood, has been done by US
i'll the pubic interest alone. 1t has been
done, moreover, altogether of orr own
motion and upon our responsibility. We
regarded the unt ertaking on Which, r.
entered as one Of national imp0rtauceA but
We must enter an emphatic protest against
attempts to make any statesman or any
political party conjoiitly responsible with
as for ,ac's which were tixcluSivGlyi COR
Qwth We may p0lnt out, further, thas it
ls."Dsnld toIake uH to task for not kav.
ing at once abandoned the portion OF :lp
case dependents npdn the letters: at ah
earlier stage OF PigOtl's examination! we
we're responsibility advised that it was net
Within our right or power TO express any
or rlOn on the evi"ence Of a witness sill
under examination, and could nOf otter anv
view of Odr own until that witupts's cross
examination was concluded, AS soon aa
the incidents affecting .Pigott,s fight had
been inquired into, our counsel at once
asked for an Adjournment for the purpose
Of considering the most proper. form I'm