Omaha daily bee., 1889-02-20
THE PaRNELL COMMISSION.
Manager Mcdonald of the Times on
the stand.

LONDON, Feb. 1y.-The court room was
crowded to-day when the Parnell commits.
SION resumed its sitting. Henry Labouchere,
John Morley, and other prominent persons
were present. Mcdonald, the manager of
the Times, was the first witness. He was
cross examined by counsel for the Parnell
ties. He declined to say whether he re-
garded the letters of the 9th of January and
the 10Th of May as the only important ones
among the first five which Houston, sccre-
tary of the Irish Loyal and Patriotic union,
handed to him. Presiding Justice Hammer
sharply rebuked the witness for his refusal.
Mcdonald, in reply to further questions,
said the letters had to be taken as a whole,
and that, as n whole, they were compromis-
ing. Witness said he forgot whether he
submitted the Egan letters to an expert at
the time he submitted other specimens of
Egan's writing. He could not be positive
whether he then had actual spec
linens of Egan's handwriting. He
forgot what material he gave the ex-
pert to ascertain whether the letters
were genuine. He was convinced that the
lGgan and Parnell letters We're genuine be-
tore the first letter on "parnellism and
Crime was published by the Times. Wit
ness paid Houston $3.50 for the Parnell letter
Of the 10th of June and for Egan's letter to
Carey. Total payments were made to HOus-
ton amounting to 800. Witness avoided
asking from what source the letters were OBJ
tanned because Houston said he was bound to
secrecy, which he asked witness to respect.
Witness first knew that Pigott, the former
editor of the lrishmnn (newspaper). supplied
them at about the time of the publication of
the articles on "Parnellism and Crime was
begun. Houston showed witness, as tending
to confirm the genuineness of the writing, a
letter written by Parncll to Pigott, which
was not submitted to the experts because it
was private and confidential. Mcdonald
said that the Times statement
that knives and firearms were kept
in the league office in London
was based upon the information supplied to
the writer of the article in which the state
ment was made. He did not know directly
who wrote it and he was not bound to tell if
he did know. The editor of the Times was
responsible for the statements made in the
paper and, therefore, counsel was not entitled
to emand by force the names OF con
tributors.
AT this point of the proceedings Parnell
entered the court room and took a seat at the
solicitors table. AsGuith, counsel for Par
nell, urged that he was entitled to demand
the name of the author of the article, because
he was bound to test the truth of such a
grave statement. The court ruled that AS
quith was entitled TO investigate this matter
in order to ascertain the foundation of the
statement. Witness said he could not name
the writer without making inquiries. The
"Parnellism and Crime' series were not
written by one author. Several persons con-
tributed. He considered the request unrea-
Sonable.
Asquith asked the witness to obtain the
names OF the writers of articles in the Times.
Mcdonald appealed to the bench for direc-
tons whether he was compelled to answer.
Presiding Justice Harmon ruled that counsel
was not entitled to ask witness to make in
quiries, but might question him as TO any
thing within his knowledge in connection
with specific facts.
-,
Mcdonald finally said that Flanagan wrote
the articles that appeared on March z and
March 10, 1887. He had forgotten who
wrote the others.
Parnell's alleged letter to Pigott was then
produced. Presiding Justice Hannen asked
whether it was admitted that the letter was
genuine, and Sir Charles Russell replied
INC, no.o
Attorney General Webster then called an
English writing expert to the stand, where
upon there was IA sharp encounter, Sir
Charles Russell contending that justice de.
manded that the source of the letters should
be revealed before he was called upon to
cross-eXanine the experts.
Presiding Justice Hammer thought that in
quiry should now be made as to the source
of the letters.
Houston, secretary of the Loyal and Patri-
otto league, testified that the pamphlet en-.
titled "Parnellism Unmaskcdr was based
upon Pigott's information regarding Dewey.
In December, 1855, witness asked Pigott to
supply further information for newspaper
publication. Later Pigott went to Paris and
elsewhere. He visited Eugene Davis at
Lausanne, and wrote to tho witness that he
found him very bitter against the Parnell-
ties. Pigott supplied copies of five Parnell
letters and six Egan letters. Pigott returned
from America with n sealed let
ter, which he said he had OBJ
tanned from Breslin, and which
contained instructions to a person in Paris to
give up the letters on certain conditions.
Pigott went TO Paris repeatedly before he OBJ
tanned the letters, Witness showed the let
ters to Buckley, editor of the Times, who adj
vised him to see Mcdonald. III to the time
OF their publication he had not bargained for
payment for the letters, but he made iii con
dition that the Times alone should be respon-
sible for their publication. The witness had
nothing to do with the testing Of the sigma
lures, and was completely ignorant of the
process by which they were tested.