New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-02-27
THE CONSPIRACY LAID BARE.
HOW THE FoRGERIES AND PERJURIES OK
PIGOTT WE'RE DETECTED.
A WONDERFUL PIECE OF INVESTIGATION Bs
WHICH PARNELL WAS vINDIoATED, AND.
"rHE TIMEss" CASE BROUGHT TO
NAUGHT.

NAUGHT.
Iondou. Feb 2s-From a gentleman high in aus
thority in the prosecution Of the Parneh Times
case a representative of the Associated Press
to-day heard the true story Of how the conspiracy
AGAINST Parnell was detected. IL constitutes oue
of the most romantio and extraordinary narra-
tivcs in the history Of politics The evidence by
which the conspiracy was exploded was sent to
London from distant point in the western por-
tion of the United States Without this evidence,
complete in detail and invincible at every point
The Tines would undoubtedly have won, not
withstanding the spuIiousness of the letters
Up to July of last year Mr.. Parnell, his counsel
and colleagues were wholly at sea. They sur
missed conjectured, investigated clews AID found
each of them false. They knew the letters were
forged But the forgeries were so adroit and
the text Of the letters, to say nothing OF their
penmanship was so like the habituai phraseoiogy
of both MIR. Egan and Mr.. Parnell that 1t was
clear the crime had been committed by so0e
one having access to the correspondence OF both
But although the most astute detectives and the
most ingenious of English solicitors were in the
case, every effort to discover the forger proved
futile and Parnen and his oonfdants were, II
not hopeless at least depressed and disheartenee-
BEARERS OF PRECIOUS MESSAGE.
One day last June young rish-American priest
the Rev. Maurice j. Dorney, VI Chicago. accom-
panied by the Rev. Herbert Dunn, Of the same
city, sent his card IN to Mr. Parneil at the House
of Commons. When they met Father D0rney
informed Parnen that he had package to deliver.
which had been placed in his hands the night be
fore he sailed from Ncw-York. 1t contained. he
said. the evidence that would reveal the forgeres
and identify the forger of the letters prloted In
The Timesn The circumstances under which ne
came to be the bearer were singular and almost
accidental He received telegram from
Alexander Sullivan, OF Chicago. whose name has
60ured prominently during the trial, asking him
to meet Patrick Egan at railway station IN New
York the night before he was to sail for Liver.
pool He did so. Egan said he had come d.
rectly from Chicago, where he had been in con-
snltation with Mr. Sullivan. They had deter
mined, after they had got the documents and
their history in form, to select trustworthy man
to carry them to Parnell. Sullivan learned thss
Fathers Dorney and Dunn were to taLe the
steamer that Saturday for Liverpool, and ne Sc
lected Father Dorney to bear the message sr.
Egan was met at the station by Father Dorney,
who was told of the duty that had been imposed
upon him. They sat up ell night
pARYELL DEEPLY AFFECTED BY THE NEWS.
The priest learned the whole story and was
able to make it clear TO Parnell. lie told Parnei
he had carried that package with more sohcituoe
than if it had been millions, for II II were lost
all the gold the Irish race could send to help him
in his trial could not replace it. He expressed 70
him the anxiety of Egan and Sullivan for the
safety OF the package. and when its real nature
and inestimable value became apparent to Parnell,
the Home Rule leader deeply affected The
depression which had been visible on his pale face
for months began to soften and during the recital
Of the story he yielded several times to emotion.
When the story itself was over he asked with
painful apprehension how many men In the United
States knew what the package contained. Father
Dorney replied that only Egan, Sullivan and HIM
self were familiar with it, but that Patrick Ford,
of The Irish World" would be taken into con-
fidence by Egan. Psrnell was delighted He
feared that some one knew who might indiscreetly
tell the story to warn The Tines
A series of interviews followed, participated
In by Father Dorney, Parnell, Sir Charles Rus
sell, Lewis and Labouchere.
EGAN's FIRST SUSPICION OF PIGorr
The discovery that Pigott was the forger was
made by Egan in Lincoln, Neb., willis detectives
and experts were vainly trying to find clew
in Great Britain. Egan writes that be was sorely
perplexed by the forged ktters, fac-similes Of
which ne got in The Times The signatures
Of those attributed to him we're remarkably good
Expressions and odd authorizations peculiar to
him were in the text lie considered as o possible
fcrger each Of several men whom the Parnellites
suggested or suspected But none Of them could
have had letters from him which would have
made the spurious concoctions possible. He re-
called Richard Pigot but he had been so long dead
In politics and covered with accumu ulated
shame that Esan dismissed him from his mind.
lie remembered that Pigott had been engaged III