Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-02-22
Pigott in a Corner.
He Doesn't Help The Times a
Great Deal.
HIS STORY A RATHER FIsHY ONE,

And the Cross Examination Makes 1t
More so-A Letter That He Didn't Look
for Arrives and Discredits Him Badly
Parliament Opens for Business and
the Preliminary Sparring Comes OF
According to Programme.
LONDON, Feb. 22.-The Times Parnell COM
mission has at last got to the man who fur
nished the alleged Parnen and Egan letters
-Richard Pigott, whose name was so fire.
quently referred to during the testimony Of
Soames and Houston He first appeared in
the witness stand Wednesday, when hs swore
that he had been a member of the I. r. B. q,
and that Parnell had also been a member
He further swore that Parnell had heard and
assented to talk of assassinating prominent
British statesmen. Thursday he resumed the
stand and told how he got the letters, saying
that he obtained them through Eugene Davis
whom he visited and told that he want
ed to write a pamphlet on the Land
league and needed documents substan-
tiated by signatures Davis at first refused
to assist Pigott, because the Fenians were
pledged not to interfere with Parnell until a
certain date Some months later Davis
agreed to give witness cartain facts and did
so, and witness took notes of Davis state
ments. Later he met man in Paris named
Murphy, having gone to Paris upon the re-
ceJpt OF letter from there. Murphy told
witness he had found some letters and wanted
81 900 for them, but finally took $500. Wit
ness then examined the letters Murphy
brought him, and believed the signatures to
several of them were Parnelrs Here he
identified six Egan and five Parnell letters
which have been produced In COURT
Pigott did not get the letters when he was
In Paris, ms Murphy told him they could not
be given up without an order from Breslin, at
New York, and that witness must go to New
York for the order. Witness went to New
York, bearing a sealed letter from Murphy
to Breslin in his pocket. He gave the letter
to Bresltn who in turn gave him one to MUIR
ply, and witness then returned to Paris,
where Murphy, after reading Breslin's letter,
told witness 1t was all right, but he must sec
other parties yet before he could deliver the
letters. The witness then proceeded.
]Two evenings later Murphy took me to a
cafe In the Rue st. Honore. He conducted
me to private room, where five men were
seated around table. These men, he said
represented the Clsn-na-Ga He made ne
swear on Roman Catholic prayer-book that
source from which had obtained the docu-
ments. also swore that l would not men
ton names, and that il any proceedings fol-
lowed the publication of the letters would
not testify"
He then detailed the story of the purchase
OF the letters aud Murphy's offer to purchase
them back again from him. He said that be
met Parnen and Labouchere at the latter's
house Parnel there accused him of forgery.
and Labouchere privately offered him q 900
If he would confess to forging the letters
Str Charles Russell took Pigptt in hand
and conducted bis cross-exarninatiCn
He made Pigott acknowledge that be had
made a statement declaring his disbelief in
the genuineness Of the Parnell letters, but he
denied that he forged them He also admit
ted that he wrote to Archbishop Walsh offer
ing to expose the whole conspiracy, but the
archbishop declined to proceed without the
mans, OF the forger bang disclosed
The letter Pigott had written TO the arch
bishop was produced 1t tells the archbishop
that there IS conspiracy to DESTROY the Par
nell party and that he Qhgott, can point out
how the conspiracy can be defeated. The
significant part is in the postscript, which
says: Il need hardly add that if drsamt
that the parties were guilty OF the charges /
should not press your grace TO shield them
The evidence against them Is in appearance
convincing, and probably sufficient 10 secure
conviction by an English jury"
The letter is dated March T. 1887, but Pigott
declared that it did not refer to the letters
produced in court, but TO some other matters.
what they were he could not now remember