Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-02


lished correspondence. He shows that the
Times tool, included begging letter writ
ing among his other pursuits Mr.. Egan
intimated that further surprising disclos-
ures may yet be made. He prophesies a
speedy victory for Gladstone.
CHICAGO, March 1.-Mr. Patrick Egan
arrived in this city from Lincoln this morn
ing. He is en- route to Washington to wit
ness the Inauguration of President Harrison.
Shortly before his departure this afternoon
reporter met him in the Office of Mr.. Alex
ander Sullivan. Mr.. 'Egan's attention was
called to the published statement Of DR..
McCahey, of Philadelphia, impeaching the
accuracy of the London cablegram on the
daY of the exposure.
The statement of DIR. McCahey was to the
effect that Messrs. Egan and Sullivan did
not make the exposure, and that Father
Dorney did not carry the papers to London,
but that they were taken over by Mr.. Rob-
ertson. Mr.. Egan declared that DR.. Nc
Cahey's statement was altogether wrong,
and was promulgated from hearsay. The
story as given was correct with few minor
and altogether unimportant exceptions. He
said:
DoRNEY THE MAN.
In fact, the documents were arranged in
order, and the accompanying brief prepared in
the very room in which we are now sitting;
that is, in my friend Alexander Sullivan's Of
fee. Mr.. Sullivan. at my request, selected the
messenger, Rev. Father Dorney I placed the
package in Father Dorney's hands in New
York. and he delivered it to NJ. Labouchere in
London, and helped to make the statement
clear to Messrs. Labouchere, Parnell, Lewis
and Russell.
Mr.. Egan here produced the original of
letter written to him by Pigott in 1888.
which, he said, had never been published.
By way of predatory explanation he said
that in October, 1881, Mr.. Parnell and him
self bought the hiShn1dn, a newspaper, from
Pigott. After the transaction Pigott
fought in every way to retain place on
the paper, saying that he would take any
position at any salary; but he was refused
any connection with the paper, because
they knew that Pigott's object was to use
his position in an illegitimate way.
Egan was certain of this from his knowl-
edge of the man, as having had occasion to
publicly expose him for his attempt at
blackmail in threatening to publish in the
Irishnldn fictitious accounts of receipts and
disbursements of the funds of the Land
League, contributed In this country and
elsewhere.
PIGoTT's PLEA.
1t is to these matters that Pigott refers in
the appended letter. The DR.. Sigerson re-
ferred to was at the time a leading writer on
the Lrishman. The letter is as follows:
II VESEY PLACE
KINGSTON, January 80, 1888.
DEAR SIR-Dr. Sigerson, it appears from
to-day's papers, having received Government
appointment, is, presume, no longer eligible
as editor for the IriShnlG7. If this is so,
have the temerity to solicit appointment to the
vacant position. After what has happened
you Will not consider this request as highly
pres9mptp0us l have, however, acquainted
solve me from responsibility for certain things
which have been falsely laid to my charge and
can only say that if you will favor me with
an interview hope to also make you sensible
of the fact that 1 have, on the whole been
more sinned against than SHINING"
Faithfully yours,
Referring to Pigott's method of raising
money when he was "hard up" Mr.. Egan
gave some interesting gossip which puts
new side light on the character of the polit-
ical forger. This is what NAV be termed the
anonymous letter racket" Mr.. Egan
said:
He was in the habit of assuming a Grabbed
uncultivated handwriting, such as an unedu-
Gated person, or one unaccustomed to writing,
W.
He wrote the Archbishop anonymously that
he knew of a family in very Strengthened cir
cumstances: that they were in urgent need of
help; that they were all good Catholics, but
that they were surrounded by influence which
were tending to lead them away, and that, un-
less they were looked after promptly, there
was danger that they would be lost to the
mother church.
BEGGING LETTERS.
Well, suppose the Archbishop is in the way
of receiving many such appeals, so he paid no
attention to it. "Dick'' followed it up with
letter in his own name, detailing the same
story, and he probably got something out of
the Archbishop. And he tried the same game
with me, too. I first received a letter
telling me to beware of Dick Pigott; that Dick
was in great need of money; that he wanted TO
be honest and do the right thing, but that he
was sorely tempted; that he was offered lot of |
money to publish set of fictitious accounts of
the Land League; that his necessities might |
drive him to do it, and that he had better see to
it that he kept out of such straits.
AS that did not suffice, he wrote me long |
blackmailing letter setting forth that he had |
been offered money to help him out of his diff |
fculties if he would publish a false Land |
on the stand, when one of my genuine letters |
was placed before him-his saying that it had |
probably been forged since the publication in /
the Times for the purpose of being palmed off |
as genuine.
Fortunately, however, it would not have |
amounted to anything, even if ''Dick" had |
stood by his story and faced it out to the end,
for the falsity of it could and would have been
shown. When the terms of the sale of the /
ITiShmdn had been agreed upon, wrote to /
Parnell telling him to put the matter into the |
hands of an attorney and have the trade closed |
in due form.
EASILY PROVED.
In that inclosed Pigott's last letter and my
q
Parnell sent the whole correspondence to the
attorney, and, after the letters came out in the
Times, l remembered the circumstance and
wrote to the attorney, who found it among his
old files. Furthermore, it chanced that the
very letter which Pigott charged as forged by
me at the necessity of the case was published
in the FFeenudn's Journal years before
So we had our case intact and, if Pigott had
persisted in his story, we would have had the
testimony of that attorney to the fact that the
letter had been in his possession for years, and
the files of the Freemdn's Journal would have
shown the publication of the disputed letter
long before the Times began its fight
"Do you believe that Pigott originated
the scheme, or that he was hired to do it?"
asked the reporter.
1 believe that Dick concocted the whole plot
alone: but also believe that he sold the Times
people the goods which they wanted to buy
The Times did not expect TO get into the sort of
hearing which is now on. The supposition was
that Parnell would bring libel suit in the /
way in court. Then he would have 4
had to go on the stand and merely swear that 4
he never wrote the letters published. Then the |
Times would have been enabled to put expert
had wanted to, to swear that the writing was
that of Parnell. In the face of this, an English
Jury would never have taken Parnells word,
and would have given verdict against him
They had no idea that he could demonstrate
their falsity
COMING FVFNTS