The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-02-27


tected.
Il constitutes one of the most roman
tic narratives in the history of political
affairs. Without the evidence BY
which the conspiracy was exploded, tie
Times would undoubtedly win its case
notwithstanding the spuriousness
the letters.
HAD BEEN IN THE DARK.
Up to July of last year, Parnell and
his counsel and colleagues, w re wholly
q! sea, and every effort to discover LII,
forger and get at the bottom of the
case had proved futile. AT this time
the evidence was sent from the United
States by young Catholic priest, Rev
Father Dorney, of Chicago, to whom it
had been entrusted by Patrick Egan
and Alexander Sullivan, its eompilers.
Its value was inestimable, and no one
was aware of its existence save Egan,
Sullivan and Father Dorney, until it
was delivered to Parnel in person.
The discovery that Pigott was the
forger was made by Egan in Lincoln,
Nebraska, while Parnell and his detec-
tives and experts were vainly trying to
find clue in Great Britain.
EAGAN PERPLExED.
Egan was sorely perplexed by the
forged letters, fac SMILES of which he
got in the London Times. The sigma
lures to those attributed to him were
remarkably good. Expressions and
odd abrevietions peculiar to him were
in the text. He considered everybody,
who could possibly have been the for
ger, but could not arrive at conclu-
sion. He remembered that Pigott had
been in torgeries many years before,
but the idea that he might be concerne d
in these seemed absurd. In scru-
tinizing the forged fac SMILES, how
ever, he finally discovered that one
signed with his own name was written
ayoWedly at a certain address in Paris
and the recollection flashed upon him
that Pigott was the only man to whom
he had ever given it. F1gott had
written him asking for confidential
address to which he might send i'm
portant information and Egan, con-
Guiding to learn what 1t was, secured
this address which proved key to the
forgeries.
GOT HIM AT LAST.
Rgan, who is methodical in habit, had
saved his correspondence for years. He
searched his volumes of letters until he
found Pigott's. By comparing them
with the handwriting on the forged let
tiers he saw he had the forger.
He submitted the letters written by
Pigott to experts together with fac
SMILES Of the forged letters. They i'm
mediately detected the characteristic
peculiarities which we're confirmed
under a microscope.
Egan had Pigott's letters and the for
ceres Photographed, and started for
Chicago, where he placed all the papers
who ID also q solicitor. A brief was
drawn up by him and Sullivan in the
latter's Office in Chicago
PIGoTT FORCES All INVENTORY.
It related the chief incidents in
Pigott's career and showed he had
been q forger before. Years before
when Pigott tried to sell the Irishn,an
newspaper to Parnell and Egsn, he fur
nished an inventory apparently authen.
ticated by well known Dublin &C
coantant, showing the value of the
property. Egan proved that the inven-
tory was false and that Plgott had
forged The accountants signature to it..
Pigott was also caught in another
similar transaction. These facts Egan
committed to writing. He had, mean
while, ascertained the process by
which Pigott had made the spurious
letters. He found among his papers
some letters written by him, in which
entire sentences appeared that were
also in the forged letters. Pigott had
traced these sentences carefully word
for word, then he interpolated or added
other sentences or phrases, Completely
changing the meaning of the whole let
ter while preserving the integrity of
certain portions. The dates were also
changed to make the criminal interpol-
Iation applicable 10 illegal events.
Egan also found letters written by Par
nell which had been similarly used.
Photographs of al these and CT Pig
otis begging and BLACK mailing letters
were enclosed with the originals in the
package with the memoranda recalling
to ParnelI all the circumstances al
tending the writing OF reception q
each.
PRECIOUS TRUST.
This was a precious piece of luggage
the young priest conveyed to Parnell
Until it came, the Times case was as il.
vulnerable as it was fraudulent. Nc
hint of the contents of the package
ever became public until ParneIl him
self, in an interview he had with Pig
oft. in the presence of Labouchere anC
Lewis asked Pigott certain questions
which disclosed to the culprit tina
evidence had been secured against him
PIGo1T TUMBLEs.
Pigott either reported this to tia
Times or was watched by its detective
IL AnnnnI into pnrnnIlla nreannnp