The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-02-23

lrlshman, the paper printed by PlggOtt, de-
pended upon his receiving this sum, as his
creditors were pressing him.
AT Presiding Justice Hannen's suggestion,
Sir Charles Russell agreed to read selections
from the letters, instead of the whole of
them; The witness continued that he
mad been IN straits since 1881, and had
anxiously turned to every quarter for
money. Sir Charles Russell produced
patch of letters written by Piggott to Mr..
Egan, including one written on Feb. %,
1881. In which the writer asked Mr.. Egan to
give him an address at which he could
write to Mr.. Parnell, with whom he wished
TO communicate on a matter of vital I'M
pOrtance.
but admitted that he must have written it.
He had not the slightest idea as to what
the important matter referred to was. On
being hard pressed, and after fencing, he
admitted that he must have received an
answer, but had forgotten whether or not
1t directed him to write under cover to
Madame Ruyer, No. SO Avenue de Viliers,
Paris
Sir Charles Russell read from a letter
from Piggott to Mr.. Egan, written Feb. q,
in which it was stated that ne [Piggottl
from two gentlemen who would call
upon and submit to Piggott a
Rey eame sfba bat declined i to svs thsir
names. They had an interview lasting sew
eral hours, during which they asked him to
publish statement, which was an out
rageous libel, about the spending of the
structed that its publication would do much
harm. He added that he was badly in want
OF $500 but would be satisfied with f400 in
addition to the f20O already sent in consid-
letter by saying: bad as am, 1 can truly
say that have always been true to those
who trusted me-" [Laughter.l The wit
ness said Egan did not send the money.
On March 9 Piggott wrote to Mr.. Egan,
giving an outline of the statement referred
to. He also stated in the letter that Mr..
Egan, would see that, if he [Piggottl pub
lished the statement, he would get f50O,
be, he would be compelled to accept the Of
fer, unless Mr.. Egan assisted him. On
March IL, Egan replied that he regarded
the letter as a threat and declined to pay
anything, even if he could. The witness
said he received letter from Egan on June
1s, 1881, in relation to the sale of the Irish
man.
Sir Charles Russell read Egan's draft of a
letter written on the fly leaf of Piggotts
letter The phrasing of the first thirty-eight
words was identical with the Tlmes's ver-
sion of Egans letter of June 1S, 1881, but the
dates in the text of the Times's version
We're changed to June 12 and June 15.,
The witness admitted that the similarity
was remarkable.
Sir Charles pressed the witness regarding
several similar reremblances in the phras-
ing of letters Egan had written to PiggOtt,
and letters Piggott had supplied Houston.
The witness admitted that assuming Sir
Charles's copies to be correct, which he would
not admit, the condolences were striking.
The copies. he said. might have been forged.
LII they were not, the coincidence could be
got over, because men were in the habit of
using the same phrases. If he wanted to
| forge document, having genuine letter
to initiate would assist him. He could not
he had never tried. Piggott admitted that
he misspelled the word 'hesitancy." in the
| witnesS-box yesterday. He believed that
the knowledge that the letter of Jan: Q,
fluenced his mind This letter did not
| come into his possession until the summer
| of 1886, so he could not account for the mis-
! spelling of ''hesitancy.o in his own letters
| prior TO that. After Parnell had declined
| to employ him Oh the staff of the Irishman
he asked priest named Meagher to inter-
| cede with Parnell.
Sir Charles Russell produced the wit
ness's letters to Meagher. and pointed out
| He then asked the witness if he was not
Piggott replied hotly: Under the cir
cumstances, no. It is scandalous that l
the letters er . II did Should not bs' be leTes lasss
Mr. Reid produced the letters written by
Piggott to Mr.. Forster sin which Piggott
asked loan. After much writing, in which
Piggott pleaded poverty, Mr.. Forster sent
| later, as matter of personal sympathy,
| Mr.. Forster loaned PiggOtt ESQ to enable him
to go to America. PiggOtt did not go, how
ever, but renewed his applications for
money, until Mr. Forster granted him an in
| terview.
Sir Charles Russell produced letter after
| letter, including Piggott's demand for a
loan of f20o to enable him to go to Australia,
everything. The commission then ad-
| JOurned.
| John Boyle O'Reilly on Piggott.
BosTON, Feb. 22-To a reporter last night
John Boyle O'Reilly said he was not sur
prised at Piggotts breaking down. 1t
would be surprising should he have been
able to stick to complex falsehood under
RusselFs cross-examination. THE collapse
and confession of this old and notorious
| rascal" said he, ''is the natural issue of the
trial. PiggOtt never possessed ability, and
for years he has been a wreck. Piggott and
Houston had hawked the letters around for
seven years, Offering them for sale to sew
eral persons, who rejected them as vile
fOrgeries. Without inquiring where or from
whom they had been obtained. without
examination or comparison, the Times
published them on the eve of
eion bill and to affect that vote:
The editor of the Times should be punished
for this malignant libel; the criminals who
concerted OF used it should be made to pay;
the agency which employed PiggOtt, and
which now has detectives in America offer
ing thousands of dollars for perjurers of q
similar stripe, deserves a heavy sentence
and the contempt of men,"
Peter O'Neill Larkin. a lawyer and we'll
known Irish Nationalist, said he had
| charged the forgery upon Piggott in the
Boston Globe on April %, 1887. His belief,
which amounted to conviction. was
founded on his impressions of Piggott
| formed from personal knowledge his we'll
known attempts to black-mail the National
party i'm Ireland, his attacks on the Land
and National Leagues in McMillan's Maga-
zine, and other sources of information
which he did not care to speak of.
| DISASTERS IN THE EAST.