Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-02-21
FOREIGN AFFAIRS.
The Court Room Crowded at the Sitting
Of the ParneIl Commission.
Mr.. Houston Tells an Interesting story-what
The Pail Mall Gazette's ''Modern Baby
lon'' Articles Cost
PARSEEL COMMISSIONS.
Mr.. Houston of the Irish Loyal and Patriotic
League Cross~Examineti.

League CFoss~Examineti.
LONDON, Feb. 20.-When the Parnell
commission met this morning the court
room and its precincts were crowded.
Parnell was present.
Mr.. Houston, secretary of the Irish
loyal and patriotic union, was further
cross examined. He said ne destroyed
Pigott letters TO him in accordance
with an agreement made between them,
sthat they were intended for the witness
eye alone and were not to be used pub
lfcly. Up to the time the witness went
to Paris Pigott had not given him the
names of any persons connected with the
Times. He did not consider that a
knowledge Of the men from whom
the letters were obtained was
important in connection with
the question of their genuineness. The
witness said his part was done when the
letters were obtained. He accepted them
without securing any means Of testing
Pig0tt 3 statement in event of their
genuineness being questioned, because
he understood it was useless to attempt
to make complete case and further
inquiry would only wind UP himself. He
had no means whatever. of testing any
L
were left in a bag found in a room in
Paris. The witness showed the
letters to Lord Harrington and asked
his advice as to their disposition,
but his lordship refused to advise him.
He did not offer the letters to the Pail
Mall Gazette. He saw Mr. Stead,
editor of the Gazette, before he obtained
possession of the letters and asked him to
make up the matter which would lead to
the disclosures. Mr.. Stead said he had
lost $4,000 by the publication Of the
modern Babylon articles and he
would not like to touch anything else
unless he knew it would be successful.
When witness visited Paris he had no
genuine specimens of either Parnell's or
Egan IS writing. He accepted the letters
solely on Pigott s word. elf, - said
the witness, "Pigott had been needy
or fraudulent enough to attempt TO com
NIT perjury, my action would have as
sisted him, but do not admit that he
was either. Pigott' s interviews with
Labouchere shook my faith in him, and
my mind was not easy until he had
signed sworn declaration. Z" The witness
further said that he might have told Mr..
stead that Sexon and Dillon were impli-
Gated in the PhGnix murders, but if he
made by Eugene Davis to Pigott, copy
of which was produced by witness. He
did not know where original was. Ten
days before the commission opened Pigot6
wrote him an abusive letter, demanding
that after giving testimony before the
commission he should be given $4,000.
Houston said Pigott told him to whom
several OF the letters were addressed; he
did not think Pigott's statements were
very accurate because Pigott only re-
peated what other persons had said. Be-
tween October 1886 and 1888 he paid
Pigott goo, but the Times paid bills
from May, 1887. He understood that
Plgott obtained a second batelf- of
letters from the same friends
that supplied the first batch, but
he did not inquire about the
matter. He did not think it strange
that the second batch was not obtained
earlier. Prior to November Pegott in
formed witness that Whylehan, Tulla-
more solicitor, had called upon him and
informed him that a gentleman from
America wanted to have an interview
with him in London. He did not say the
came from Egan. Whylehan |
asked Pigott if he had any of Egan s let |
tiers, as he was prepared to purchase
IhOld eiL q uA-H kAlSC' 1SOlt3 lS |
wrote to witness, demanded $4,000 and |
said he had been coerced in Mr.. Soames
office into making Il statement under |
false pretenses. Houston said the sug-
gestion that he destroyed .Pigott s letters
because they cast doubt upon the genu-
ineness of the letters published by the |
Times was without foundation. He de-
stroyed them because he believed if they |
were allowed to exist and were published !
the lives of certain persons would be at |
the mercy of certain assassins.