, 1889-04-03
PigOtE and L.
lDailu TsleorQph. Z March

the IOtIOW t1k interesting HN'E"NtNO ."
TTwth of how PigOtt was discovered to Oe
the forger of the TSsRes letters
Immediately on the Egan letters being
produced in the OD0nnel v. Walter case,
Mr.. Egan autographed to me that he was
sending me over Carey's letters to him.
These letters followed they referred to Q
municipal election, and being written rs
the same time as a forged letter Of Mr..
Egan to Carey, they proved cOncluslveiy
that the latter could not DO genuine.
Whilst the discussion was taking place III
Parliament about the Royal Commission.
Mr.. Egan again tplegrapled that he nad
been comparing the letters aScrlhet TO MIN
In the O'DOnnel trial with the Drafts OF
certain letters which he had written to
PigOtt about the purchase of the IrSsAnS0H.
and the letters aScribed to Mr.. Parnell,
with the copies of two letters written by
that gentleman to PigOtt III relation to the
sale, which copies were in his (Egan's)
possession. He said that h" had found
such u similarity Of phrases i'll the genu'
inc letters and in the forged letters that
he was certain that the latter we're tabrl'
caled from the former. An eniASaTy soon
after came over with the Egan drafts n
with Pig0tt'S letters Zone of which con
Cained that blessed word "heSItency"), TO
which the former were replies. ana Win
the copies Of Mr.. PArnelpS letters. OIe
of the drafts had been published previous
~ as part of a correspondence between
EgaR and Pig0tt in the FFc6"~G"s J0~r"0S
and the comics of Mr.. Parnell's letter,
we're in the handwriting of Mt. C"lnpoel''
Now it was absolutely impossible that the
similarlties, amounting III one case to
three consecutive lines, could be a mere
OGonnn 4 ,v,c fhnrnfnUa "a m4fhpInACis
cal certainty that PigOtt had forged the
letters, whilst it was obvious that Mr..
Egan's drafts were genuine. for they could
have been vt once diSprOyed if incorrect,
by PigOtt producing at tn" Investigation
the original Of them, which, it was TO be
presumed, he had in his possession. l
show ed the Carey letters to Mr.. PArneli
alone. and the Egan correspondence with
Pixott to Sir Charles Russell aud MT.
ParneIl alone, and then locked them up.
On Mr.. George Lewis being retained, l
handed them over to him, and he proceed.
ed to get up Pigotts ''rccOrd,', only u
portion amply sufficient to show that he
had lived for years on Matchmaking, for
gerry, and treachery.
went on 10 Germany, and there .
chance conversation revealed 10 me the
fact that the letters hal been offered TO
Lord harrington by Mr.. Houston, the
Secretary of the Loyal and Patriotic AS
SOciatiOn. Houston was, thu TefOre, ut once
%subp0naed. It later transpired that be
had offered them to the Pau MGU 0@Sesb
before he sold them to the ISHcs. Two
facts were consequently certain. Houston
had sold the letters, and Pigott had for
ged them. Although we were ourselves
certain of the latter tact, it was impossible
that, as we had only the drafts Of the gen.
uine Egan letters, it might be said Gas,
indeed, it waS said ny Pigott in the witness.
bOxJ that Egan had written his drafts
from the Hmes letters, instead OF the Times
letters having been fabricated from the
Egan letters. It, moreover, seemed III
credible that Houston bad bought the
letters direct from PigOtt, or that the
Times had bought them from Houston,
either KNOWN that they hal been pro.
cured by Pigott (fnr' Pigott's evil repntas
ton WAS nOtOriOus). or not knowing how
and from whom they hal been procured;
IL bacalna advi cable, therefore, to use all
efforts to learn whether the incredible was
true, or whether there had been % more
complicated conspiracy, and the letters
Originally issuing from the PigOtt mint)
had been transferred by him to some other
person or persons, who had sold them to
Houston. "''s'i '''.~ a' ~ ca
About the middle of October, Mr.. Egan
sent over here q trusty enniSSary, with or.
ders to- report to me, and see whether it
woNld nor be noSsible to buy Of PigUtt the