The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1889-02-16
PIGOTT'S PRICE.
SOames, the Times Witness, Continues
His Story Of the Purchase Of
Irish Documents.
A Sensation in Court Caused by a
Statement Rejecting on the lnteg-
rity Of Parnelrs Friends.
Another Times Employe Tells What the
Paper Paid Him for the Lctters-Par-
neil's Different signatures.

LONDON, Feb. l5.-Parnell was present
at to-day's session Of the Parnell commits
sion. Soames, solicitor for the Times. was
further cross-examined. He offered In
evidence a schedule OF all the signatures OF
Parnell he possessed. He said tina. Par
nelps writing varied considerably, and
produced letter In which Parnelrs name
was written six different ways. Justice
HAnnen ordered the letter be photographed.
Witness denied he had heard Plgott and
the league clerk he had interviewed in Ire
land had grievance against Parnell :,
Pig0tt made a statutory declaration. So
licitor Lewis offered him n thousand
pounds II he would swear he forged the
letter said 10 have been written by PArnell.
The Times paid Pigott only forty OF fifty
pounds, Witness had Pigott watched and
traced him into the company OF Labou-
chere He paid Houston, secretary OF the
Irish Loyal and Patriotic Union altogether
fSOOO. No bargain was made when the
letters were first brought 10 the Times
their genuineness was to be tested first.
Soames said Pigott told him OF inter-
views be had with n solicitor and Labou-
chere: The latter sent Pigott several ten
pound notes. Pigott showed witness a let
ter from Solicitor Lewis, accusing him
lPigott) OF having admitted he forged the
letters and his reply, whereupon witness
required that statutory declaration be
made In which Pigott detailed all the COM
munications between himself and Solicitor
Lewis, including an offer OF fl,0O0 by
Lewis on behalf of Labouchere, II he would
swear he had forged the letters. This
statement caused sensation). Pigott did
not tell him OF the correspondence he had
had with Archbishop Walsh, of Dublin,
regarding the letters. lie never heard OF
this correspondence until he heard II mem
toned In court last evening.
Soames said man calling himself VIII
son wrote him Offering 20 give information.
lie recognized the writing as that OF q man
named OBrien, an emissary from Egan TO
Labouchere. He had O'Brien watched. At
LAb0uchere's Instance O'Brien was sent to
Dublin 10 see Pigott The men following
OBrien traced him TO Labouchere's and
Pigotts houses; then traced Pigott TO the
Labouchere. O'Brien was known In
America as Robertson. IL was Robertson
who deluded Detective Moser with letters
which since had been admitted 70 be for
geries. Kirby was sent 10 America 10 pro-
cure from Sheridan the original Parnell
letter, fac smile Of which was published
In the Times.
Soames said II the Parnell letters were
forgeries then the writing OF the others
Davitt and 0'Kelly, OF Tyrone, must have
been forged. The body OF the six disputed
Parnell letters was In the writing Of Camp
bell.
Macdonald, manager Of the Times. de-
posed that In October, 1885, be got FIVE Par
nell and six Egan letters. He stipulated
their authenticity must be tested before
the payment OF any price. When the
0Kelley and Davitt letters had been tested
he gave Houston 1,Is0 the exact
sum expended In gaining possession
Of them. Witness had asked about the diff
ference In the body OF the letters and the
signatures, and Houston told him IL was
the practice OF the leaders Of the move
| ment for one 10 write a letter, another sign
and third address the envelope. The
bodies Of the Parnell letters were all more
OF less written In disguised hand, except
| one letter dated kllmainhan. Witness had
heard the letters were offered to Lord Har-
tington before they were offered the Times.
Witness was convinced the letters were
genuine.