The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-02-22
Indications that the Great Exposure Promised
by Mr.. Gladstone in His FOlkestOne Speech
Cannot Be Much Longer Delayed.
Full Details of the Circumstances Under
Which the Letters We're Procured.
Everybody Wanted Money in Large Amounts.
and the CredulOus 'Times" People Appear
to Have Promptly Met ALI the Demands.

bling of the Parnell commission. to-day,
Richard Piggott was again called for ex-
animation. He testified that in January.
1886, he had two or three interviews with
Eugene DAVIS at Lausanne. The witness
told Davis that he required material for a
pamphlet on the league, and that the
documents procured must be substantiated
by signatures. The next day Davis said he
had carefully considered the matter and
could not comply with the request. because
the Fenian Brotherhood was bound to Mr..
Parnell not to interfere with his move
ments until the expiration of a certain
period. Several months later the witness,
at the suggestion of Mr.. Houston, revisited
Lausanne and again saw Davis. Davis
still adhered to his refusal to i'm
part information until the day
the witness left. He then proposed
to Davis to write the pamphlet and fix the
sIoO to give the principal facts. Davis did
so, and the witness took rough notes of
DavIss statements. Immediately after
ward the witness wrote a detailed account
of the interview at the hotel at Lausanne,
on hotel paper. He gave Mr.. Houston the
copy that was read yesterday. The witness
had not seen Davis in London since. In
consequence of a letter which he received
from a friend in Paris early in April. 1885,
the witness had conference with Houston
and then went to Paris. He remained in
that city week or more before he learned
anything. Then he was accOSted on the
street by man giving the name of Morris
Murphy, who said he had been acompositor
nize the man, but saw no reason to
doubt his statement. They cOnversed for
some time, and subsequently met
again, when Murphy said he had not been
able to ascertain anything about the docu..
ments. A week later Murphy said he had
found the documents in a bag. He de-
scribed the bag to the witness, and said 1t
contained five or six of Egan's letters, some
of ParnelIs. and some old accounts. The
witness said he was authorized to find the
documents, and asked the price for their
surrender. Murphy at first wanted f1. 900.
but afterward said he would take f500.
The next day Murphy showed the witness
the bag and its contents. The witness read
not actually copy the letters. .Piggott here
identified six letters of Egan's, five of Par.
nelFs, including the letter fac-simile of
which appeared in the Times. and
scraps OF accounts, which were pro.
duced in court as the contents of the bag.
Piggott said he did not know Mr.. ParnelPs
writing when he looked at the bag. He
knew his signature. He believed that the
signatures attached to the. letters weIs
those of Mr.. Parnell. He had no idea as t1
not know Mr.. Campbell, Mr.. ParnelPs seek
retary, and had never seen his writing.
The witness returned to England and saw
MIR. Houston. who. after consideration. said
manded for the letters. He returned to
France on April 20, 1886, and told Murphy
that he would accept his offer. Murphy
said that agents of the Clan-na-Gael from
New York, claimed the letters, and in order
to obtain them it would be necessary to go
to New York to obtain authority from the
heads of the Clan-na-Gael. Murphy sug-
gested that the witness go. The wit
ness was strongly opposed to going,
knowing that he would incur great danger.
After long discussion, Murphy told the
witness that it would be utterly impossible
to obtain the letters unless the witness
went to New York. The witness consulted
with Mr.. Houston, and went to New York.
had given him letter. He had not known
Breslin before the meeting. He did not
know what Murphy's letter contained: it
was sealed. The interview with Breslin
lasted five minutes. Breslin met him half
an hour after his arrival. He told him that
he had received cable dispatch from Paris
lnstructing him to meet the witness. After
few remarks he handed the witness
sealed letter, which he said the witness was
to tnssI deliver onn.; to MURPHY in Paris The The
and told Houston what had occurred. He
believed the letter contained authority to
deliver the bag. I went to Paris on July
10 and saw Murphy at the Hotel st. Peters
1T was all right, but he explained that he
could not give me the letters until he had
seen other people. Two evenings later
Murphy took me to cafe in the Rue st.
HonOre. He conducted me to private
room, where five men were seated around q
Clan-na-Gacl. He made me swear on q
Catholic Prayer-bOOk that under no cir
Gums distances would i reveal the source from
which had obtained the documents. l
also swOre that would not mention names,
and if any proceedings followed the publi-
cation OF the letters that would not tes-
tify."
.Piggott did not get the documents that
night, Houston had said that he would
take the documents on PiggOtt's descrip-
ton without coming to Paris himself. but
Pigg0tt pressed him to come. The witness
detailed the purchase of the letters and
Murphy,s offer to repurchase them, corrob-
Grating HOuston's testimony ON this point.
The witness had nothing to do, directly or
indirectly. with the writing of the letters.
The suggestion that forged them is quite
untrue" he said. The witness knew Z Egan's
Writing and signature, and was convinced
that Egan wrote the letters ascribed to
him.. Murphy was displeased with the re-
fusal to return the letters. He said he
would prefer to pay Piggot himself some-
thing rather than to lose possession of the
iceeOhc. hO "IthCoc odN IldytS, Tic pTeSl-
dent of the 81. r. b." and Casey, Fenian,
in Paris.
Sir Charles Russell here objected to the
admission of evidence as to what passed be-
tween Hayes and Casey and the witness.
After long wrangle Mr. Davitt rose and
said that he had seen Casey and Hayes in
Paris since the appointment of the commits
sion.
Piggott, resuming. said he first heard of
the existence of other letters at the begin.
ming of 1888. His informant was Thomas
Brown, member of the Clan-na-Gael.
Hayes introduced Brown and the witness
In the Cafe ROyale, Rue st. Honore Paris.
Brown produced the letters, and the wit
ness sent to Houston copies of two of Par
nelPs and one of Egan's. Piggott had not
the slightest doubt that the 81 gnatures were
genuine. In July, 1888, he heard of other
letters. A person in Paris, who declined to
reveal his name, offered to surrender them
for $500. He was paid f200. of which sum
the witness received ESQ back. Piggott
denied that he had forged any part of the
second or third batch of letters. He de-
stroyed Houston's letters when he changed
his address in 1887. The witness, previous
to Houston's taking him to Mr. Soamess
office, had been subpGnaed by Mr.. Lewis,
of counsel for the Parnellites. Piggott con-
tinued: "A man named O'Brien visited me
IN Dublin. under the alias of Sinclair. He
said that Parnell had sent him TO try to get
me TO assist Egan. Mr. Labouchere, he
said, was acting for Egan, and would pay
me very high price il had any letters of
ParnelPs to sell. Sinclair suggested that
should see Mr.. Labouchere in London, and
gave me s5 with which to pay my passage.
In compliance with a telegram went to