Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-05-02
Parnell a Witness.
The Irish Leader Testifies in
His Own Behalf.
HIS POSITION GIVEN IN DETAIL

Connection with The Irish World, Mooney
Party--He Used Their Money I'm His
Constitutional Agitation, but Repudi-
ated Their Views-Ingenious Interpre-
tation of the Remark Accompanying Q
Contribution.
LONDON, May 2.-Parnelrs appearance in
the witness box took place Monday, and he
has been there each day since His direct
examination was long, and its result was a
categorical denial of the charges made
against him. Characterization began
Wednesday, and was conducted by Sir
Richard Webster
Parnell denied that The Irish World had
ever collected moneys for the Irish parlia
mentary party The paper, he said, had been
hostile to himself aud the Irish party since
1882
The Irish World and Mooney.
Sir Richard Webster here produced ex-
tracts from The Irish World praising the
actions of Parnell in parliament after 1882.
Sir Charles Russell produced extracts from
the same paper adverse to Parnell.
Parnell admitted knowing Mooney, other
wise known as Transatlantic He did not
know whether Mooney contributed to the
parliamentary fund. Mooney wrote violent
articles, still witness would not object to re-
ceiving Moneys tributes to the fund if he did
not publish articles advocating murder
Witness had held no communication with
Patrick Ford since 1881.
No Coalition with FenIans.
Parnell emphatically denied that his Irish
schemes ever included coalition with the
Fenians in order to expel landlords from Ire
land. He certainly aimed to destroy land
lordism, but not to drive in
dividuals from the country, and
never had any idea of resorting to illegal
means He did not recollect meeting Davitt
and John O'Leary in 1878 and discussing with
them possible alliance between the Nation
alists and the Fenians He had no notion
that the national fund in America and the
| skirmishing fund were identical
John Devoy's Manifesto.
Attorney General Webster mere read vio-
lent manifesto signed by John Devoy and
others and issued at Dublin. Parneil declared
that he had never heard II it before He had
met Dewey, Breslin, Finerty, and Alexander
Sullivan and a number of physjcal-force men
He said he would frankly avow that he felt
1t was no part of his duty to ex-
clude any one from the league on account
of his antecedents. He wanted to in
clude in it all Irishmen. trusting that every
section would accept the new constitutional
form of agitation. He had aimed at asking
the physical-force men to abandon their
movement and accept his. To shut the con-
stitutional door in their face because they
did not Immediately agree would have been
very foolish.
The Speech at Lynn, Mass.
He did recollect making speech at Lynn.
Mass, in which it was alleged he had said
that when England was beaten to her
knees the time would have come
to realize the idea of the Nationalists.
He admitted that il he had used those words
he must have been thinking of methods of
warfare In the event of constitutional agita-
ton failing. At Troy somebody offered him
"$5 for bread and $50 for lead" He did not
object to the offer because he thought the
offerer only meant s. for charitable work and
$40 for league work This statement caused
laughter. The commission at this point ad-
journed