Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-02-28
SULLIVAN'S STORY.
The League President Tells How the Evil
dence Against Pigost Was Secured
The Credit Is All Due to Esnn

The League President Tells How the Evil
dence Against Pigost Was Secured
The Credit Is All Due to Esnn
Home Rule Coming.
CHICAGO, February 27.-In conversation
to-day Mr.. Alexander Sullivan, speaking
in relation to the discovery Of Pigott as the
forger of the Parnell case, said:
have but little to add to the version given
in your report this morning. In the main it
was correct. The errors are merely as to de-
tails. The package which Father Dorney car
ried was not addressed or delivered to Mr.. Par
nell, but to Mr.. Labouchere. Father Dorney's
travelling companion was Father Edward j.
Dunno. of this city, and not Father Herbert
Dunn.
The credit for the discovery is due exclusively
to Patrick Egan. No other man living who is
not member Of the Times conspiracy could
have exposed the crime and unveiled the
criminal, and few other men would have the
keenness, the persistence and the ability to that
good work IL the material had been at their
command. It is difficult to conceive how a man
could be placed in a more trying position than
that occupied by Mr. Egan before the discoy-
cry. Some of the worst letters were charged to
him. He read them over and over again, recog-
nized their wonderfully accurate imitation OF
his writing, and their still more wonderful and,
II possible, more accurate reproduction of his
style Of composition.
FAMILIAR SENTENCES.
Many sentences were so familiar to him that
he could almost remember that at some time
he wrote them. Yet following those creatures
of his brain which he recognized were others
of which he had no recollection, which he
could not explain, for whose association with
the preceding ones he could offer no explana-
tion to a court or jury, except a denial, and a
charge against some unknown person OF for
Rvr%% %Iaca fnI radh hrrc 60
tences as genuine as the first ones; and their
horribly accurate production of his own
thoughts clothed in his own language was
enough to make him doubt his own sanity.
He knew he was innocent as an unborn babe
of the folly and criminality with which he was
charged. He knew his friend and leader, Par
nell, was equally innocent of the folly and
criminality of which he stood accused. But
Egan felt that ParneIl and the others were on
the ground near the places where the crimes
were committed. Being there, something
might occur. some exposure might be made.
must be helpless. What could a man do
who was 1000 miles away from the place where,
according to all ordinary reasoning, any service
must be rendered?
Egan believed that If he was on the ground
he could hear whisper, detect a movement or
glance which might enable him to vindicate
Parnell and drag forth villain. He paced his
room and his office and racked his brain, won
dering who could be the person capable of so
mastering his chirography and his mode of ex-
preston. At last the secret Paris address
secured at Pigott's request when he wanted to
send Egan a blackmailing letter, was attached
to one of the forged letters.
A FATAL CLEw.
The c1ew was furnished. The means chosen
ate Pigott's request 50 enable him to try to
blackmail Egan became in Egan's alert mind
and willing hands the weapon which destroyed
the knave and conspirator. So, it came TO pass,
that EOan tho with hia
served records and correspondence, his good
memory, his shrewdness and his devotion,
which was strong enough to convert skill into
genius, was able to say:
stand forth, Richard Pigott. You, the
thief, forger and blackmaiIer of old, whom I
had almost forgotten, are the forger of this
great conspiracy"
"Let me ask you, Mr.. Sullivan" (" said the
reporter, what part you had in the good
work?"
Simply this: Mr.. Egan came to me with the
letters-genuine and forged-the photographs
and his own recollection the brief or history
was prepared. This so stated and explained
the documents that when placed in chronology
ical order the case was SO clear that its clear
ness amounted to demonstration. After this
was completed my responsibility began, for
Mr.. Egan said:
"You must now take the load on your
shoulders. rely upon you to select man who
elated and have unexpectedly accomplished SO
much that begin to fear may make some
mistake" and laughingly, he added, II will
hold you responsible for the safe delivery of
the package"
CHOOSING A PATRIOT.
I then remembered that Father Dorney had
left the city several days before that with
party of priests who were going to Europe. An
inquiry of his father brought the information
that the patriotic young priest was still in New
York, and that the party would sail on the fol-
lowing Saturday. That settled the question.
That name needed no csnvassing. No ques-
tions had to be asked about his brains, his judg-
ment his courage, his fidelity or his patriotism.
He was the mana man to whose keeping one
could safely entfust his very soul. 1 said to
Mr.. Egan:
Father Maurice ]. Dorney sails from New
York next Saturday. He will carry the pack.
age. If he lives the package will be delivered
to Labouchere. If he dies Father Dunno will
deliver it for him. Nothing but the sinking of
that ship will prevent that package from reach
ing cur friends"
I willingly bore the responsibility of that se-
lection. Mr.. Egan took the first train to New
York, and found Father Dorney awaiting him
in the depot, as he had been requested by tele-
graph to do. He accepted the trust and as
the world now knows, executed it faithfully.
But we spent some anxious hours until we got
the cipher message from Dorney which meant:
I arrived safely and delivered the package.
Since then, we who know the facts have
been jubilant. But each of us had to flock by
himself and celebrate in solitude, fearful that