Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-02-23
Sir Charles: "Did you bslieve ther'

Sir Charles: ''Did you believe there
Witness: ssNo." This caused laugh
ter. Reid produced letters from Piggott
to the late VIM. e. Forster. then Chief
Secretary for Ireland, dated June 2, 1881,
in which he offered Forster paper which
he said would break up the League for
Ell 500. Witness said that the existence
OF The Irishman. the paper printed by
Piggott, depended on his receiving this
sum, as his creditors we're pressing him.
Forster, on June 5, refused to accept the
offer.
At presiding Justice Hannen's sug.
gestion, Sir Charles Russell agreed to
read selections from the letters instead Of
the whole of them.
Witness continued, stating that he
had been in straits since 1881, and anx-
iously turned to every quarter for
money.
Sir Charles Russell produced batch
of letters written by Piggott to Egan, in
cluding one written on February %,
1881, in which the writer asked Egan to
give him an address at which he could
write to Parnell, with whom he wished
to communicate on a matter of vital i'm
portance. He also stated in the letter
that Egan would see that if he (Piggott)
published statement he would get G500,
and that whatever the consequences
might be, he would be compelled to &C.
cept the offer unless Egan assisted him.
On March 18th, Egan rerlied that he re-
garded the letter as q threat, and de-
clined to pay anything even if he could.
Sir Charles Russell read Egan's draft of
q letter written on the fly leaf Of Piggott's
letter. The phrasing of the frst thirty
eight words was identical wit
the Times version of Egan's
letter of June 1S, 1881, but the dates in
the text of the Times version we're
changed to June 18th and June 18th.
Witness admitted that the similarity was
remarkable. Sir Charles pressed the
witness regarding several similar resem-
blances in the phrasing of letters Egan
had written to Piggott and the letters
Piggott had supplied to Houston. Wit
ness admitted that, assuming Sir Charles
copies to be correct, which he would
not admit, the condolences were strik
ing. The copies, he said, might have
been forged, If they were not, the
condolences would be got over, because
men were in the habit of using the same
words. Piggott admitted that he mis-
spelled the word "hesitancy." In the
witness box yesterday, he be-
lieved that the knowledge that,
in the letter of January 9,
1882, he had similarly misspelled the
word had influenced his mind This let
ter did not come into his possession un-
til the GUNNER of 1886. He could not
account for the misspelling of "hesitancy"
in his own letters prior to that. After
Parnell had declined to retain him on
the staff of The Irishman, he asked a
priest named Meagher to intercede for
him with Parnell.
Sir Charles Russell produced the wit
ness letters to Meagher, and pointed out
further resemblances to the Times let
ters. He then asked the witness if he
was not ashamed of himself
Piggott replied, hotly: "Under the
circumstances, no. 1t is scandalous that
1 should be thus questioned. l did not
forge the letters. If 1 had, should not
be here"
Reed produced letters written by Pig
gott to Forster, in which Piggott asked
loan. After much writing, in which Pig
gott pleaded poverty, Forster sent him
G100 as private loan. Some time later,
as matter of personal sympathy, For
ster loaned Piggott ESQ TO enable him
to go to America. Piggott did not go,
however, but renewed his applications
for money until Forster granted him an
interview. Sir Charles Russell pro-
duced letter after letter, including Pig
gott's demand for loan of G200 to ena-
BILE him to go to Australia until witness
became dazed and forgot everything,
The Commission then adjourned.