Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-10-25
EGAN REPLIES TO MacvFAGH.
He Denies That He Wa. an Embexri~r of
the Irish Funds.
The following has been given to the press Of
the country:

Inc iohoVinS nas been given to the pgess Of
the country;
GusEY House..
NEW YonK, Oct al. 1891
Mr.. WAYNE Nacveagh Philadelr hia, Pa:
Sir perceive ty the daily papers that at
meeting held in Cooper Union, under the aus
pieces OF the Democratic Club of New York
you. a renegade from your party, as YOU are
shid TO be from your people and your creed, at
tempt 10 palliate your apostacy BY undertaking
to do that which the London Times with it
battalion Of testimony chief among which was
the notorious pigott, failed to aecomplish-to
be-mirch my good name
With the adroitness of q police court petit
logger yon. under the pretort of referring to
something that somebody else said, assail me,
first, a. "a swindler" who "failed to account
for very large trust fund placed in his charger
second. you say, lit WAS well known at Wash
ingtoH when he was appointed what the charges
wore. and that he had led the country to avoid
arrest and trial on II very serious criminal
ch1rge third Won describe me a. "a sham
patriot and fugitive from criminal justice "
to which Won are pleased to add that YOU we're
great surprised aud Disguised to find such a
man selected to represent the country In a high
Diplomatic post" and that YOU not only re-
asserted your statement that nv apr DIN tAlent
was an insult to Chile" but that YOU considered
II also insult to every self-respectirg Irish
man In the United States"
] shOuld treat those coarse and cowardlv in
suits. coming they do from one Of the last
straggisrs Of the retreatIng knownothings. who
md that there IA no place for them in the re-
prbliran party. with The same contempt that I
have shown for all attacks made In the English
aud American pro-British press. we're it not
they we're spoken at q meeting at which fig
uIed vice presidents L. f. Gilroy. William
l.. Grace. J. J. % Donughue, John d. Grim
Minis. John g. skeehan and others and that 1t
IL reported that your words were received with
"!oud cheering
1 would neither be surprised nor ANNOYED
that YOU should launch out into those ignorant
cHlumnies On the contrary, under ordinary
cIrcuni staaUes. I should feel greatly enter
tanned but am amazed and panied to think
That the Gilrovs the GTaces the O'Donoghues
the CriHIruiusss and the sheehsns should have
meanly "a; in Cooper Union and patiently lis
toned TO you.
am convinced that In the entire ranks OF
the republican party there could not be found
"a single mHn who would make upon the charac-
ter Of any Irish American wanion, foul and
unfOuudedan attack ~ Won have made upon mo;
but II such a one could be found and he should
under similar circumstance assail In like
manner. in nv presence. any Of the gentlemen
j have named vii. simply say that there would
not be In New York city any hall sufficiently
large 20 contain him ard me | would publicly
bring him to order and either he or i should
leave the building.
In your great desire TO as.ail me Won have
been found. | perceive to fall back entirely
u~on my connection with the national move
ment in Ireland
To the Irish race here and In the old land nv
course Of conduct IL that connection needs no
vindicstion; To my rnaiigner either side Of
the Atlantic | make no explanations. In nv
. ~ fTfsTt liz
not one single act that would take back not
one that have 20 apologize for.
For the information of my American friends
who NAV not be AL courant with the matters to
which ,Our slauderous attacks refer / will say
First. The very Large trust fund" that you
mention. and in connection with which you
dare TO apply To me the term "swindler," was
the Land League fund, which amounted to one
and quarter Millions of dollars, of which, from
1919 10 the end of 1882. had the distinction of
being the treasurer. Upon resigning the posi-
ton and turning over TO NV successor the bal
ance Of the fund the auditors, Mr.. John Dillon.
NJ. p, Rev. Eugene Sheehey and Nr. Ma:her
Harris, NJ. p, IN their joint report, after stat
ing particulars OF the accounts, said: ave
cerufv that every item of said expenditure has
been fully and satisfactorily vouched and we
have pleasure in bearing testimony to the sys-
tenatic aud strictly business-like manner in
which the accounts and record Of said funds
have been kept BY Mr.. Egan." In addition to
the balance of principal | turned over to my
Successors the sum OF five thousand four hun
dred ponds and fifteen shilling5 sterling,
about S23. 900. which | had realized a. interest
and ITgfi;s on Investments, while giving nv
whole time for two years gratuitously to the
league.
Second. There never WAS a formal charge
made or a warrant issued against me By the
English government, the only criminal
charges being those made by the hostile press.
l. a. a..
inal charges were fully Investigated bv the
Iarneil- Times commission in 1859, with the
result shat fiCott confessed 70 the forgeries
and committed suicide: accCmpllce OF his
tine next day, when he learned the fate OF hi7
principal, dropped dead in the streets of Lon
don. he attorney general OF England Sir
Richard Webster a. lending counsel for the
Tunes on the 25th of February, 1889 wi .hdrew
and apologized for the forgeries. and the Tunes
neat day, III the course OF a leading article,
aPol"gized for their publication IL the follow
ing terms MY. IarEell having in the witness
box stated that the letters attributed TO him
were forgeries, we accept in every respect he
truth Of that statement. In these circum-
stances we deem il right to express our regret
most fully and sincerely at having been In
duced TO publ h the letters in question ~
Mr. lsrnels 3, or 10 Use them in evidence
against him. This expression of regret. We
need hardly say. includes also the letters falsely
attributed to Mr.. Egan, Mr.. Davitt and Mr..
Okeliy." The London Times lost BY this
tire Transaction. in damages and costs. the
enormous sum OK Gig. 900 81, 100. 900. Three
months afterWard Mcdonald. the principal of
the Tunes syndicate. died from Worrying. and
for two years the ''1lunGerer' paid no diyi-
dend To its stockholders.
Third. With regard to being "a sham pa
triot and fugitive from criminal Justice"
am fully content 20 leave the fret uart Of this
charge to the judgment Of INV Irish-American
fellow citizens and to the second part plead
guilty. Yes. ! was at one time a fugitive from
terminal justice" in the me way precisely a.
were Thomas Adds Emmett; Richard Mae
Nevin. Richard O'Gorman. Thomas Francis
Neagher, John Mitchell and SO many others
and am sincerely proud of having been so.
twill doubtless be news to YOU to learn tina.
very soon after nv arrival in this country las a
fugitive from cr,mina! Justice WAS elected at
q convention held in Fanueil Hall, Bosom to
the honorable position Of president of the Irish
National League OF America. which organiza-
ton during NV term OF two years sent TO Ire
land the sum of $3.50. 900. and that from Ireland
there was forwarded TO me to the United States
In lssz presentation of a costly service OF sill
yer, accompanied by fattering address signed
BY Charles Stewart Psfnell, Justin Mccarthy.
Michael Dayitt, John Dillon. VIM. o Brien and
By all the other Irish national party and all
Thu. too after had fed the country to avoid
arrest and trial very serious criminal
charge" and had failed to account for a very
large trust fund placed In my charge"
In contradis:inction to those mug ump opin-
so loudly cheered by the democrats at Cooper
II MI r,x,ts L. .