The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1905-12-09
A e,e2vERDlcr.
Gen. Patrick Eaan Awarded $2syooo
Against the Sun.

General Patrick Egan, formerly Chill
ian Minister, has obtained verdict
| of $4,000 damages against the New
| York Sun for libel.
The cast was tried before Justice
Truax and jury in the Supreme
Court last week.
! The story is briefly as follows: In
March and April, 1887, that old-time
enemy Of Ireland, the London Times,
anxious to destroy the Irish Parlia-
mentary party under the leadership
of Mr.. Parnell, accepted and published
the series of letters written by the
notorious Richard Pigott under the
caption of "Parnellism and Crime"
The climax of the infamy came in the
publication, in April 1887, by the
London Times, Of an alleged letter of
Mr.. Parnell, explaining away and
apologizing for his bona fide manifes-
to condemning the assassination, bet
ter known as the phoenix Park mur-
DER" of Lord Frederick Cavendish and
Mr.. Burke.
The Parnellites, and notably Mr.
Parnell himself, in the House of COM
mons, demanded that the Times
charges be investigated by a commit
tee of the House. This was refused,
but special bill was passed provid-
ing for the appointment by the late
Queen Victoria of a royal commission
of three judges. Judges Hannah,
Smith and Dey were appointed. They
sat from September, 1888, to Febru-
ary, 1890, and heard all the concoc-
tions of the rcorger, Pigott, the notori-
GUS spy, LIE Carron, and the volumi-
nous testimony employed and sub
orned by the Times.
The commission finally reported
that the Pigott charges were forgeries
The Attorney General for England
then Sir Richard Webster, who acted
as leading counsil for the Times
shocked by the disclosure of the for
geries, publicly apologized in open
court to Mr. Parnell, Mr.. Michael Da-
witt. Mr. Patrick Egan and Mr. James
]. o'Kelly, which apology was fol-
. lowed the morning after by leading
editorial in the Times embodying and
{ emphasizing the apology made by the
: Attorney General for England in open
court.
Perhaps the most important ques-
tion which the commission had tc
pass upon was whether the "Invinci-
BILE" oganization which was involved
in the Phoenix Park assassination
was not branch of the Land League
and paid out Of the Land League
funds. Mr.. lIgan was then the treas
urer of the Land League. The COM
mission found:
'"That there was no foundation 70,
this charge; that the Invincible were
not branch of the Land League, or.
ganized by the Land League, nor paid
out of the Land League funds"
In September, 1902, the Sun pub
a ilshed two letters, one purporting tt
be written by Bryan Murphy, and the
second by Thomas Brennan, in which
statements were made impeachinl
Mr.. Egan's integrity as treasurer Of
the Land League and charging thai
he paid the Phoenix Park assassins
out Of the Land League funds, ant
p further that while serving as United
States Minister to Chill he almos
q brought on a war between this coun.
try and Chill in order to serve hi.
personal interests.
Mr.. Egan demanded that the Sur
retract the above statements. It re.
/ fused to do so, he contended, but pub.
] lished, he declared, in mutilated form
: his letter, from which had beer
3 stricken out the statements that the
e Murphy and Brennan letters were for.
e geries. The Sun also failed to publish
4 a letter from Thomas Brennan, o.
: "Catalpa" fame, in which he indig.
: nantly disclaimed the authorship o,
3 the letter published by the Sun ovel
his name. Mr.. Egan then entered
y suit against the Sun, which, as ha.
been stated, came on for trial las
week in New York, Colonel Frank.
lin Bartlett appeared for the Sun, an6
declared that the defendant would
stand upon the question of whether
e it had not the privilege of criticizine
public man, and also pleaded alb.
sence Of malice. Ex-senator Albert
3 A. Wray, Stephen Callahan and Rich.
r ard K. McGonigal appeared for Mr.
/ Egan.
, Judge Truax charged that the ar.
, ticles complained Of were libelous pei
Sc, and that If the jury found the Sur
81 guilty Of malice in the publication.