The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1914-05-09
Pigott and Parnell

/: / lSOCI GILL
T. P. O'Connpr writing in Harp
er's Weekly tells the. story of the
forgery of Pigott and his attempt to
destroy Parnell. His forgeries were
sold to the London Times" The
following is Mr.. O'Connors account
of Pigott.
Pigott found an Ell Dorado whose
treasures were as Golconda to him in
comparison with anything he had
ever seen before. The Times news
paper had carried on a fierce. bril-
liant. and damaging campaign
against the Irish leaders. and espe-
cially against Mr.. Parnell. It's OBJ
ject was to destroy Parnell, and, in
destroying him, to destroy the
mighty and irresistible movement of
which he was the head. And this
object could be attained if in any
way it could be shown that Parnell
had direct participation in any of
the terrible events by which the Irish,
like all revolutions, had been accom-
panied. One crime stood out in ter
rible relief. AS is we'll known, Lord
Frederick Cavendish. going over to
Ireland on a mission of mercy and
reconciliation, was murdered in
Phoenix Park, along with Mr.. Burke,
the permanent under-secretary for
Ireland. 1t is difficult at this time of
day to realize all the worldwide hor-
ror which this crime created. For a
time it shook the Irish movement to
its very foundations. and not only the
movement, but the life of Parnell
was in danger. But the tempest
blew over for a year. and then it
was revived in all its horror, and
perhaps even increased in it's violence
by the revelations made by Carey,
who. having been one of the organic
ers of the dreadful conspiracy of
which the Phoenix murders were the
outcome. had turned informant and
revealed to the Mortified and start
led world the CHASTITY interior of the
whole terrible story.
He Forged and Forged.
The Times felt that its story had
at last received confirmation, and it
began soon to hint that other and
more terrible revelations were COM
ing. For the Times by then had got
into communication with Pigott, and
Pigott suddenly found himself in the
position of being able to command
sums which to him were beyond the
dreams Of avarice. by the very SIM
pie method of forging letters and
signatures. He forged and forged,
but apparently both the appetite and
the purse of the Times were mex
haustible. and he went on with more
forgeries and getting more money
until at last his gains from this
sands of pounds.
At last. on the morning of the day
Wnen tne second reading of cOer-
cion bill was about to be put to the
test of a division in the house of
commons, the thunderbolt fell on an
astounded and Mortified world. The
Times published letter bearing the
signature of Parnell and indicating
sympathy, if not connivance, with
the Phoenix Park murders. Never in
the history of British politics was
there revelation which seemed des-
tined to transform so utterly an en-
tire political situation and more GER
tain to bring to earth mighty fab
ric wrought by hands so potent as
those of Gladstone and Parnell. For
by this time Gladstone had taken up
the cause of Parnell, and had COM
mitted great British, as we'll as
the Irish, party to the cause of Home
Rule.
Reckless. penniless, greedy of ap-
petite and money to satisfy it, Pigott
may have hoped that he could escape
the final Nemesis.