THE TIMES & PARNELL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9147, 31 August 1888, Page 6

THE TIMES & PARNELL.

INTERESTING WITNESSES. LAND LEAGUE INFORMERS. ABUNDANCE OF EVIDENCE. London, July 20. There baa been a rumour this week that Frank Byrne, as well as Tynan, has turned informer, and that provided a safe conduct be guaranteed him, he is prepared to come forward and give evidence on behalf of the Times. Whether this report be true or not I cannot say, but it is certainly accepted by the bulk of the Nationalist members. They allege that Byrne is an impecunious man, who has been bought over by the Times, and that he has a spite against Mr. Parnell which he is anxious to gratify. Mr. Egan has also telegraphed over to Mr. Labouchere avowing his willingness to come forward and give evidence for Mr. Parnell, and to produce all the correspondence between himself and the notorious James Carey, provided he, too, receives a safe conduct, but there are whispers even in regard to Egan. It is said that Tynan, Byrne, and Egan, after having been in reduced circumstances for some time, were observed, about 18 months or two years ago, to be in the possession of funds, and it is suggested that the gold of Printing House-square has been circulating amongst them. Nothing is known in England as to how Byrne and Tynan have been supporting themselves in the States; but as regards Egan it is said that he is engaged as a cornfactor in Nebraska. Before lie quitted England for his " health," he Mas a traveller for a firm of Dublin corn merchants, and he found this peripatetic employment very handy in enabling him to extend the branch organisations of the Land League. Byrne, besides being in the employ of the British section of the Land League, was a penny-a-liner, and used to send " pars." round to the newspapers. Doubtless he finds this line of industry rather overdone in America, and is therefore open to make a little money by other means. Should the inquiry before a Commission under the terms proposed by the Government become an accomplished fact, the Times will be forced to disclose the sources from which it obtained the incriminatory letters alleged to have been written by Mr. Parnell ; but inasmuch as all persons appearing before the Commission will be protected from legal proceedings, civil or criminal, save perjury committed in their evidence, it is thought there will be the less objection on the part of the leading journal to do this. The Times receives almost daily fresh offers of evidence from all sorts and conditions of men and all corners of the civilised world. These are causing the leading journal a good deal of trouble, because it is obvious that every offer requires to be carefully investigated, lest it should contain a snare. The Timesisquite satisfied with the strength of its case as it now stands ; but of course it would not be wise to reject useful and reliable additional evidence.