THE TIMES-PARNELL COMMISSION.

Otago Witness, Issue 956, 16 May 1889, Page 10

THE TIMES-PARNELL COMMISSION.

(Pee Press' association.)

London, May 7. ■ Mr William O'Brien, M.P., and Mr X Harriugton, M.P., who were released from imprisonment in order to attend before The Times-Parnell Commission, ' arrived iri court this morning. Mr Hartington was dressed in prison clothes, having refused to put on his ordinary dress. The cross-examination of Mr Parnell wa3 continued. Witness explained < that in the year 1881 a speech delivered by him, and quoted by the Attorney-general, referred to Ribbon organisations. • He said that he had never heard that the .league had paid lOOgs towards the defence of moonlighters at Cork in 188 i', but upon the Attorney-general reminding him that the 1 subject was discussed in Parliament in 1882, Mr Parnell said he had heard that the defence was paid for by a league cheque in the case of Connell, who i shot Leary, and admitted personally paying for t/he defence of some men charged with the committal of serious crimes. > Mr Parnell in his cross-exainihati6n ad- ! mitted having made 1 advances on behalf of the leagae from his private funds, and the court directed the production of the bheques, j pointing out' that it was dearly the>4uty of Mr Parnell to search , for and 'produce these documents for 1 the satisfaction of- 1 the sbench. Witness declared that Patrick Ford garbled his American speeches when publishing 'them in the Irish World, in order to 1 convince the readers of that paper that his (ParnelTs) views were extreme. He had never I stated this before; Mr Parnell also* admitted that when speaking in 1881 he was aware Davitt had reported the existence of dangerous secret societies in the west of Ireland, but he had never denounced secret' societies. Leaguers might join the Clan-na-Gael without treachery to the league, but they would be traitors if they advocated the use of dynamite. Re-examined by Sir C. Russell, witness stated that Ford advocated and collected funds for dynamite purposes in 1883 and 1884; but he veered round in 1884. He was afraid the outrages were the Work of the lower class of Fenian and Ribbon men. - ' , , " ' May 8. MrParneU's cross-examination was continued before the, commission to-day. He agreed to produce his sepretary Campbell's shorthand .notes iof letters dictated to him, Sir E. Webster stated that witness' cheques showed payments had been made,' to M'Ca&ery and Curley { Invincibles, ,andi other suspects confined in Kilmainham Gaol.' Mr Parnell explained that these, payments, were made before the suspects were charged with any offence, and rebuked his counsel, Sir C. Russell, for not seeing that all the documents bearing- on the point were produced. Further cross-examination was adjourned until, these .' documents could be obtained. Archbishop Walsh was then called, and deposed that the Irish Bishops now encouraged their clergy to assume a responsible position in the league. He considered the Land and National Leagues were a defensive necessity . The Attorney : general objected to witness giving his opinion, to the effect that the league had caused reduction in crime ; and Sir James Hannen, president of the cpmmisI sion, ruied that an abstract question as to the working of ' the .league was inadmissible, and facts only must, be stated. May 9 Sir Charles Russell .apologised to Sir James Hannen for his oversight in not having the document^ in readiness necessary to enable the cross-examination of Parnell to go on. , / Archbishop Walsh's examination was continued. He gave it as, , His' experience that the league had diminished crime in Ireland., The seGret societies after Parnell's arrest were now virtually extinct in rural districts. He said that he abominably , hated the articles jn the Irishman!' and disapproved of many of those in United Ireland, and he admitted he had never denounced boycotting, but considered intimidating by force most reprehensible. He disapproved of Parnell's advice to the people to shun men who took farms from which tenants had been evicted. He also .objected to publishing a black list of persons who refused to join the league. , May 10. Before the Times : Parnell Commission to-day, Father Considine.was^examined; and stated that the National League had never brought to justice, ,any .person .-»^rho had committed crime.", Hei,adjpittedV saying in, £$50 that every wretch >wjio .refund, ito join ,the deserved to.gp, to cqld^.dead dat^nptjiQa. • Father Conßidine, then wsh^ dri to "desc'Sfle !,&$ .distr^ed^ -condition of, tenants jiving ,Maaro,' and, (^aid ( . that their houses rvere, Vrpr^.tha^Tith^^jk^nnels^iftnd; stables of wealthy landlords. No attempt

whatever • had been made to, alleviate their misery; and neither Lord t)illon, who is an eSctdnsive land owner in .Mayo, nor his predecessor had ever- seen' one 1 ' of four thousand five hundred 'of r th4r tenants on the estate. He admitted, haying' encouraged priests, to "become ,'memb,ers,;of, the league, and urged them to , maintain its legality.' The suppression of -the league had, he said, caused a revival of; secret societies. He dis- t approved of boycotting, and' shunning men as if they were lepers. .