PATEICK EGAN ON THE LAND LEAGUE FUNDS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XI, Issue 5, 25 May 1883, Page 23

PATRICK EGAN ON THE LAND LEAGUE FUNDS.

(From the Irith World.) Rbpobteb. — How about the Land League Funds and tb« Invincibles 1 Mr. Egan. — The story of our contributing towards that conspiracy is most certainly not true. Not a penmy of Land League money was evei supplied for such purpose. On the contrary, money was ex* pended in preventing outrages to the extent of sending men to localities where there might be danger of attempts against landlords. By that means very many crimes were prevented. Among those who owe their preservation to the Land League are Lord Ardilaun, formerly Sir Arthur Guinness. But for its protection he would have fallen a victim to the harsh treatment of his tenants. The game of the Castle officials is to connect the Land League with the commission of outrages, and thus to damage the National Party. To accomplish this they will stop at no villainy, however black. lam informed that one of the conditions on which they accepted the evidence of the informer Carey was that* he should incriminate me, and through me, the Land League. He failed to come up to this requirement and I suppose his bribe will be cut down. lam informed that a leading Castle official said they would spend £50,000 to hang Egan. Reporter. — What about the charge of misappropriation made by Lady Florence Dixie ? Mr. Egan. — Lady Florence Dixie has been led, through her, craving for notoriety, to become the mouthpiece of Richard Pigott whose own statements would receive no attention. In April, 1881, Pigott wrote to me that he had been offered £500 by Castle officials to publish a statement in his paper, The IrUhman, alleging misappro* priation of Land Leflgue funds. He said he needed money, and threatened to accept the offer unless I sent him £300. Of course, I refused to do this, and defied him to do his worst. Subsequently a pamphlet, the manuscript of which was in Pigott's handwriting, was set up in type for Lady Florence Dixie. She became frightened at the serious charges it contained against the leaders of the Land League, and gave orders that the few copies printed should be burned and the forms broken up. I secured one of the copies, and all the charges made since by Lady Florence Dixie are those that were then made in the pamphlet. Of course they are utterly false. My accoanta have been thoroughly audited by John Dillon, the Rev. Father Sheeny and Matthew Harris. No complaints have ever been made by the actual subscribers to the Land League Fund. The balance of the fund on hand at the time of the National Conference in Dublin, in. October last, was £31,900. Reporter. — Is that money still on hand ? Mr. Egan. — It ha's been increased by some small amounts received afterwards, and out of it there has been sent to the Lord Mayor of Dublin for the fllansion House Committee for the relief of evicted tenants £4,000. There has been expended by a committee composed of Mr. Parnell, John Dillon, and Arthur O'Connor, £2,500 for the relief of evicted tenants. Some other small amounts have also been expended. There is now on hand between £25,000 and £26,000, all of which is invested in American securities in the names of five trustees.