The Piggot Affair

THE PIGGOTT AFFAIR.

[BY TELEGRAPH.]
(FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT AT THE BLUFF.)

By the arrival of the R.M.S. Orient at Albany the following details of the flight and suicide of Piggott, the forger of the Parnell letters published in The Times, have been received: - The intelligence reached London on Saturday morning, the 2nd of March, of the suicide of Richard Piggott at Madrid, whither he had gone from Paris after his flight from England. He was travelling under the name of Roland Ponsonby, and it appears that he had telegraphed to London for money and assistance almost as soon as he arrived at the Spanish capital, which he reached on Thursday morning, the 29th of February, by express train from France. He was accosted at the station by an English-speaking interpreter of the Hotel Des Embazadores who engaged rooms for him on the first floor. After breakfast he went out, accompanied by the interpreter, to visit the museums, churches, and other sights. He seemed perfectly composed, and talked freely in English upon all sorts of subjects. The only baggage he brought with him was a small handbag, which contained very few articles. In the course of the day he sent a telegram to London to Mr. Shannon, at 58 Lincolns-inn-fields, Mr. Soames' office. The telegram ran as follows: - "Please ask Mrs. --- to send me what you promised, and wire to Roland Ponsonby, Hotel Des Embazadores, Madrid." Immediately upon its receipt Mr. Soames telegraphed to Chief Inspector Littlechild as follows: - "Have news for you, call at once." Inspector Littlechild called upon Mr. Soames, who handed him the telegram received by Mr. Shannon. At the same time Inspector Littlechild requested Mr. Soames not to disclose to any person under any circumstances the receipt or contents of the telegram, lest the ends of justice might be defeated. Mr. Shannon, who was leaving for Ireland, wrote out a letter which was to be dispatched in reply, denying the statement that any promise of money had been made. Before this letter was sent the police authorities requested that it might not be despatched, but that instead a letter should be written by one of Mr. Soames' clerks with the object of detaining Piggot in Madrid until he could be arrested. A letter was accordingly sent in the following words: - "68 Lincolns-inn-fields, W.C., 28th February, 1889. - Sir, Mr. Shannon has been called unexpectedly to Ireland, but will be back in a day or so, when he shall have your cablegram. - Yours truly, H.W. EDMONDS. To Roland Ponsonby, Esq., Hotel Des Embazadores, Madrid." In the meantime the British Embassy of Madrid was informed of Piggot's whereabouts, and the Madrid police on Friday afternoon, 1st March, made their appearance, and told Piggott, alias Ponsonby, that they would have to arrest him. At first he accepted the situation quite calmly, and having thus thrown the officers off their guard he was allowed to go into his bedroom and collect his luggage. While there he suddenly produced a revolver and shot himself through the head. The police reported the occurence at headquarters, and returned to the hotel accompanied by a judicial official, who made a formal note of all the surroundings, and took possession of the suicide's luggage and papers. Among those were a letter addressed to Mr. Labouchere, and a license to carry arms in Ireland. Deceased's head was horribly disfigured by the shot. The letter to Mr. Labouchere was dated Monday, and stated that the letters included the first batch sold to The Times were authentic, but that in the second bundle there had been included several forged letters, among them being two alleged to have been signed by Mr. Parnell, one by Mr. Davitt, one by Mr. O'Kelly, and one by Mr. Egan. Deceased expressed deep regret at the harm he had done, and desired to make reparation. He added that the greater part of his evidence before the Commission was false. Representatives from Scotland Yard were despatched to take over Piggott's papers and effects, and all formalities having been complied with deceased was buried in the civil cemetery at Madrid on the 7th of March.

Souce: Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 8339, 16 April 1889, Page 2