MR. O'CONNOR POWER (for Mr. PARNELL)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether his attention has been drawn to the eviction of Thomas Leonard, of Carrowan, Bohola, county Mayo, who was evicted, with five in family, by Mr. Malachy Tushy, of Ballintubber, Castlebar, county Mayo, on May 13th, who, with his family, have been sleeping in an outhouse where the rain comes in, as the police patrol the grounds at night to prevent them from sleeping in the house, and they are in consequence living in the yard attached to it; and, whether the police have a right to move persons by force from an empty house of which the door is left open?
§ MR. W. E. FORSTER, in reply, said, that the Constabulary authorities had 983 informed him that Thomas Leonard, with his wife and three children, were evicted from his holding on the 13th of May for non-payment of rent. He was a sub-tenant, and was evicted at the same time as the tenant. He slept in the house of his brother-in-law. His family slept in the house from which they were evicted, and none of them slept in an outhouse. In reference to the question of the police patrolling the grounds at night to prevent them sleeping in the house, they did not patrol on that account, but on this account. The night after the eviction, 13 head of cattle, the property of the landlord, were driven off the farm, and were recovered with great difficulty. On the same night his herd's house was attacked by a number of armed men, who took the herd out of bed, brought him outside, and cautioned him not to look after anything belonging to the tyrant, or they would come back and finish him.