§ MR. HARRINGTONasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, At what hour on January 20th Horgan, the prisoner, touching whose death an inquest was recently held in Cork Gaol, was removed to the hospital; and at what hour on the following day did he die; whether there is in the book of the warder in charge of the prisoner at the time any record of his having applied to see the doctor between the 9th, when he first complained, and the 18th, when he was removed off the treadmill; whether, if the prisoner suffered at his entrance to prison, on December 29th, from any rough treatment received immediately before, the doctor of the prison did not treat him as an invalid; whether it is true that the doctor swore at the inquest that Horgan was a "strong, active, and muscular man at the time;" and, whether it is true that, at an inquest held in the prison a week previous 1165 to that on Horgan, the governor and doctor explained that their reason for not removing Mahoney to the hospital was, that the hospital accommodation was insufficient?
§ MR. TREVELYANThe prisoner Horgan was removed to hospital between 10 and 11 on the morning of the 20th of January, and died between 3 and 4 o'clock on the following afternoon. The warder's book contains no such record as is mentioned. The doctor, however, saw the prisoner on the 10th of the month. Horgan was not at first treated as an invalid, because he made no complaint of illness on entering the prison. It was, as I stated before, at home, before his committal, that he had complained of having been severely beaten and received internal injuries. After his death this was stated by his mother, widow, and brother, and it was mentioned to the Coroner, who, however, made no inquiry on the subject. With regard to the words attributed to the doctor, both he and the Governor state he did not use quite those words. According to their account, the doctor described the deceased as "a pretty muscular little man," and the Governor added the word "wiry." At the inquest upon Mahoney, referred to in the last paragraph of the Question, no one stated that the hospital accommodation was insufficient. It was temporarily somewhat limited, owing to repairs being carried on; but this did not effect Mahoney at all. The doctor stated that he was isolated for suspicious disease, and kept in his cell on that account only. As soon as the nature of the disease was recognized he was removed to hospital. From the inquiries I have made I have found that it was an acting medical officer, and not the permanent officer, who examined the prisoner Horgan on his committal; and as the Government are not satisfied that he proved himself qualified for such employment, they have directed that he shall not be employed in that capacity again. It also appears that the chief warder was not sufficiently careful to note the directions given to him by the acting medical officer, and he has been severely reprimanded. But there is no reason to think that the prisoner was prejudicially affected by the warder's action, which resulted only in substituting a class of punishment which experienced authorities 1166 consider a lighter one for that sanctioned in the case by the acting medical officer.
§ MR. HARRINGTONI beg to ask the right hon. Gentleman, whether, in the reply he has made, he has referred to the published reports of the inquest; and, whether he was not informed by the officials originally that Horgan was two days in hospital?
§ [No reply was given.]