§ MR. W. O'BRIEN (Tyrone, S.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Is it a fact that on the night of March 27th, an Orange drumming party, celebrating a victory over a Protestant Nationalist candidate at the Poor Law elections, paraded the streets of Caledon, county Tyrone, playing party tunes, firing revolver shots, and shouting "To—with the Pope and Popery!" and "No Surrender!" with a Poor Law Guardian named Naye, carrying a sword, at their head, and attacked, among others, the house of John Hughes, in which his wife and daughter were lying ill, and smashed the windows with stones; did they also attack the house of a very old woman named Sally M'Cann, and was her little grandchild, who was sitting near the window, struck with a stone on the head; did the Nationalists give any provocation to these outrages; is it true that the proceedings were witnessed by a sergeant and five policemen; did they make any attempt to interfere with the rioters; how many of the latter have been made amenable; did Naye, after the attacks on the Nationalist houses, address the rioters from the steps of his own hotel, and will he be prosecuted for taking part in a riotous assembly; is the band that caused the disturbance the band known as "Lord Caledon's Band;" and, did Lord Caledon, two days after the declaration of the poll at the South Tyrone election, withdraw his custom for horse-shoeing and blacksmith's work from John Hughes, on the ground that he had voted for the Nationalist 745 candidate, and did he start an Orange blacksmith in opposition to him; if so, will any notice be taken of his conduct as a Deputy Lieutenant, and will any steps be taken to stimulate the activity of the police?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Mr. JOHN MORLEY) (Newcastle-on-Tyne)It is a fact that on the night of the 27th ultimo Orange drumming parties, celebrating a victory gained at a Poor Law election, marched through Caledon. At one period Mr. Naye was at their head, but at that time their conduct was good. The police did not see a sword with Mr. Naye. Subsequently, having partaken of drink, the crowd commenced to behave pretty much as described in the Question; and for this conduct, so far as one can learn, there was neither excuse nor provocation. The proceedings were witnessed by a sergeant and four police men, who appear to have acted as well as they could under difficult circumstances in the face of a very large crowd. Owing to the fact that very few stones were thrown, that the night was dark, and the crowd large, the police were unable to identify any of the stone-throwers; but five persons have been made amenable, and will be prosecuted for rioting. It was previous to the attack on the houses that Mr. Naye addressed the crowd, and there appears to be no grounds for prosecuting him. I understand that one of the bands—there were three—is largely, if not entirely, supported by Lord Caledon, who since the election is stated to have withdrawn his blacksmith's work from John Hughes, and given it to a man who happens to be an Orangeman. I do not at present see anything in the allegation against Lord Caledon to justify me in submitting the matter to the Lord Lieutenant.
§ COLONEL WARING(for Mr. MACARTNEY) (Down, N.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether Mr. Naye was, on the evening of the 26th March last, dragged from his own doorstep and beaten with sticks; and, whether, on a previous occasion, Lord Caledon's private band, on coming into the town, was fired at from a place called Cull's entry?
§ MR. JOHN MORLEYThe only foundation the police can find for the statement in the first paragraph is that 746 on the night in question Mr. Naye was putting a man, who was disorderly, out of his licensed premises, and they assaulted each other when outside. A shot was fired on the 26th of February last from Cull's Entry after Lord Caledon's band; but it was not known by whom.