MR. PEEL DAWSONsaid, he rose to ask the Chief Secretary for Ireland, Whether he can give to the House any additional information relative to the escape from the Meath Hospital in Dublin of John Kirwan, a reputed Head Centre of the Fenian organization, and whether any of the Police force who had the care of the prisoner are in custody under the charge of complicity in the escape?
§ CAPTAIN ARCHDALLsaid, he would also beg to ask the Chief Secretary for Ireland, If he has received a report of the escape from Meath Hospital, while under the charge of a police constable, of a man of the name of Kirwan, supposed to be a Fenian Head Centre, and if he is prepared to state the particulars of his escape; and if he is the same Kirwan who escaped from the police on two previous occasions?
LORD NAASsaid, in reply, that the report which had appeared in the papers was substantially correct. The police constable who had charge of the prisoner had been committed upon a charge of being privy to the escape. There would be an inquiry into the whole transaction, and till that had taken place he could not state what had really occurred. He was not prepared to say whether Kirwan was the same person who had escaped on two previous occasions. The prisoner was in the charge of the Dublin Metropolitan Police.