§ MR. T. P. O'CONNORasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether, on the 9th and 10th of March, a large force of police assisted in the serving of writs on the tenants of the Mountbellew Estate, and entered the house of an old man, who was lying ill at the time, and who shortly after died; and if, in view of this, and of fifty other writs of ejectment served in Galway County, and upwards of seventy at Ballyshannon, and of the enormous increase in the emigration from Ireland, he will introduce and demand urgency for a Bill similar to the Disturbance Bill of last year? He also asked for any information about what had happened at Sligo.
§ MR. W. E. FORSTERSir, I am informed that on the 9th of March a force of 51 police, and on the 10th a force of 30 police, were employed in protecting a process-server while serving notices on the Mountbellew estate. The only case in any way answering the description given in the Question was one in which a process-server was accompanied by three policemen only; they remained outside while he entered a shop to serve a summons. The old man who had been taken ill but a short time previously, and whose death was then expected, did not know anything of the transaction, and his death was in no way accelerated by the service of the writ. As to the other 50 and 70 writs mentioned the properties are not indicated, and I have every reason to believe they were not ejectments, but notices preparatory to ejectments being obtained at Quarter Sessions. I have received from one agent a letter which shows that these notices do not necessarily load to ejectment, as a large number of claims which were for arrears of from one and a-half to three years were settled before the sessions were held. The same remarks, I believe, will apply to the other writs referred to in the Question. With regard to the last Question, I will tell the House what happened. There were processes intended to be served at Clogher, in County Sligo, and the process-server left a neighbouring village under the protection of four constables. As he was going along the road about 20 women warned him to go back, and while the policemen were preventing the women from attacking him about 200 men appeared over the crest of the hill, flourishing their sticks, and when they came close to the party, they commenced throwing stones at the process-server and the police. Sergeant Armstrong was struck with a stone, and discharged his rifle, whereupon he was knocked down. Two of the policemen out of the four fired, and the other constables dashed in to try and save the process-server. One of the constables was knocked down, and very much beaten, and, I believe, has since died. The other constable was very much injured; but it is hoped he will recover. The effect of the firing was that two men were killed and two wounded. Probably the hon. Member will observe that the firing was in self-defence; of that there is the strongest 554 proof. The attack was made on the party, not during the service of the processes, but while they were on the road.