HC Deb 27 June 1881 vol 262 cc1378-9
MR. DALY

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether it is true that, on the evening of Thursday the 9th of June, Mr. Thomas Travers (at present and for many years past engineer to the Cork Gas Consumers' Company at Cork) was wantonly assaulted by five policemen near the site of the old Cork and Passage Railway Station at Cork; whether it is true that, on the occasion referred to, Mr. Travers was standing on a small bridge, the only other occupants being a few little children, and that, seeing the policemen about to cross the bridge, Mr. Travers stood aside to allow them to pass, when the police attacked him, knocked him down, and beat him cruelly with their batons; whether it is true that, whilst down and being beaten, one of the policemen stabbed him in the groin with his bayonet, inflicting a severe and dangerous wound; and, whether, if the above-recited facts be correct, he will take steps for the prosecution of the perpetrators of this assault?

MR. W. E. FORSTER,

in reply, said, the further inquiry which he had caused to be made had elicited no other information than that already given by him, to the effect that the police had no knowledge that the man referred to had been assaulted. The sub-Inspector reported that he heard no appeal for assistance at the time the bridge was cleared by the police, and had he heard such an appeal he would have attended to it. The hon. Member had observed that the bridge had been twice cleared, and that possibly the information he had referred to was the clearance of it when Mr. Travers was not there. He could not find anything, however, to support such a view, and the Constabulary reported that they were not mistaken as to the clearance. The bridge was cleared of a mob of persons. The Inspector had an interview with Mr. Travers, who said he appealed to Mr. Divou; but Mr. Divon must have heard his appeal if he had made it.

MR. O'KELLY

wanted to know whether the right hon. Gentleman denied Mr. Travers' statement?

MR. W. E. FORSTER

I deny it on the information I have received; but I do not doubt that Mr. Travers believes in the truth of his statement.

MR. DALY

remarked, that if the right hon. Gentleman had received his information from the same source as he did his first information on this subject, very little reliance could be placed on it.