HC Deb 13 May 1884 vol 288 cc166-7
MR. SEXTON

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, What has been the result of the report made to the Colonel in Command at Athlone respecting an attack upon a dwelling House in that town by certain officers of his regiment; whether, with reference to the statement that Captain Beckett, R.M. had no concern in the affair, and did not know of it till some days later, it is true that Constables Leddy and Mahoney, of the Local Constabulary Force, escorted him home from the scone of the outrage immediately after its commission, and stayed knocking at his door for a considerable time before he procured admission; whether Captain Beckett went, at a very early hour the following morning, to the House which had been attacked, arranged that no complaint would be made of the outrage, gave the servants ten shillings each as the price of their silence, recovered possession of the laced cap which one of the officers had left upon the street, and restored it to the owner; whether Captain Beckett paid the cost of repairing the broken fanlight and drawing-room window; and, whether the Government will institute an inquiry on oath into all the circumstances of the case?

MR. TREVELYAN

I am unable to answer for the military authorities. Any inquiry as to their action should, I think, be addressed to the Secretary of State for War. With regard to the rest of the Question, I have received a further report from Captain Beckett, in which he says—"I can only indignantly repeat that I know nothing whatever of the matter;" and he goes on to characterize in strong terms as utterly unfounded the imputations made against him. The Government place implicit confidence in Captain Beckett's denial, and there are certainly no grounds for instituting an inquiry on oath on the strength of what, as far as appears in the Question of the hon. Member, is an anonymous accusation, the truth of which is empatically denied. Should the hon. Member adduce any reliable truth of the allegation, of course I shall be always ready to give it attention.

MR. SEXTON

I would ask the right hon. Gentleman upon what principle he, in reply to a definite Question, will accept the unsupported word of Captain Beckett without interrogating the two police constables mentioned in the Question, a number of servants, and some ladies residing in the town who are acquainted with the circumstances?

MR. TREVELYAN

Since no information has been laid before the Government from any responsible person either through an hon. Member of this House or otherwise, they could not well proceed to make an inquiry. Without such information the Government cannot proceed with an inquiry into the conduct of any public servant.

MR. SEXTON

I beg to give the right hon. Gentleman Notice that I shall not upon any account allow this question to drop.