§ CAPTAIN M'CALMONT (Antrim, E.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether his attention has been called to certain proceedings in connection with the election of guardians of the Bantry Union between the 18th and 22nd March; whether large crowds of men, headed by priests, paraded the country, visiting the houses of those who refused to support the National League candidate, and carried away and destroyed the voting papers of these people; whether the policeman, who was collecting the voting papers in the electoral division of Sheepshead on 20th March, was knocked down by the mob and the voting papers taken from him; whether Thomas Bride, in the electoral division of Seefin, while in the act of 602 handing his employer's vote to the constable, was pounced on by two men, and the voting paper taken from him and destroyed; whether the house of Captain Somerville, of Durrus Court, in the same neighbourhood, was forcibly entered by a body of strange men, who demanded from his servants his voting paper, which they in terror gave up; whether the house of Timothy Sullivan, Gurtnakilla, Seefin, was surrounded by a gang of men on the night of the 21st March, who forced his door and demanded his voting paper; on his refusal to give it up, a pistol was put to his head with a threat that his brains would be blown out, upon which he gave up his paper; whether the house of J. Dawly, of Gurtnakilla, Seefin, was visited at midnight on the 21st March by a body of men, who demanded his voting paper, and such was their violence, that Dawly was compelled to burn his voting paper; and, whether any arrests have been made?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Mr. JOHN MORLEY) (Newcastle-on-Tyne)It is not true that crowds of men headed by priests acted as alleged in the second paragraph of this Question. It is true that a policeman was knocked down by four men unknown and his voting papers were examined; but none of them were taken away. As regards Thomas Bride, the fact is as stated. Neither Bride nor the policeman knew the men who carried off the voting paper. No such occurrence as alleged took place in the case of Captain Somerville. Timothy Sullivan and Cornelius Dawly both state that their houses were visited as alleged; but there is reason to believe that their statement is not well founded, and they have both declined to swear information. No arrests have yet been made.