§ MR. FRASER-MACKINTOSH (Inverness-shire)asked the Lord Advocate, If his attention has been directed to a printed statement, lately issued by the proprietrix of South Uist, where it is alleged that outrages were committed by paraffin being put in her Church pew, by telegraph lines being cut, and the terrorism prevailing was such that the perpetrators of these crimes could not be discovered by the authorities, although 86 well known in the district; whether the Procurator Fiscal at Lochinaddy investigated the circumstances; and, whether there is any information in possession of the criminal authorities to warrant the charge made that the outrages were committed by members of the South Uist Land Law Reform League, or by any of the crofters and cottars on the estate of South Uist?
THE LORD ADVOCATE (Mr. J. B. BALFOUR) (&c.) Clackmannan,My attention has been called to this statement. In consequence of information which reached me in the autumn of 1881 regarding various outrages alleged to have been committed in South Uist, I caused an inquiry to be made by the Procurator Fiscal, the result of which as regards the specific acts mentioned in the Question was that it was ascertained that the parish church had been entered between Saturday night and Sunday morning, and that paraffin oil had been spread over certain pews, books, &c., in the church; but it was not established that oil had been placed in the pew of the proprietrix. It was also ascertained that a telegraph wire had been cut and certain other illegal acts done; but it could not be ascertained who the perpetrators of the offences were.