§ MR. CONDON (Tipperary, E.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether, on Monday evening 6th May, an assault was committed by a caretaker named Connell, in the employment of Thomas Phelan, 1038 of Clonmel, on James Daniell, at Cloonan, county Tipperary, in the presence of two policemen, who declined to interfere until Daniell in self-defence struck Connell, when the police arrested both parties but discharged them before they arrived at the police barrack; whether subsequently Connell visited the house of Daniell, and, shouting, swore he would shoot every one of them, meaning Daniell, whom he believed was in the house, also his mother, an old woman who is bedridden, and her daughter; whether he made furious efforts to force the door open; whether, when Daniell reported the matter to Sergeant Madden at Cloonan, who had witnessed the previous assault, he paid no attention to the complaint until Connell's son came to tell him of his father's condition; whether, when Sergeant Madden arrived on the scene, he refused to arrest Connell when requested to do so by Mr. Charles Meagher, of Cloonan House; whether a complaint of the policeman's conduct has been forwarded to the District Inspector of Carrick on Suir, Mr. Lopdell, by Mr. C. Meagher; and, whether he will see that a full and fair inquiry will be made into the matter?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Mr. JOHN MORLEY) (Newcastle-on-Tyne)It appears that the quarrel between the parties described took place in the presence of the police, but at some distance from them. Connell gave Daniell a push, and Daniell retaliated with a blow. The police then appeared and separated them. They did not think the matter serious enough to bring before a magistrate, both parties being well known in the district. They accordingly informed the parties they could take legal proceedings against each other by summons. The same applies to what happened on the second occasion.