HC Deb 18 April 1887 vol 313 cc1106-7
MR. PATRICK O'BRIEN (Monaghan, N.)

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whe- ther he is aware that the following document was published in the neighbourhood of Castleblayney:— A reward of £10 is offered by the Rev. Mathew Macaulay, M'Kelvey's Grove, for such information as shall lead to the conviction of the party or parties who entered and desecrated M'Kelvey's Grove Sleeting House on the night of the 10th of July last. Also, a reward of £5 is offered for such information as shall lead to the conviction of the leaders of an Orange Drumming Party, who, on the evening of the 1st of July last, waylaid and assaulted the Rev. Mathew Macaulay and his wife on the Queen's highway. The information to be given to the Head Constable of Police, Castleblayney; and, whether Mr. T. N. Cullen, Divisional Magistrate of Belfast, refused to allow the above placard to be posted on the notice boards of any of the police barracks in Castleblayney or its neighbourhood; and, if so, upon what grounds did he so refuse?

THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDER SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Colonel KING-HARMAN) (Kent, Isle of Thanet)

(who replied) said: Yes, Sir; the notice in question was, I understand, published at Castleblayney, which was not posted on the barrack notice boards, the Divisional Magistrate having been informed by the local police that doing so would excite the people of the district. In this view both the County and District Inspectors concurred.

MR. P. O'BRIEN

Is it usual for the police to refuse to post notices for the detection of crime, because it may be alleged that it would excite bad feeling in the locality?

COLONEL KING-HARMAN

The posting of the notices on the boards outside the police barracks is a matter entirely in the discretion of the Divisional Magistrate.

MR. P. O'BRIEN

Will instructions now be given to post the notices?

[No reply.]