HC Deb 06 September 1887 vol 320 cc1348-9
MR. D. SULLIVAN (Westmeath, S.)

asked Mr. Attorney General for Ireland, How many men altogether were summoned for taking part in the eviction at Tang on the 17th August; whether all of them will be prosecuted on the double charge preferred in the summonses; whether, since Friday last, additional summonses have been taken out and served; and, whether, in these cases also, it is intended to proceed on two distinct charges arising out of the same transaction?

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. GIBSON) (), Liverpool, Walton

in reply, said, that altogether 17 summonses were issued, and were issued the same night. No summonses were taken out after Friday. With re- gard to the latter part of the Question, he had to repeat the answer he made on Friday morning—that answer was that he could not make any statement with regard to the pending prosecutions, further than that if it appeared on the face of the evidence that only one offence had been committed, only one sentence would be imposed.

MR. SEXTON (Belfast, W.)

said, that the summons was not served on some of the defendants who lived a great distance from Mullingar until Saturday; and he wished to know, considering the gravity of the charges and the novelty of the proceedings, whether these men would get more than two days to prepare their defence, the cases coming on for hearing to-morrow?

MR. GIBSON

said, the defence of one defendant would be the same for all the others.

MR. SEXTON

The defence will involve the summoning of a number of witnesses.