§ MR. COBB (Warwick, S.E., Rugby)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether his attention had been called to the fact that on September 6, at Arthurstown, after the adjournment of the Court, upon the trial of the defenders of Somers' Fort, the New Ross brass band was playing in a wagonette, which was proceeding in the direction of Rams-grange, and was stopped and attacked by the Constabulary, by the direction of one of their officers, who surrounded the wagonette, took some of the instruments by force, and knocked them against the sides of the wagonette in such a way as to render them useless, and rammed a rifle through the drum; whether he is aware that some of the members of the band were dragged by the constables from the wagonette, in some cases cut and bleeding, and five of them were arrested and taken into the barracks, but afterwards released, and that one of those arrested, John O'Neill, was, while inside the barracks and bleeding from a baton wound, knocked and stoned in the yard by constables; whether he is aware that a disturbance in the village ensued, and that in one of the baton charges an old man of 73, named Patrick Kennedy, who was standing at a corner, was struck by a constable's rifle on his head, causing a wound of three inches in length, and fracturing the skull; and, whether he will make inquiries as to the alleged reason for attacking the band and the people, and furnish the name of the officer who gave the order for the attack?
§ THE SOLICITOR GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. MADDEN) (Dublin University)(who replied) said: The Inspector General of Constabulary reports that it is not the case that the police attacked the band; on the contrary, an attack was made by the bandsmen on the police. On the occasion in question a large demonstration was organised in the town in connection 884 with the trial of certain prisoners, and it became necessary, in the opinion of the local authority responsible for the preservation of the peace, to take the precaution of prohibiting band-playing in the streets. Notwithstanding this prohibition the band referred to proceeded through the town playing, and the crowd which surrounded it commenced to stone the police, who, upon their stopping the wagonette in which the band was and ordering the playing to cease, were attacked by the bandsmen. Any injury sustained by the instruments was due to the fact that they were used by the band as weapons in their attack on the police. The three principal members of the band, not five (as stated in the Question) were arrested, and subsequently released, to be prosecuted at the next Petty Sessions, where they pleaded guilty and were fined. There is no foundation for the allegation in regard to the treatment of John O'Neill, who was one of the three arrested, nor was any complaint made as to a man of the name of Kennedy having been struck by the police. There is no foundation for the statement that the police struck any person with a rifle.
§ MR. CLANCY (Dublin Co., N.)Seeing that there is a direct conflict of testimony on this subject, will not the Government order an independent inquiry into the facts of the case?
§ MR. MADDENI think that in this case there is less ground than in any other for taking such a course, inasmuch as the persons charged pleaded guilty.