HC Deb 15 April 1889 vol 335 cc471-2
MR. SPEAKER

acquainted the House that he had received the following letter relating to the imprisonment of Mr. William O'Brien, a Member of this House—

Tralee,

Thursday, 11 April, 1889.

Sir,

I have the honour to inform you that the appeal of Mr. William O'Brien, Member of Parliament, from the conviction by a Court of Summary Jurisdiction, as defined by Section 11, Sub-section 6, of "The Criminal Law and Procedure (Ireland) Act, 1887," for that he, the said William O'Brien, on the 20th day of December, 1888, at Brennan's Glen, in said county of Kerry, being a proclaimed district within the provisions of the said Act, did with certain persons, to wit, James Gilhooly, Patrick Kearney, Thomas J. Condon, Daniel J. O'Connor, and certain other person and persons whose names are unknown, unlawfully take part in a criminal conspiracy punishable by law at the time of the passing of the said Act, to wit, a criminal conspiracy to induce certain persons whose names are unknown, to wit, tenants of farms on an estate known as the Kenmare Estate, in the county of Kerry aforesaid, not to fulfil their legal obligations, to wit, to refuse to pay and not to pay the owners of such farms the rent which they the said tenants were and might become lawfully bound to pay, and which the said owners were and might become lawfully entitled to be paid, came on for hearing before me, the County Court Judge and Chairman of Quarter Sessions for the county of Kerry, sitting as sole Judge, pursuant to the provisions of Section 11, Sub-section 7, of the said Act, at the Court of Quarter Sessions for the said county at Killarney, on the 26th day of March, 1880, and by adjournment at the Court of Quarter Sessions at Tralee, in said county, on the 10th day of April, 1889, when I confirmed the said conviction, and sentenced the said William O'Brien to be imprisoned in Tralee Gaol from the said 10th day of April, 1889, to the 20th day of May, 1889, without hard labour.

I have the honour to remain,

Sir,

Your obedient servant,

JOHN ADYE CURRAN,

County Court Judge and Chairman of Quarter Sessions for County of Kerry.

The Right Hon. Arthur Peel, M.P.,

Speaker of the House of Commons.