§ DR. FITZGERALD (Longford, S.)I beg to ask the Solicitor General for Ireland what number of prisoners were confined in Londonderry Prison on the date of the discharge of the man M'Gee, since dead; what number are at present 100 in Clonmel Prison; and, how many baths are there available for the use of prisoners in the latter prison?
§ MR. MADDENThe General Prisons Board report that on the 8th instant, which is the date referred to, there were in Londonderry Prison 144 prisoners. On the 19th instant there were in Clonmel Prison, 125 prisoners. There are four baths available for the use of prisoners in the latter prison.
§ MR. T. M. HEALYMay I ask the hon. and learned Gentleman if he is aware that Rose Trainor, of Brackaghlislea, County Londonderry, who had been confined in Derry Gaol and released on the 1st instant after undergoing a month's imprisonment, was, on 17th August, removed to the fever hospital at Magherafelt on the certificate of Dr. Hegarty, the medical officer of the district; that this certificate is in the following terms:—
I hereby certify that I have been attending Rose Trainor, Brackaghlislea, for typhoid fever, and I am perfectly certain that she contracted the disease before she left Derry Gaol on the 1st instant.A. HUGARTY, M.D.And, will Rose Trainor's case be inquired into in relation to the sanitary condition of Derry Gaol?
§ MR. MADDENI have already made a statement in relation to this case in reply to a question of the hon. Member for South Donegal (Mr. Mac Neill). From further Reports received it appears that Rose Trainor, after refusing to proceed to her place of conviction (Drapers-town) by rail on the date of her discharge on the ground that she was going to stay for a time with some friends in Londonderry City, subsequently altered her plans and proceeded on foot to Draperstown, walking a distance of 32 miles. I understand that the medical officer named did give a certificate to a newspaper correspondent in the terms stated in the question. The medical officer of the prison reports that the woman during the period she remained in prison had never complained of any illness, was not at any time under medical treatment there, and was in her usual good health when discharged.
§ MR. T. M. HEALYWill the Government, in view of this statement by an experienced medical man that this woman was seized with typhoid fever in 101 Derry Gaol, ease the public mind by ordering an independent inquiry?
§ MR. MADDENThe date of the discharge of Rose Trainor from Derry Gaol was the 3rd of August, and she did not receive medical advice until the 15th. Certainly the Government will inquire further into the matter.
§ MR. T. M. HEALYThen I may take it that the case is still under investigation?
§ MR. MADDENYes, Sir.
§ DR. KENNY (Cork, S.)I beg to ask the Solicitor General for Ireland whether it is a fact that for several months up to April in this year, when they were set right, the water closets in Derry Gaol were not acting, being out of repair, and whether any notice was taken of the matter by the medical Officer of the Gaol, Sir W. Miller, or any Report thereon made by him to the proper authorities; whether during this period several cases of diphtheria occurred in the gaol, and also several cases of fever, either typhus, typhoid, or simple continued fever in the female side of prison; whether those fever cases were removed to the workhouse where they were at once placed in hospital, and whether a female prisoner who went to workhouse to mind one of those cases developed fever when she subsequently returned to the gaol; whether it is a fact that about one-half of what properly constitutes the hospital of the gaol is at present used as a cook house and mess room for the officers of the prison, thereby seriously curtailing the hospital accommodation of gaol; whether the female cook and the hospital warder, a man named Fitzsimons, have at present sleeping apartments in the same division of the hospital; and, if so, will he order its discontinuance; and whether all the above matters were inquired into by Dr. O'Farrell on his recent visits; and if so, will he give his Report thereon; and, if not, will he direct an inquiry into them and lay the Report upon the Table?
§ MR. MADDENI regret that I have not a full Report in reference to this and some other questions which are upon the Paper in the name of the hon. Member, but I will give him all the information I have. It appears from the Report of Dr. O'Farrell that the closets are of the modern type, and that there has been 102 no case of fever of a serious character in the gaol for more than 20 years.
§ DR. KENNYI have next to ask the hon. and learned Gentleman whether he is aware that M. Size, who recently died immediately after his discharge from Derry Gaol, was when he entered prison a remarkably powerful man of about 13 stone in weight and about 5 feet 8 inches in height; whether he will give his exact height and weight when he entered prison; whether he was specially selected on account of his strength to take charge of a dangerous lunatic named John Kelly, who had committed a murder, and whether it was owing to the fatigues of this anxious, dangerous, and laborious work that Size contracted the disease from which he subsequently died; whether he will inquire particularly into the facts and treatment whilst in prison of this man's case; and, if the facts are as detailed, procure from the Treasury a grant of money sufficient to compensate his parents, who relied greatly for their support on his exertions, for the great loss they have sustained through his untimely death.
§ MR. MADDENI have not been able to get any special Report on the subject in time to answer this question; but I gather from Reports previously received that this prisoner's weight on reception was 175 pounds, and he had lost but six pounds when discharged. The medical history of the case of this prisoner is fully detailed in Dr. O'Farrell's Report which has been placed in the Library. The Government are not aware of any grounds upon which an appeal could be made to the Treasury as suggested.
§ DR. KENNYIs it the fact that on or about the 16th April last a man named Bingham, who had some time previously been committed on a charge of murder, hanged himself in his cell in this gaol; whether it was known to the prison doctor, Sir W. Miller, and the Governor of the gaol that Bingham had previously been an inmate of a lunatic asylum; whether the warder in charge of Bingham frequently called the doctor's attention to the prisoner's condition and demeanour; whether, on the morning of the day on which the unfortunate man hanged himself, the warder specially directed the Governor's, and subsequently Sir W. Miller's attention to Bingham; whether Bingham 103 was ever removed during his incarceration from his cell to hospital, or other place, where he could be constantly watched; and, whether any, and, if so, what, precautions were taken by the prison authorities to prevent the catastrophe which ultimately ended Bingham's life?
§ MR. MADDENThe prisoner Bingham committed suicide as stated. It was not known to the Governor or Medical Officer that he had been an inmate of a lunatic asylum. It is not true that the warder called the attention of the doctor or the Governor to him as stated. Bingham was not removed to hospital, and there did not appear to be any necessity for watching him specially, and there was no apparent reason to apprehend the catastrophe which happened.
§ DR. KENNYWas a prisoner named Doyle admitted into Derry Gaol about April last; was he, on admission, suffering from a wound in the groin, supposed to have been caused by a thrust of a stick in some brawl; was he, though walking with difficulty from this cause, exercised daily, and kept in an ordinary cell, and not removed to hospital at once; was he ultimately removed in a delirious state from his cell to hospital, it being found necessary to carry him there when removing him, and whether he died in hospital three or four days, i.e., about 14th May, after his removal there, with symptoms of blood poisoning caused by the wound in his groin; and was an inquest held in this case; and, if so, what was the finding of the Jury?
§ MR. MADDENI must ask the hon. Member to postpone this question. I have not yet received the information necessary to enable me to answer it.
§ DR. KENNYIs it a fact that up to a recent period the cell in Derry Gaol in which Mr. Conybeare is at present confined was used as a cell specially set apart for prisoners suffering from a highly contagious skin affection, easy to catch and tedious to get rid of; has Mr. Conybeare since his incarceration in this cell, contracted this affection; and, in view of this fact, and also that Mr. Conybeare suffers from rheumatism, will the Chief Secretary order his immediate removal therefrom to hospital or other appropriate place in the gaol 104 where he can get hot baths or other suitable treatment?
§ MR. MADDENI must also ask the hon. Gentleman to postpone this question.
§ MR. W. M'ARTHUR (Cornwall, Mid, St. Austell)Seeing that the Chief Secretary gave us a very full account or statement of the health of the hon. Member for Camborne three or four days ago, why is it not possible to answer this question, about which information could have been got a week ago?
§ MR. MADDENInquiry has been made, and I regret that the Report has not yet been received.
§ MR. W. M'ARTHURWill the hon. Gentleman telegraph for it?
§ MR. MADDENIt has already been telegraphed for.
§ DR. KENNYIs it a fact that a man named Diver, of Gweedore, recently discharged in a dying state from Derry Gaol, where he had been confined awaiting his trial, was attacked with spitting of blood very soon after his admission; whether he was thereupon admitted to hospital; whether he was discharged therefrom when his condition improved, but had to be again admitted almost immediately owing to a return of the hæmorrhage from his lungs; whether he can state how long altogether Diver was in hospital; and why, if the facts are as above mentioned, he was not at once discharged from prison, when the evidence of lung disease was so fully established as the above facts indicate?
§ MR. MADDENI must ask the hon. Gentleman to postpone the question.
§ MR. O'HANLON (Cavan, E.)I beg to ask the hon. and learned Gentleman whether complaints have reached him as to the condition of the water supply to the City of Derry; whether the Derry Gaol is supplied with the same quality; whether the collecting basin was visited over 10 years ago by the members of the Corporation owing to the number of complaints made at the time; whether Mr. Foster, one of the body, expressed himself in these words—"That the top-dressing in the collecting basin was sufficient to cover 6 acres of grass land;" whether anything has been done to cleanse this since; and whether the Government will take steps to force the Derry Corporation to give the citizens a purer supply of water?
§ MR. MADDENPerhaps the hon. Gentleman will be good enough to postpone the question until a Report has been received.
§ MR. O'HANLONI will repeat it tomorrow.
§ MR. SEXTON (Belfast, W.)Can the Chief Secretary say whether, in addition to the two Falcarragh prisoners who lately died on release from Derry Gaol, and the other two who became dangerously ill immediately after release, a fifth Falcarragh prisoner, named Cannon, is now seriously ill in Derry hospital, and what are the particulars of his case?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR,) Manchester, E.I am sorry that I am unable to give any reply to the question. I have telegraphed to Ireland but have as yet received no answer.
§ MR. SEXTONIn view of the undoubted fact that two prisoners have died since their release from this gaol, and that three others have become seriously ill, and also in view of the medical certificate that one of the prisoners when discharged had typhoid fever while in gaol, will the right hon. Gentleman cause an independent medical inquiry to be made?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI am naturally desirous that there should be a full inquiry; but up to the present time nothing has come to my knowledge to induce me to believe that the matter is one which requires any exceptional treatment. The medical officer who has been sent there is exceedingly competent and the question can be discussed on the prison Vote.
§ MR. SEXTONI beg to give notice that unless the uncorroborated Report of Dr. O'Farrell is corroborated by some independent authority the absence of such an independent Report will become a matter for serious consideration.