THE SPECIAL COMMISSION—THE CASE OF MR. PIGOTT. (Hansard, 26 February 1889)

§ MR. FORREST FULTON (West Ham, N.)
I desire to ask the Home Secretary whether he can now explain the delay which is alleged to have taken place on the part of the police in dealing with the warrant for the arrest of Mr. E. Pigott? I understand that the warrant was issued early in the day by the Special Commission.

§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. MATTHEWS,) Birmingham, E.
Yes, Mr. Speaker; I am able to state that there was no delay whatever on the part of the police. Since I was questioned on the subject by the hon. and learned Member for Longford (Mr. T. M. Healy), I have received information that the Bench warrant issued this morning by the Commission Court was 482 not brought to Scotland Yard till a quarter past 6 by a person in the employment of Messrs. Lewis and Lewis. It was not, therefore, until that hour that the police could possibly take any steps for the arrest of Mr. Pigott. Immediately the warrant was received, every step that was possible was taken by telegraphing to the ports and by employing persons to watch at all railway stations.

§ MR. T. M. HEALY (Longford, N.)
As this question has been raised, evidently by arrangement, I beg leave to remind the House that my first question was whether any kind of surveillance had existed with regard to the Times witnesses, and undoubtedly it had; and my question to the Government was why, that being so, the police let Mr. Pigott slip out of their fingers? Now, an illusory question is put by the hon. and learned Member with regard to the execution of the warrant. That point was not raised at all by me. If the Government are now taking the point that the warrant was not brought to Scotland Yard till 6 o'clock, I respectfully submit to them, in the interests of justice, that as hundreds of officials were in the neighbourhood of the Court they must have known at 12 o'clock, or at 1 o'clock at the latest, that the warrant was issued, and it was their duty to see that the closure, with which we are familiar in this House, was put upon the ports of the kingdom. But that was not my complaint or allegation at all. My complaint is, that you had delegated two sergeants of the Royal Irish Constabulary to look after Pigott—Sergeants Fawcett and Gallagher—and that precious consignment having been committed to their keeping, and they having got him, why did they not keep him? Therefore, the point of my observation remains—namely, that the Irish Government, having paid two police sergeants to watch Mr. Pigott, when the critical hour of 6 o'clock (at which the Continental train leaves Charing Cross) arrived, those two 483 sergeants found it convenient to shut their eyes to the absence of Mr. Pigott. A more convenient opportunity will he taken to find how it was that "our old friend Walter" had put at his disposal those two sergeants to guard his precious charge Pigott, and why, when it became suitable, "our old friend Walter" allowed Pigott to escape.

§ MR. MATTHEWS
I must correct the hon. Gentleman a little. His questions, addressed to me this afternoon with less courtesy than is usual even with him, implied that I was acting in collusion with Mr. Richard Pigott, and had allowed him to escape. I replied that no knowledge or information of Mr. Pigott's escape had reached me. That has been explained by the fact that Scotland Yard, through which alone I could get information, and which has nothing to do with the Irish police, and which alone has authority to execute Bench warrants issued in England, did not obtain information from Messrs. Lewis and Lewis, who had charge of this Bench warrant, until 6 o'clock in the evening. It is, therefore, not surprising that I should have had no information, and I should have expected from the hon. Member some sort of apology for the insinuations he addressed to me about 4 o'clock this afternoon.

§ MR. SEXTON
May I ask whether, in the 12 hours which have elapsed since the Bench warrant was issued, and in the six hours which have elapsed since it was in the hands of Scotland Yard, any information has been received as to Pigott's escape or capture? I also ask whether Dr. Maguire, the Professor of Moral Philosophy at Dublin, was found dead in his bed in London this evening; and, if so, whether the police have any information as to the cause of death, and whether a coroner's inquest will be held?

§ MR. MATTHEWS
I have no information with regard to such a death, nor any Report as to the action of the police.

§ MR. CHANCE (Kilkenny, S.)
May I ask whether steps have been taken by the police to arrest or ascertain Mr. Pigott's whereabouts?

§ MR. MATTHEWS
The hon. Member must know that to disobey a subpoena is not a criminal offence, and the police cannot arrest a person who does not obey his subpoena except on a Bench warrant.

§ MR. CHANCE
I said, "whether steps have been taken to ascertain Mr. Pigott's whereabouts."

§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR,) Manchester, East
As to the Report of Dr. O'Farrell which the hon. Member for Longford presses for, it is important that, if laid on the Table at all, it should be so laid at once; therefore, if the Motion for Adjournment is withdrawn, I will make the necessary Motion for the production of the Report.

§ MR. T. M. HEALY
If there are other Reports on the same subject they also should be produced.

§ MR. A. J. BALFOUR
My right hon. Friend (Mr. Stanhope) has undoubtedly laid himself open to have the particular Report quoted by him called for, and it has accordingly been ordered by the Speaker to have it placed on the Table of the House, but I think the practice in regard to these confidential Reports an objectionable one, and will not do anything to extend it.