§ MR. SEXTONasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland when the warrant for the arrest of the Rev. Laurence Farrelly, of Arklow, was placed in the hands of the police; whether Father Farrelly wrote to County Inspector Cruise, on the 21st of last month, stating that he would be at hand whenever wanted; was any reply sent by the County Inspector, or any one on his behalf; why Father Farrelly might not have been arrested any day since the issue of the warrant at his house, or in the streets of the town of Arklow; why the police, omitting for so many weeks to execute the warrant, adopted at length the mode of advancing in force upon Father Farrelly's house before daybreak, broke down the wall of the house, burst open doors, and did considerable damage to the reverend gentleman's property; whether it is held that the police had legal authority to break down the wall of the house in order to effect an entrance; and, if so, can such authority be defined; and whether the Irish Government will instruct the police not to break down houses, or burst doors open at night, for the purpose of effecting arrests under the Criminal Law and Procedure (Ireland) Act, when such arrests can be effected in the ordinary course by day?
§ MR. WILLIAM CORBET (Wicklow, E.)also asked whether it was the fact that the reverend gentleman had been performing his duties openly day by day since the warrant was issued several weeks ago; and what was the object of 1161 postponing the execution of the warrant for such a length of time?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURThe information obtained from the locality as to the arrest of Father Farrelly is still incomplete, but I will give the right hon. Gentleman all that I have in my possession. The warrant for the arrest of Father Farrelly was placed in the hands of the police on the 20th or 21st ult. Fathers Farrelly and Clarke wrote a joint letter on the 21st of last month, professing their readiness to be arrested. In the case of Father Clarke, as is well known, no such readiness was, as a matter of fact, shown. The police had ground for thinking that resistance would be also made by Father Farrelly to arrest, and his house appears to have been barricaded on the occasion when the police went to arrest him. I understand that the police had legal authority under such circumstances to use force to effect an entrance into the house to take a prisoner into custody, but, of course, the Irish Government are extremely anxious that all arrests of whatever nature and for whatever offence should be effected with the least inconvenience to all parties concerned and with the least danger of disturbing the public peace. I am not able to answer the third paragraph, but with regard to the fourth and fifth paragraphs my information is imperfect, though I understand that the police believed that Father Farelly was unwell and that the execution of the warrant was delayed on that account.
§ MR. SEXTONIs it the fact that this gentleman wrote to the County Inspector on the 21st of February, stating that he was ready to receive the warrant, and why was it that the warrant was allowed to remain in the hands of the police for five weeks before it was executed; is it not the fact that Father Farrelly has been continually in the town, and might have been arrested on any day; and, as he went voluntarily to the police, will the unnecessary damage which has been committed to the reverend gentleman's property be made good?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI believe that Father Farrelly wrote a joint letter with Father Clarke to the police, intimating his readiness to be arrested. Information was received by the police that the house had been barricaded.
§ MR. SEXTONDoes the right hon. Gentleman seriously wish the House to 1162 believe that, although Father Farrelly was not in the house, he barricaded it, in order to prevent himself from being arrested?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI have given the right hon. Gentleman all the information I have.