HC Deb 05 May 1891 vol 353 cc207-8

On the Motion for Adjournment,

MR. T. M. HEALY

I stated during question time that on the Motion for the Adjournment I should raise the question of the treatment of Mr. John Cullinane, of Bansha. He is said to be in a dying condition, or, at any rate, in a most critical state, in Tullamore gaol. He has just undergone a sentence of six months' hard labour—an atrocious and abominable sentence. His imprisonment has just ended, and I think it is characteristic of the policy of Her Majesty's Government that they not only imprison their victims, but they reduce them to such a debilitated condition that they are obliged to detain them in the prison hospital after the the sentence has expired. Now, I gave notice that I intended to bring this matter forward, and I think the Chief Secretary or his Legal Assistant might well have been in the House to answer me. I am glad to see the Attorney General for Ireland entering the House. Can he tell us anything about Mr. Cullinane's condition? The Chief Secretary said he was suffering from a severe attack of influenza. I call it a severe attack of six months' hard prison treatment. He is not now in a condition to be discharged. It is a disgrace to civilisation to so treat prisoners in your gaols as to reduce them to such a condition. The sympathy of this House is claimed for those of its Members who are laid up with influenza. I think Cullinane deserves our sympathy even more. I was told that when he attended the Cork trials the other day, it was noticed that he had been literally reduced to a skeleton. Tullamore gaol has not an enviable reputation. It was there that poor John Mandeville was done to death, and you caused Dr. Ridley, by your treatment of him, to cut his throat. Every warder and official now in the gaol has been placed there because he, it is known, will show no humanity to the prisoners. If your prison system is what you boast it to be, John Cullinane ought to-day to be better physically than when he entered Tullamore. But those who have had experience of Tullamore complain of the insulting behaviour of the warders and the harsh conduct of the doctor. In England you discharge dynamitards when they are at death's door; but you were determined to keep Cullinane in gaol to the very last hour, although you knew you were killing him. His treatment casts even a deeper stigma on it than already attaches to the administration of that gaol.

(12.15.) MR. MADDEN

A question was asked at Question Time on this subject, when the Chief Secretary gave all the information he had in his possession. I have no further information to give. The information furnished to us is that Mr. Cullinane is suffering from influenza, and is not in a fit condition to be discharged.

DR. TANNER (Cork Co., Mid)

I mean to say that if the medical officer at Tullamore had any humanity in his composition, if he had any knowledge of his profession, and if he had made himself acquainted with the type of influenza prevalent in the town of Tullamore, he would have known how it would have affected poor John Cullinane, and would have taken precautions to secure his discharge before he became too ill to be removed. I am sorry to have to speak harshly of any medical man; but this shows to what a deplorable position medical men may be degraded by the action of the Government.

MR. SEXTON

I think that as my hon. Friend gave notice of this question several hours ago, the right hon. Gentleman might have supplemented the unsatisfactory answer then given by information obtained by telegraph. The Attorney General may be acquitted of discourtesy on this point, but the Chief Secretary cannot be absolved from blame. Seeing the terrible ordeal through which Mr. Cullinane has passed, the Government might well have wired for particulars of the last nine hours. We have a right to complain that the Irish Government has not done its duty to-night.

House adjourned at twenty minutes after Twelve o'clock.