§ MR. MACNEILLI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that Conaghan, the bailiff on the Olphert estate, at Falcarragh, in order to induce the evicted tenants to accept the landlord's terms, has gone round the estate protected by Sergeant Kenny and two 575 constables of the Royal Irish Constabulary, threatening that he would pull down the roofs and raze the buildings made by the tenants, and from which they had been evicted, to the ground, if the tenants did not attend and accede to the terms offered by Mr. Olphert; that on Wednesday, 23rd March, Conaghan, with the assistance and under the protection of the police pulled down the houses of five tenants; and that when a man named Thomas M'Geever claimed as his property a spade and ladder found in Philip M'Cafferty's house, Sergeant Kenny took these articles from M'Geever, and handed them to Conaghan, by whom they were broken; and whether the police are authorised, not only in protecting Conaghan in this destruction of the tenants' property, but likewise in assisting and co-operating with him?
§ MR. MADDEN(who replied) said: The Constabulary Authorities report that it is the case that the bailiff referred to is under police protection. The protection party state that they did not hear the bailiff use any threatening language as alleged. The police deny that they gave any assistance in unroofing or pulling down houses, nor did they take or hand over to the bailiff the articles alleged.
§ MR. MACNEILLWere they protecting the bailiff and his companions when they were looting houses and burning them?
§ MR. MADDENCertainly; I say they were protecting the bailiff.