§ MR. HARRISON (Tipperary, Mid)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been called to the report in the Irish Daily Independent of the 14th instant as to the discovery at Limerick Junction, "under peculiar circumstances," of a parcel containing dynamite in the Dublin mail train to Cork, and the consequent arrest of a young man called Halligan at Templemore; whether the circumstances are as reported; if so, upon what grounds did the guard of the train depart from the ordinary practice of the company by handing over an unowned parcel to the police instead of forwarding it to the lost luggage office; whether there were any detonators affixed to the alleged dynamite, or any other appliance which would tend to show an intention on the part of the owner to provide for its explosion subsequent to his abandonment of it; what grounds had the police for suspecting that Halligan, who was returning home from his place of business in Dublin to attend his father's funeral, was the owner of the alleged dynamite rather than any of the other persons reported to have left the train very shortly before him; whether any warrant was issued for Halligan's arrest; and, if not, was his summary arrest in accordance with the ordinary procedure in such cases; and whether, in view of the grave suspicion very generally amongst all classes in Ireland as to the complicity of agents provocateurs and of the police in cases where Irishmen are charged with illegal possession of explosive substances, he will order a searching and efficient inquiry into all the circumstances of the case before sufficient time shall have elapsed to enable the traces of such a plot, if existent, to be obliterated
§ MR. JACKSONThe Constabulary Authorities report that the facts are substantially as stated in the newspaper report as to the discovery of dynamite in the Dublin mail to Cork. The railway guard, having found the parcel to contain dynamite, properly handed it over to the police at the next station. There was no detonator affixed to the alleged dynamite. The young man Halligan was arrested on a statement from the guard that he was the only man in the carriage where the dynamite was found. No warrant was issued. The action of the police was in accordance with the ordinary procedure in such cases. The police at once instituted inquiries, with the result that the ownership was traced to another man who had left the train at an earlier station. The young man had been put to as little inconvenience as possible in the matter.
§ MR. O'KELLYMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman if it is proposed to compensate this young man?
§ MR. JACKSONNo, Sir; I do not think it is a case for compensation, nor do I know that it is desired.