§ MR. DANEI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he has received a Report from Captain Slacke, Divisional Commissioner for Ulster, respecting the organised attacks upon Protestants at Bundoran upon Sunday the 23rd July; have any persons been made amenable for the injuries inflicted upon Mr. Boyle, one of the Evangelists, the Rev. Mr. Templeman, Miss Templeman, his sister, and Dr. Atkinson; what extra force of police were drafted into Bundoran after the occurrences; and is it the fact that as many as 140 Constabulary were on duty there on Sunday the 30th July?
MR. MAC NEILL (Donegal, S.)Was not the question of these disturbances discussed in the House last week on the Motion of the hon. Member for South Tyrone (Mr. T. W. Russell); and did not the Chief Secretary state that the occurrence had been grossly exaggerated, and the case was only brought forward for the purposes of political capital? Is it necessary, therefore, to answer any further questions on the point?
§ MR. MACARTNEYI desire to ask whether the discussion on that occasion was not closured?
MR. J. MORLEYI think that was the fact—that the discussion was closured. The answer to the first paragraph of the question is in the affirmative. There is no evidence forthcoming as to the assaults committed upon the persons named in the second paragraph, as the assailants were unknown to them, and in neither case did the police witness the assaults. Summonses have been served, however, for hearing at Petty Sessions to-day upon four men for other assaults arising out of these proceedings. On Sunday, July 23, and during the following week, the entire number of police on duty at Bundoran was 32. On July 30 the force was 1762 augmented to 118 men, and during the following week this number was reduced to 10 men, the strength of the local force. On Sunday, August 6, an extra force of 40 men was drafted into Bundoran, and since that date the local force alone has been employed.
MR. J. MORLEYThe Report is a confidential one, and I must decline to answer any questions respecting it.
MR. T. M. HEALYIf the suggestion of the lion. Member is correct, can the right hon. Gentleman give the House any clue as to how the hon. Member for North Fermanagh became aware of any of the contents of this confidential Report?
§ MR. MACARTNEYHow many of the 118 men were actually on duty on the Sunday when the attack was made?
§ MR. SEXTONAs to the disorder which followed the holding of the meeting, may I ask whether the disturbance was not really provoked by certain posters being displayed about the town stating that the object of the mission was to "convert the benighted Catholics of Bundoran from the errors of Popery."
§ MR. MACARTNEYOn that point I should like to ask whether it is not the opinion of the Constabulary Authorities in the district that that placard was circulated by those who desired to create a disturbance—that, in fact, the placard was entirely of a bogus character?
MR. J. MORLEYI have no reason to suppose that the Constabulary have taken that view of the matter. No observations have been communicated to me by them upon the authenticity of this placard.
§ MR. MACARTNEYIs not the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Nationalist organ in the district rather indicates that this view was taken by the Constabulary Authorities?
MR. T. M. HEALYAgain, may I ask whether the right hon. Gentleman can state how the hon. Member for North Fermanagh could have obtained 1763 access to the confidential document of Captain Slacke?
§ MR. DANEI will, with the permission of the House, explain that I have never had the opportunity of seeing Captain Slacke's Report; but I am in possession of the fact that a number of respectable inhabitants of the town of Buudoran communicated with Captain Slacke, who took down fully the details they communicated to him.