§ MR. DUFFY (Galway, S.)I beg to ask Mr. Attorney General for Ireland if his attention has been called to an application for compensation made by William Murphy, of Cupenagh, at the recent quarter sessions held in Loughrea before his Honour Judge Anderson, for malicious burning of heather and grass on the 3rd May last; whether he is aware that the police swore that, during the course of their investigation into the cause of the alleged outrage, several parties, including two farmers named Clarke and Slattery, specifically stated that they saw William Murphy and his family set fire to the said lands, at the time and date sworn to in an information by Murphy that the malicious injury had been done 1226 to his property; whether his Honour Judge Anderson dismissed the application; and, considering the fact that Murphy was the principal witness in other malicious injury applications put forward by the landlord for the burning of mountain heather, over which Murphy acts as gamekeeper, and which were also dismissed by the Judge, whether he will direct criminal proceedings to be instituted against Murphy for swearing a false affidavit, upon which was grounded his application for malicious injury.
§ MR. ATKINSONThe reply to the first paragraph is in the affirmative; the claim was rejected by the county court judge. No evidence was given by the police to the effect stated in the second paragraph, nor were the police examined at the hearing of the claim, but statements have been made to them by three persons (including Clarke and Slattery), who allege they saw Murphy set fire to the lands. It is also the fact that Murphy was the principal witness in another similar claim for compensation, which was dismissed on the same occasion. The question of Murphy's prosecution is under consideration.