§ MR. JOHN O'DONNELL (Mayo, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been drawn to certain statements made by Mr. Starkie, R.M., at the Westport petty sessions recently, to the effect that a man named Scahill, who was three times convicted for assaulting Mrs. Salmon, was convicted and sent to prison on evidence concocted for that purpose; and to the statement of Mr. Starkie that, although he was one of the magistrates who convicted him, he afterwards heard from high authority that there was not a word of truth in the whole case, and that he was aware that a witness could be produced that could have sworn that Scahill had not said a word on the occasion; and whether inquiry will be made as to who is the high authority to whom Mr. Starkie referred, and into all the circum-stances connected with the dispute between the widow Salmon and the man who got her holding.
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. ATKINSON, Londonderry, N.)Perhaps I may be allowed to reply to this question. The statement in the first paragraph is substantially accurate, save that Scahill does not appear to have been convicted of assault on Mrs. Salmon, but was sent to prison in default of finding sureties to keep the peace for the alleged use of threatening language towards her, and that Mr. Starkie used the words "good authority," not "high authority." It is to be regretted that Mr. Starkie used this language upon hearsay in reference to a previous decision which, based as it was on the evidence at the time before the court, he considered satisfactory. Under these cir-cumstances it is not proposed to make the inquiry suggested.
§ MR. JOHN O'DONNELLMay I ask whether in future resident magistrates cannot find better employment than in trying to whitewash land grabbers?
§ CAPTAIN DONELAN (Cork, E.)How many times has this widow been sent to gaol for attending to her holding?