§ MR. M'HUGH (Leitrim, N.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that, in connection with evictions on the Tottenham Estate in Leitrim, three young men were prosecuted on a charge of having taken part in an unlawful assembly at Armagh on 19th July, 1901; that they were tried by two stipendiary magistrates under the Criminal Law Procedure (Ireland) Act, and sentenced to a month's imprisonment each; and that these sentences were reversed and the cases dismissed on appeal to County Court Judge Waters; is he aware that the County Court Judge, in delivering judgment, censured the con- 48 duct of Police Constables Moffit and Murphy, on whose evidence the charges were brought; can he explain why a court under the Act mentioned was set up in these cases; and has the conduct of these constables been since considered by their superiors; and if so, with what result.
§ MR. WYNDHAMProceedings were instituted against 10 persons; six were convicted. The County Court Judge affirmed the convictions in three cases. The Judge passed some words of criticism upon the judgment displayed by the two constables named. The matter has been carefully investigated by the constabulary authorities, who see no reason for taking any action. The proceedings were under Section 2, Sub-section 3 (a) of the Crimes Act, as it was considered that this procedure was the most appropriate to the offence with which the accused were charged.