HC Deb 23 May 1907 vol 174 cc1165-6
MR. CARLILE (Hertfordshire, St. Albans)

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that the police at Banagher, county Roscommon, were, until Monday the 13th instant, engaged in trying to recover quantities of cattle which had been scattered from grazing farms on Friday the 10th instant; and, seeing that the local police of Ballintubber were overpowered by a crowd and driven back to barracks, and that several hundreds of cattle were then driven off farms belonging to graziers, will he state what action he proposes to take.

THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. CHERRY, () Liverpool, Exchange

The right hon. Gentleman has asked me to reply. The facts are not correctly stated in the Question. On Friday, the 10th instant, twenty-three head of cattle belonging to Mr. Payne were driven off a farm near Ballintubber. The cattle were restored to the owner on the same evening. No other cattle were driven off farms in the district on that date. A prosecution has been directed against twelve persons for unlawful assembly in connection with the driving of Mr. Payne's cattle. The case is sub judice.

MR. CARLILE

Were the police, as a matter of fact, overpowered?

MR. CHERRY

To this extent: they were few in number, the crowd was a large one, and they thought it prudent not to interfere. They afterwards recovered the cattle.