§ MR. CHARLES CRAIG (Antrim, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that Mr. Kelly, hardware merchant, of Waterford, stated, upon the recent hearing of the appeal in Lord Ashtown's case, that immediately after the outrage at Glenahiery he informed the police in Waterford that upon 23rd July, 1907, a stranger had purchased in his shop 60 pounds of blasting powder and 16 feet of fuse; and that County-Inspector Jennings, upon the same occasion, stated upon oath that upon 16th August he was made aware of this purchase; will he state the reason why this fact was not communicated to District-Inspector Preston, the officer in charge of the case, until 16th September or to the Inspector-General until 3rd October; and can he explain why no reference of any kind to this vital and material fact is to be found in any of the reports of County Inspector Jennings.
§ THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. CHERRY,) Liverpool, ExchangeThe facts are as stated in the first two parts of the Question, save that County-Inspector Jennings became aware of the purchase on 17th not 16th of August. The Inspector-General informs me that upon the receipt of the information from Mr. Kelly every effort was made by the Waterford and other police to clear up the matter. While this inquiry was proceeding in certain directions, and particularly until some connection could be shown between the purchase of the powder from Mr. Kelly and the explosion at Glenahiery, the Waterford police did not consider it 511 necessary to inform District-Inspector Preston or the Inspector-General of the facts. As the result of the police enquiries it was not found possible to establish any connection between the purchase of the powder at Waterford and the explosion at Glenahiery, and for this reason no reference was made to the matter in the reports.
§ MR. MOOREasked why the information was communicated to District- Inspector Preston on 16th September if there was no connection between the two.
§ MR. CHERRYI cannot inform the hon. Member. If he will put down a Question, I will make inquiries.
§ MR. CHARLES CRAIGI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether the fact that upon 23rd July, 1907, a stranger had purchased in the shop of Mr. Kelly, of Waterford, 60 pounds of blasting powder and 16 feet of fuse was a vital and material matter for any narrative of facts to be supplied to Lord Ashtown prior to the investigation of his claim on 21st September, 1907, before the County Court Judge of Waterford; whether the fact of this purchase was known to County-Inspector Jennings on 16th August and to District-Inspector Preston on 16th September; and, if so, can he explain why no information of the fact was at any time supplied to Lord Ashtown; will he explain why District-Inspector Preston, with this knowledge in his possession on 16th September, not only made no mention of it before the County Court Judge on 21st September, but upon the contrary swore that all efforts on the part of the police had failed to trace or place the purchase of the powder or fuse.
§ MR. CHERRYThe police at Waterford were informed that on 23rd July an unknown man purchased in Mr. Kelly's shop 65 pounds of blasting powder and three coils of fuse. The fact of this purchase became known to County-Inspector Jennings on 17th August, and to District-Inspector Preston about 16th September. This answers the supplementary Question put just now, I 512 think. Upon hearing of the matter County-Inspector Jennings at once instituted most exhaustive inquiries. The police have been unable to trace the person who purchased the powder or to ascertain what became of it, and, as I have already stated, no connection whatever has been established between it and the explosion at Glenahiery. It was considered unnecessary therefore to give information of the fact to Lord Ashtown, as the police officers referred to did not think that the fact of the purchase could form an element in the case in the total absence of evidence connecting it with the explosion.
§ MR. MOOREMay I draw attention to the fact—[Cries of "No"]—that the right hon. Gentleman has not answered the last part of the Question.
§ *MR. SPEAKERThat is the Question which the right hon. Gentleman has asked shall be put down.
§ MR. MOOREThe right hon. Gentleman has just said he has answered it, and I wish to call attention to the fact he has not.
§ *MR. SPEAKERThe hon. and learned Member had better put it down.
§ MR. CHARLES CRAIGWill the hon. Gentleman answer the last part of the Question—why the inspector, with this knowledge in his possession, not only made no mention of it before the County Court Judge on 21st September, but swore that all efforts on the part of the police had failed to trace the purchase of the fuse?
§ MR. CHERRYThat is quite true. They tried to trace it, and they had a suspicion on the subject, but it was only a suspicion.
§ MR. CHARLES CRAIGI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that County-Inspector Jennings at the Waterford Assizes in March last, stated upon oath that, from the date of the explosion at Glenahiery on 14th August, 1907, up to the moment he was giving evidence, he had never entertained 513 even the slightest suspicion of Lord Ashtown in connection with the outrage, and that District-Inspector Preston stated upon oath in Dungarvan on 21st September last, and again at Waterford Assizes on 4th March last, that he never intended to make any suggestion or charge against Lord Ashtown in connection with the outrage, and that never at any time was he in possession of any evidence that would justify any such suggestion or charge, and that the county council and the ratepayers at Waterford Assizes in March last expressly disclaimed and repudiated through their counsel any such suggestion or charge, and did the County Court Judge in September last, and the Judge of Assize in March last, declare that there was not the slightest foundation for any such suggestion or charge; and whether, in view of these facts, His Majesty's Government propose to make any charge against Lord Ashtown.
§ MR. CHERRYThe proceedings in this case both before the County Court Judge and the Assize Court were fully reported in the newspapers to which the hon. Member can refer. I cannot say whether the evidence or the statements of the Judges and others are correctly summarised in the Question or not. The Government have not at present in their possession information which would justify them in making a charge against any person in connection with the occurrence.