§ Mr. JEREMIAH MacVEAGHI desire to ask the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture, in the absence of the Chief Secretary for Ireland, a question of which I have given private notice—whether he has any information which he can give the House with reference to the Orange attack upon the police in Portadown on Saturday and Sunday, and whether he can say how many police and how many civilians were injured, and how much property was damaged by the loyalist riot?
§ Mr. T. W. RUSSELLTwo police telegrams which came from Portadown, and one from Lurgan, constitute all the information possessed by the Government regarding this lamentable occurrence. An excursion of the Irish Nationalist Foresters from Portadown to Newry was announced to take place on Sunday last, 15th August. Owing to recent party disturbances in Portadown, and to the fact that party feeling is regrettably high in the town at present, it was deemed necessary to assemble an extra force of 500 police under Assistant 1103 Inspector-General Ball for the preservation of the peace and the protection of the excursionists. On the Saturday evening preceding the day of the excursion Mr. Wright, a leading Orangeman, was struck on the head and cut by a bottle thrown from a house. Mr. Wright was at the time remonstrating with some of his own party in the interests of peace. The assault upon Mr. Wright appears to have accentuated the ill-feeling against the excursion party.
On Sunday morning the excursionists proceeded in a body from their place of meeting to the Portadown Railway Station to take train for Newry. The party was surrounded by police and amply protected. They had no band or banner and wore no regalia, but some members of the party cheered in triumph at being protected by the police. On the way to the railway station stones were thrown by crowds of the opposite party at the excursion party and the police at two places. The stone-throwing was very serious and determined at one place. One constable received serious injury to the eye from a stone, and, it is feared, will lose his sight. He has been removed to a Dublin Hospital. The county inspector, two district inspectors, and about five men of other rank were struck and injured by stones, but not seriously. None of the excursion party was injured so far as is known to the police authorities. The police promptly dispersed the crowds by baton charges. After the excursionists had left by train a crowd attacked the house from which the bottle had been thrown the previous night, and smashed the windows. The police also dispersed this crowd by a baton charge and cleared the street.
Upon the return of the excursion in the evening the excursionists were escorted to their homes by the police, and no further rioting occurred.
One hundred of the police were detailed for the purpose of protecting the line while excursion trains were passing through Portadown. A mob beat off three policemen at one point and wrecked the windows of an excursion train from Londonderry. Two shots were fired from this train at a row of houses occupied by Orangemen (whether before or after the train was wrecked is not stated).
A telegram received from Portadown last evening (Monday) stated that matters were then quiet.
Captain CRAIGHave the persons who threw the bottle at Mr. Wright out of the house, or any of those who fired shots out of the train containing the Nationalist party been arrested?
§ Mr. T. W. RUSSELLThese two telegrams constitute the entire information in the hands of the Government. I would ask the hon. and gallant Gentleman to postpone his question.
§ Mr. JEREMIAH MacVEAGHIs this the same Portadown which was described by the hon. and gallant Member for East Down (Captain Craig) the other day as one of the most peaceable places in Europe?
Captain CRAIGHas it not hitherto been quiet and peaceable? Very obnoxious questions are put in this House sometimes.
§ Mr. T. W. RUSSELLI know Portadown very well. I should require notice of the question.
§ Mr. JEREMIAH MacVEAGHHas the hon. Gentleman (Mr. Russell) any information as to the outbreak of Orange hostilities in another town in the constituency of the hon. and learned Member for North Armagh (Mr. W. Moore)?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member will have to give notice of that question.
§ Mr. JEREMIAH MacVEAGHI have given private notice of it.
§ Mr. SPEAKERIt is now past the time allowed for questions.