§ Mr. MacVEAGHI wish to ask the Chief Secretary a question of which I have given him private notice, whether his attention has been called to the brutal attack made upon a Nationalist Agent, Mr. Thomas McClory, on the eve of the polling in the South Down Election; whether the assault was in any way provoked; whether other attacks have been made upon individual Nationalists in this locality; what steps have been taken to bring Mr. McClory's assailants to justice; and what action will be taken by the authorities to prevent further attacks upon the lives and property of Nationalists in that district?
§ Mr. BIRRELLMy attention has been called to the brutal and unprovoked assault made upon Mr. Thomas McClory on the eve of the election and to the other cases of assault referred to in the question. McClory was a deformed man in poor health, and died within a fortnight. 1063 He was unable to identify his assailants, and the police have not up to the present been able to obtain any evidence on which it would be possible to bring them to justice, but three young men have recently been convicted and sentenced to a month's imprisonmnt for an assault committed in the same locality, and this will, I hope, have some effect. The attention of the responsible police authorities has been called to the matter, and they have strengthened the police force at Rathfri-land by four men and have placed a specially selected sergeant in charge of the district, and they believe that by this means they will be able to put a stop to misconduct of this kind.