23. Mr. WILLIAM ARCHER REDMONDasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether his attention has been called to 711 the statement that the attack upon Mr. Conway, the reporter of the "Dungannon Democrat," at the meeting at Castlecaulfield on the 12th July, took place while the Rev. R. T. Simpson was addressing the meeting; 'whether Mr. Conway was attacked while seated on the platform with the other pressmen; whether attempts were made to rush the platform; whether Mr. Conway left the platform and sought the protection of the police; whether the police present were few in number, and were unable to protect him; if he is aware that Mr. Conway was beaten with drumsticks, wooden mallets, and deacon poles carried in the Orange procession; whether he is aware that this all took place while the meeting was actually proceeding; whether he is aware that on his arrival at Dungannon Mr. Conway was medically attended by Surgeon Cordier Marmion, J.P., deputy coroner for county Tyrone; whether he is aware that that gentleman has publicly stated that if he had not applied restoratives Mr. Conway would have succumbed, that his life was in imminent danger for three or four days, that Mr. Conway is still suffering from a stiff knee and walks lame and with pain, and is still under medical treatment; whether, in view of this statement made by a qualified and well-known medical man, he can state on what grounds the police authorities have stated that, on examination by the doctor, Mr. Conway was found not to be seriously injured; and can he state what doctor, if any, gave such information to the police?
§ Mr. BIRRELLI have done my best to ascertain the real facts of this case. My attention has been called to a newspaper account to the effect stated in the question, and I have also had the advantage of reading a letter from the Rev. R. T. Simpson on the subject. The Member for South Tyrone was the first speaker at the meeting. He left immediately afterwards for another meeting some miles away. Mr. Simpson was the fourth and last speaker. He states that after he had spoken for a time he heard to the left of the platform someone saying, "Come down out of that! You have no right to be there!" Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw a man sitting on the rail of the platform. Thinking it was he that the crowd were calling on to come down, as he was obstructing their view, Mr. Simpson requested him to do as they wished, and continued his speech. The words heard by Mr. Simpson appear to have been addressed 712 to Mr. Conway, and the crowd proceeded to try to pull him off the platform. Conway got off the platform, and eight policemen, seeing him leave it, went to his assistance. They and a number of people in the crowd did their best to protect him, but were only partially successful. He was knocked down and kicked and struck with drumsticks, but the police did not see any blows struck with poles or ma[...]ets. All this happened on the road outside the field in which the meeting was being held and while the meeting was still going on. The police inform me that the head constable was informed by Dr. Marmion on the date of the occurrence that Mr. Conway was suffering from shock, but was not seriously injured. On the following day Mr. Conway himself told the head constable that he was not seriously injured. It was on these interviews that the police based their report as to his injuries.
Mr. W. A. REDMONDIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the report to which he refers was published in a local Unionist organ, and that it gives facts which have not been disputed by anyone who was present on the scene?
§ Mr. BIRRELLYes, Sir, I think that in all probability—in fact, I am quite sure—the account in the newspapers, whether Unionist or any other, was substantially correct. The real point of the question, as I understand it, was as to how far my information from the police that Mr. Conway was not seriously injured—I am afraid he was undoubtedly injured—was well founded. It was founded on information given to the head constable by Dr. Marmion, and also upon information given next day by Mr. Conway, who, although he had been shockingly badly treated, happily was not seriously injured.
Mr. W. A. REDMONDAm I right in concluding from the reply that the meeting had not concluded notwithstanding the fact that the hon. Member for South Tyrone (Mr. Horner) had not made his usual glorious, pious, and immortal oration?
§ Mr. HORNERIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the reports in the Nationalist papers bear out the statement, which was presumably supplied by Mr. Conway himself, of the fact we all deplore—[An HON. MEMBER: "First time you have said it."] I have always said so—that this assault took place on the public road and not as stated at the meeting.
Mr. W. A. REDMONDIs it not a fact that Mr. Conway was pulled off the platform three times in succession?
§ Mr. BIRRELLReally my life is too short to go into all these matters. I know three things—firstly, that everybody deplores the incident; secondly, that the meeting was not over; and, thirdly, that the gentleman was interfered with on the platform.