§ Mr. PENNEFATHER(by Private Notice) asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether his attention has been called to a Press report that evidence has been obtained of a Sinn Fein plot to infect the milk of the military with typhoid, and to convey glanders to cavalry horses, and if he can give the House any information on this matter?
§ Sir H. GREENWOODThe following document was found in the papers be longing to the chief-of-staff of the Republican Army, which were captured during recent raids. Then follows a series of remarkable and, I think, horrifying statements which refer to the spread of typhoid fever among the troops and glanders among the horses. I think the answer is so long that perhaps the House would prefer me not to read it, but to publish it in the OFFICIAL REPORT. [HON. MEMBERS: "Read!"]
§ Mr. MacVEAGHIt is a forgery, so it does not matter.
§ Mr. DEVLINA German plot.
§ Mr. MacVEAGHWho is the chief-of-staff?
§ Sir H. GREENWOODThe chief-of-staff is on the run. So is the commander-in-chief. These papers were captured a few days ago.
§ Mr.MacVEAGHWhere?
§ Sir H. GREENWOODThe following document was found among the papers belonging to the chief-of-staff of the Irish Republican Army, which were captured during a recent raid:
From the Commander-in-Chief of the Irish Republican Army to his chief-of-staff.Troops themselves.—How about spreading typhoid fever among them? I know of no other ordinary disease that could be spread among them with safety to the rest of the population. They might retaliate, but that is for consideration.To get typhoid fever one must eat or drink the typhoid bacillus (or microbe). It is easy getting fresh and virulent cultures. The best medium of conveying it is through the milk. They multiply rapidly in the milk. They can also be conveyed in the water, but through the water is difficult unless there are special cisterns or tanks near each place into which a pint or so could be poured.The milk is far the best medium, but is milk used? It can be investigated.Caution.—There is no danger to the operator unless he gets the microbes on hands or clothes. The cans would have to get special attention after the infected milk had been emptied. They could in turn convey the disease to the civil population. If these ideas are of any use you will need expert advice, so I need not go into the matter further.If those are thought practicable let me know, and I will study other things on same lines in the hope of discovering possibilities. At the moment I can't think of anything else in that line.Give my regards to all, and hope the success will continue. I enjoyed my visit and will now feel in personal touch more than ever. God bless you all.
§ Glanders in Horses.
§ It should be possible to give horses glanders. I know they can be inoculated, but that method would be impossible. The disease is got from harness and by putting a horse in a stable from which an infected horse has been removed. Therefore it should be possible to pass the infection by means of doctoring the oats, and it should be possible to get the oats at railway stations, and so forth.
§ Method.—Any doctor or veterinary surgeon will be able to tell you how to grow the microbes. If they don't know they can look it up in any text-book on bacteriology. Assume you have half-a-pint of active microbes, then take a hollow stick or piece 2068 of piping, get another stick to fit in this like a ramrod of a gun, put this stick down in the sack of oats, withdraw the ramrod, then pour in the microbes while you at the same time withdraw the hollow stick or piping. In this way you can distribute the microbes from the bottom of the sack to the top without disturbing the oats, and it can be done quickly.
§ Caution.—Operator must not allow any of the fluid on his hands or clothes. The stick and bottle should be burned after use.
§ A couple of thousand horses infected would make a sensation. Saddles, etc., would have to be burned and stables disinfected."
§ Mr. MacVEAGHCan the Chief Secretary tell the House whether one policeman or one soldier has been poisoned in Ireland, or whether one Army horse has been infected?
§ Mr. DEVLINWas not the whole thing concocted in Dublin Castle? On the face of it the thing is a lie.
§ Sir H. GREENWOODThe document, along with a number of other important documents, with covering letters from the alleged officers of this Irish Republican Army, were captured the other night in a raid.
§ Mr. MacVEAGHIt is a sheer invention. You got Pennefather to put the-question. It is a put-up question.
§ Mr. SEXTONHow is it that such voluminous and extensive information can be given on a Private Notice question within a few hours, it takes days—[HON. MEMBERS: "Weeks!"]—to get information on other subjects?
§ Sir H. GREENWOODBecause these important documents were brought over to me by courier specially.
§ Mr. MacVEAGHHow did Penne-father know what to ask? It is an invention from beginning to end.