§ Mr. DEVLIN(by Private Notice) asked the Chief Secretary whether he is prepared to make any report to the House as to the assassination of Alexander McBride, merchant, Cardigan Drive, Belfast, and William Kerr, Old Lodge Road, Belfast; whether he is aware that William Halfpenny was an ex-soldier who served 3½ years in the Royal Field Artillery in France, being 212 wounded twice and gassed once, and whose four brothers also served in the Army during the War; whether William Kerr has a brother, a sergeant-major, in the Army, at present serving in Mesopotamia; whether these murders took place in the early hours of Sunday morning last during curfew; whether parties of armed men, some of them disguised, and provided with motor conveyances, drove to the houses of these three men, dragged them from their beds, took them from their homes, and shot them under circumstances of inconceivable brutality; whether the sister of one of the murdered men has stated that some of the assassins were in uniform; what steps have been taken, if any, to discover the assassins; and whether this is only one of a series of similar murders that have taken place in Belfast during curfew hours within the last few months; and what steps he proposes to take to bring the offenders to justice?
§ Mr. T. P. O'CONNOR(by Private Notice) asked the Chief Secretary whether he has any information regarding the occurrences in Belfast during the week-end?
§ The CHIEF SECRETARY for IRELAND (Colonel Sir Hamar Greenwood)Disturbances of a serious nature occurred in various part of the city of Belfast on the 11th instant, following the murder of a police constable in the Falls Road on the 10th instant. The most serious of these disturbances took place in the York Street area. It originated in stone throwing and revolver firing between rival crowds which collected. The police were immediately on the scene, and were obliged to draw their revolvers and fire, with the result that 16 persons were conveyed to, and treated in, the various hospitals for gunshot wounds. In the Falls Road area considerable party excitement continued to manifest itself, especially in Ashmore and Conway Street. The constant watchfulness of the police prevented still worse disturbances. The three murders mentioned by the hon. Member for the Falls Division in the question took place in Belfast between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. on the 12th instant, and, I am informed, by men in civilian dress under circumstances substantially as stated in the question. I am not aware of the statements alleged to have been made by the sister of one of the deceased 213 men. Every effort has been made, and will be made, to trace the murderers and to bring them to justice.
§ Mr. DEVLINWill the right hon. Gentleman inform the House how it was that three motor cars entered different districts at a given hour clearly all coming from the same place, and went into the houses of these people, dragged them out and murdered them; what were the police doing, and why were these motor cars allowed to travel within curfew hours at one o'clock in the morning?
§ Sir H. GREENWOODI have done my best to answer the hon. Member's question.
§ Mr. DEVLINAre we to understand that this policy of Governmental assassination, which is the policy—[HON. MEMBERS: "Oh, oh!"] This is the third series of murders of a similar character which have been carried out in Belfast during the last 12 months. Am I to understand, since no redress was given to the relatives of the murdered men in the past, that this is another attempt to cloak your own villainy?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member is not entitled to use such terms in a question.
§ Mr. DEVLINWill the right hon. Gentleman answer my question as to whether there is any redress for the people who have been murdered in this way?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member had better put down any further questions.
§ Mr. DEVLINI beg to give notice that I shall move the Adjournment of the House upon this question.