THE EARL OF CAMPERDOWNMy Lords, I rise to ask for a statement of the outrages which have occurred in or near the town of Tipperary, and of the circumstances; also whether it is true that an explosive was placed recently at the door of an ironmonger named Duggan, who had paid his rent to Mr. Smith-Barry; and whether Duggan has since written a letter giving in his adherence to the National League?
§ THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (Earl CADOGAN)The notice of the noble Earl's question has appeared on the Paper for so short a time that I have been unable to obtain for him detailed information with regard to many of the outrages referred to. I am able to state, however, that 25 outrages have been reported by the police as having occurred in Tipperary since December, 1889, in connection with what has been known as the Smith-Barry estate dispute. I hold in my hand the particulars with regard to four or five of these outrages, which, with the permission of the House, I will read. The first is the case of a Mr. Rutherford, who was a boycotted shopkeeper in Tipperary, whose servants al L left him. On June 14, 1890, a man named English, who had gone to work for Mr. Rutherford, was assaulted in the street in Tipperary. As he was walking down the street he was struck from behind with a loaded whip, his head being severely cut, and his assailant escaped. In the second case Mrs. Fahey came into the town on June 24, 1890, and purchased an iron pot in the house of Mr. Duggan, a boycotted shopkeeper, and on her way home she was waylaid by a man who took the pot from her by force, saying that the National League had sent him for it, and he warned Mrs. Fahey not to enter Duggan's shop again. In the third case, on June 24th, 1890, a mob collected outside the house of Patrick Clifford, a boycotted news-vendor at Tipperary, and broke the windows with stones, and damage to the value of about £10 was done. Clifford's name appeared on a list of boycotted persons posted over Tipperary in printed notices on June 24. In the fourth case—and this is the case mentioned in the noble Lord's question—on June 28, 1890, an explosive, consisting of a piece of brass piping loaded with gunpowder, was thrown at Duggan's house, and exploded without injuring any person. Duggan was boycotted in Tipperary. As my noble Friend suggests in his question, it is believed that he has since written a letter surrendering himself to the National League. In the fifth case two young girls, servants or work girls to Miss White, a boycotted woman in Tipperary, were attacked in the streets of Tipperary on July 2, by two men, who assaulted them, used abusive language, 1051 and threatened them. These men were arrested by the police, and committed to prison in default of bail. Those are five of the latest cases out of the 25 reported by the police. If the noble Lord desires further information on the subject I will endeavour to obtain it, but I am afraid I cannot do more now with the notice I have had.
§ House adjourned at ten minutes past Six o'clock, to Thursday next, a quarter past Ten o'clock.