§ Mr. NEWMANasked the Chief Secretary where, when, and by whom the brothers Dowling, of Lixnaw, county Kerry, were sentenced to ten years' penal servitude; if he will state what the charges were against these two men and on what charges they were convicted, and if they have been released from Maryborough Prison; if so, will he state the grounds on which they were released and 1120W how much of their sentence remains un-served; and if he will lay upon the Table of the House the report of the trial in this case?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe two men referred to were tried at Cork Winter Assizes, 1909, before Mr. Justice Wright, and convicted of feloniously wounding with intent to maim. They were released by the order of the Lord Lieutenant on 11th July last. It would be contrary to practice to state the reasons which influenced His Excellency in the exercise of the prerogative of mercy. The period of sentence remitted in each case was eight years, 143 days. No report of the trial is available beyond what appeared in the public Press.
§ Mr. NEWMANasked the Chief Secretary if in one week in July of last year thirty threatening notices were found posted in the Lixnaw district in connection with a dispute concerning a local quarry, and will he state why these threatening notices were not included in the total number of threatening letters and notices served or posted in the county of Kerry for the year 1910; and will he state on what grounds Lord Justice Cherry was able to state this year, in his address to the grand jury of the county of Kerry at the summer assizes, that there were only nineteen threatening letters and notices served or posted in the county of Kerry for the year 1910?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe police authorities inform me that on 9th July, 1910, thirty threatening notices, all of the same nature in connection with a dispute concerning a local quarry, were found posted in the Duagh district. In accordance with practice, the notices, having reference to one and the same transaction, were recorded as one case. As regards the final paragraph of the question, I would refer the lion. Member to my reply to his similar question on this day's Paper.
§ Mr. NEWMANasked the Chief Secretary on what grounds Lord Justice Cherry congratulated the grand jury of the county of Kerry, at the summer assizes, on the satisfactory state of affairs, when the trial of a man named William Cotter, who was charged with unlawful assembly, and with firing into a dwelling-house and terrifying the inhabitants, had to be postponed, upon the application of counsel who appeared for the Crown, because it was not possible to obtain a fair trial of the case in the county Kerry; and will he state 1121W what steps he proposes to take to restrict the carrying of firearms in the disturbed districts of Ireland?
§ Mr. BIRRELLIf the hon. Member will refer to the reports of Lord Justice Cherry's address which appears in the Press he will find that while the learned judge congratulated the grand jury of the county of Kerry on the satisfactory condition of the county as a whole, he at the same time specially exempted from his remarks the district in which the case referred to occurred. With regard to the latter part of the question, I do not propose at present to take any special steps in the matter as regards Ireland, but the question of introducing legislation to restrict the possession of firearms in the United Kingdom generally has been under consideration.
§ Mr. NEWMANasked the Chief Secretary on what grounds Lord Justice Cherry stated at the Kerry summer assizes, in his address to the grand jury, that nineteen threatening letters were served or posted in the county of Kerry for the year 1910, and that for 1911 there were only five; if his attention has been directed to the observations of the learned judge with reference to the subject of threatening letters; will he state how many threatening letters and notices were served or posted in the county of Kerry for the year 1910; and how many from the 1st January of this year to the 12th July of this year?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe hon. Member is under a misapprehension. On the occasion referred to, Lord Justice Cherry was comparing not the years 1910 and 1911, but the period between the Spring and Summer Assizes of 1910, with the corresponding period of 1911. My attention has been directed to the observations of the learned judge on the subject of threatening letters. As far as the police are aware thirty-one such letters and notices were posted in county Kerry during the year 1910, and nine between 1st January and 12th July, 1911.