§ Mr. MacVEAGHasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether verdicts of wilful murder were returned at coroners' courts against forces of the Crown in the following cases: Thomas O'Dwyer on 16th April, Lord Mayor MacCurtain on 19th April, Thomas Mulholland on 29th April (Sergeant Bustard being named in the verdict), John O'Loughlin, Patrick Hennessy, and Thomas O'Leary on 7th May (Sergeant Hampson and Constables O'Connor and Keenan being named in the verdict), James Dunn on 7th July (Constable Linchan being named in the verdict), and Patrick Thompson on 8th October (Constable Corbett being named in the verdict); whether Lance-Corporal McLeod and Privates Kilgone, McEvan, McLoughlin, Bunting, and Adams were identified and named in a verdict of murder on 6th May; whether similar verdicts were returned at coroners' inquests in the following cases: Michael Cullen and Miss Hendrick on 16th April; Philip Dowling on 4th May, James Saunders on 2nd June, Richard Lumley on 12th July, Michael Small on 16th July, James Burke on 28th July, Denis McGrath and Thomas MacDonnell on 9th August, James Mulcahy on 10th August, Patrick Clancy and John O'Connell on 26th August, Patrick Kennedy on 1st September, Patrick Gill on 15th September, and James Connolly on 29th September; and whether in any of these cases proceedings were taken in accordance with the verdicts?
§ Sir H. GREENWOODThe reply to the first part of the question is in the affirmative, except that the verdict was not of murder but was of unjustifiable homicide in the cases of Mulholland, 453W Cullen, Hendrick, Dowling, Burke, Mulcahy, McGrath, and MacDonnell and Kennedy. In two of the cases in which verdicts of wilful murder have been returned, proceedings by court-martial on the charge of murder are now pending. No proceedings have been taken in the other cases for the reason indicated in my reply to a similar question put to me by the hon. Member for the Ince Division (Mr. S. Walsh) on the 18th instant.
§ Mr. DEVLINasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether his attention has been called to the conduct of the armed forces of the Crown at Aughavas, County Leitrim, on the night of 10th November; whether these forces called at the farmhouse of John Owens, at Augharan, between two and three o'clock in the morning shouting, "Up, Lloyd George"; whether, on the door being opened, they inquired for the two eldest sons and, these not being at home, the two younger sons, aged 16 and 14, were seized; whether a halter was then thrown over a half-wall which divided the two rooms of the house, and this halter then placed round the neck of John Francis Owens, aged 16 years, who was made to stand on a chair with the halter round his neck; whether the chair was then kicked from under him and the boy was left strangled; whether the younger boy was then strung up in the same manner, and when the chair was withdrawn he fell fainting; whether the elder lad was again tortured, and afterwards dragged outside with the halter still round his neck and flogged with the buckle end of a belt; whether Mr. and Mrs. Owens and their little girl were then ordered to clear out of the house; and stood outside in their night clothes while their house, furniture, and all their possessions were burned; whether fire was set to a haggardful of ricks of hay and straw and completely destroyed; whether all other outhouses and offices were also destroyed; and what action he has taken to bring the malefactors to justice?
§ Sir H. GREENWOODI would ask the hon. Member to repeat this question, of which I only received notice yesterday, on one day next week.