SELECT COMMITTEE ON FICTITIOUS VOTES, IRELAND. 215 11974. You consider then, it amounts to such an infliction upon a man to have his name mentioned in chapel, it would even give birth to an action ? Yes, if I interfered with his character. 11975. But it always does interfere with his character?— In some cases it does. 11976. You would not adopt such an extreme measure unless you thought him a bad character ?— Certainly. 11977. Mr. M. J. O'Connell.~\ You mean mentioning his name as a violator of the law ?— Yes. 11978. Do you think there would be any doubt that it would be actionable ? — I do think it is actionable. 11979. Mr. Serjeant Jackson.] You did mention this man's name ?— I did. 11980. He was a person who was distributing these tickets?— I was informed he was. 11981. You stated you spoke to several persons about these matters?— Yes, I spoke of it publicly; I mean the case in which that person was concerned. 11982. But I thought I understood you to say you spoke to several persons you suspected to be concerned likewise ?— Yes. 11983. When was it you spoke to them?— I did it sometimes to make con- verts of them ; after making that public exposure of the transactions that were going on, these persons came to me and told me if I would forgive them they would never be guilty of it again; I said I could not take their words, and I sent them to Dr. Iiiggins; after that, Dr. Higgins wrote, and said they had been with him and had pledged themselves; lie had 110 great confidence in their pledge, but at the same time he told me to receive them, and watch them closely. 11984. How many of them might there have been?— Three or four. 11985. Did they all live in the same neighbourhood?— Yes. 11986. Were they all your parishioners?— Yes. 11987. Mr. M. J. O'Connell.'] By receiving them back, do you mean admit- ting them to participation in the rites of the church ?— No ; they had incurred my displeasure, and I said I would not receive them in that character ; it had nothing to do with sacraments. 11988. Mr. Serjeant Jackson \ Were these men leaders ?— No. 11989. They were of the lowest order?— Yes, they were low enough, the lowest dregs of the community. 11990. Were they persons who had received tickets, or were themselves dis- tributing them ?— They were not distributing them, but they were of the party ; they belonged to that illegal society. 11991. Did you inquire of them what the nature of that illegal conspiracy was?— I do not think I did. One of them came with his uncle and another man, and when he came he said he was innocent; denied that he was guilty at all. I said, " I do not wish to make you convict yourself before your uncle, he is here." I then made them leave the room, and, when alone, I said, " Now speak to me in confidence, I will not prosecute you," and he then admitted he was guilty, and he gave me the name of his brother and of his uncle's son. 11992. As being likewise concerned?— Yes; and he went on that day, or the day after, I remember, to Dr. Higgins to tell him the pledge he had made. 11993. Did you ask these persons how many others might have been engaged, to what extent it had gone ?— I do not know that I put that question. 11994. Did you take any means to inform yourself to what extent this secret society had spread?— I do not think it had spread further than that. 11995. Do you mean then those individuals you saw?— The first man who gave me the ticket, or whatever they call it, told me 40 or 50 in the parish, and he could not tell the names. He told me the names of some, and these persons I addressed, showing I knew them, and they came forward; but he could not tell the names of the others, for he did not know them, he said. 11996. Was it all at the last harvest this occurred ?— Yes, I think so ; it was within the last six or seven months, at all events. 11097. Have you heard anything of these illegal associations since Christmas last?— I do not recollect that I did. 11998. Did you make any inquiry of these persons whether they had heard or knew anything further on the subject since last autumn?— I did not suspect them, and I heard nothing of it. 643. G G 11999-