Deputy Doyle has given notice that he will raise the question of the shooting of an unarmed civilian in Wexford on Friday last.
COMMITTEE ON FINANCE. - ESCAPED PRISONER'S DEATH.
Mr. DOYLE
In raising this question of the shooting of this unarmed prisoner I assure the Dáil that I have no animus to the Minister for Defence or to the military. My chief reason for doing so is the expressed wish of a very large number of my constituents. They asked me to raise this question in the Dáil in the hope that such shootings might be deterred in the future, and that some other ways and means might be found to cope with men who are still on the run besides shooting them, as in the present case. I simply detail the case as it was detailed at the inquest. This prisoner, a man named Michael Radford, was one of a number of prisoners who escaped from Wexford Military Barracks, I understand, about eight weeks ago, and who has since been more or less at home working on his farm, and with his father, until about four or five days ago. I understand that those prisoners had some information that the military were again on their trail, and that they were to be re-arrested. Again those prisoners, or some of them, went on the run. They went into a certain district, and into that district last Friday a large search party of military made their way. Posts were set up and sentries placed at different points. One, a sentry at the end of a laneway leading from certain lands to the public road, was placed on the road at the end of the laneway, and at about 10.30 o'clock, according to his evidence at the inquest, he saw three men approaching. When they saw him they turned and ran back the lane again. This sentry, a young man about sixteen years of age—I do not think from his appearance he could have been any more—called on them to halt three times. He swore at the inquest that he then fired a shot over their heads. They did not take any notice or either the "Halt" or the shot fired over their heads. They kept running, and two of them got over the fences at different sides of the lane. When the third man was jumping over the fence the sentry said he fired at him to kill, and he accomplished his object. The man scrambled over the ditch after being hit and got into the field about three yards inside the fence, where he lay until he died. I understand that the military had those instructions when they were told off to make this search, and those instructions were, I believe, carried out to the letter by this sentry. Where the callous part of the whole proceedings arose was, this sentry said that he asked the other sentries about to go down and see if any of the men were hit. They went a small portion down the laneway and they found nobody, and they came back and reported accordingly to the sentry. In the morning about 5.30 the sentry himself—I suppose he was aware he had hit his prisoner, I do not know if that is so, as he did not say so at the inquest—made a search at that hour in the morning and found the body three yards inside the fence. That is what I consider the callous part of the whole transaction. The doctor said at the inquest that if medical aid had been procured immediately he certainly would have been able to alleviate the sufferings of this man, and there was a possible chance that he might have been able to save his life. No move was made to find whether this man was hit or otherwise from 10.30 on that night until 5.30 on the following morning, when he was found by the man who shot him. This is a matter my constituents complained bitterly about, and, along with that, they think there should be some other ways and means found, now that things are approaching normal, in cases of this kind. We have things pretty normal in Wexford, and everybody is agreeably surprised at the peaceful time we are having for the past six or eight weeks. I raise this question in the hope that the Minister for Defence and the Government may find some other means of coping with those escaping prisoners than by shooting them. I can give the assurance that it has had anything at all but a pacifying effect on the district. From all I have heard I believe he was popular, and his funeral from the military barracks on Saturday night bore that out. I do not condone in any way the actions of the Irregulars in any shape or form, and I never did. The people who have complained to me about the shooting of this man have been staunch supporters of the Government ever since the Treaty was signed. They have no axe to grind, but they think some other form of punishment should be found at present than the taking of life. No matter what may be said, since the order to cease fire by the other side they have given no provocation in County Wexford in any shape or form as far as I know. I hope the Minister may be able to say that other measures may be taken besides the shooting of prisoners even if they are escaping. I consider the time has come when actions like this will embitter the community more than anything else, and certainly it will not tend to peace in the country. Before the "Cease fire" order Wexford was anything but peaceful. In fact, it was one of the worst counties in Ireland, but since that order was issued another influence was brought to bear, and the county is one of the most peaceful in Ireland. I conclude by again expressing the hope that we will have no more bloodshed such as this now that things have become normal.
I fully endorse every word uttered by Deputy Doyle. I hope the Minister for Defence will take every means in his power to restrain shooting—indiscriminate shooting. This is the third man who has been shot in the County Wexford during the last couple of weeks. As Deputy Doyle has stated, peace now prevails amongst all classes.
I think it does Deputy Doyle great credit to speak in the way he has done in respect of those people in Wexford who brought such sad destruction upon him personally. The only information I have officially in regard to this incident is contained in a telegram received at 12 noon on Saturday. It states: "During operations by our troops in South Wexford this morning (Saturday), Michael Radford, one of the prisoners who escaped from Wexford Jail, failed to halt when called upon, and was shot dead."
Now, the Deputy speaks of the shooting of unarmed prisoners. I take it that that is a wrong description, and that it is clear from the Deputy's own description of the incident that this was a man who had been a prisoner and escaped. He was one of the responsible Irregular leaders in the area. Serious attempts to effect his escape and the escape of others were previously made, but they were foiled by the watchfulness of our troops. There did recently escape prisoners to the number of twenty-seven. This was a man who was at large, and he was being rounded up at the time when the shooting took place. It is not right to speak of this case as the shooting of an unarmed prisoner.
Mr. DOYLE
At the inquest it was proved that the man was unarmed.
I think the point is he was not a prisoner.
Mr. DOYLE
He was not a prisoner at the time.
That is the point I want to make.
Mr. DOYLE
I quite agree with the Commander-in-Chief, he was not a prisoner at the time.
The official information I have is that that incident took place early on Saturday morning. From the Deputy's own statement of the situation it will be understood it was quite possible that in the darkness it was difficult to locate whether or not the man lay in the field. If the position was that the sentry could not leave his post, but had to send other men to find out what the situation was in regard to that particular man, it was possible and reasonable that they could not locate him, and if the deceased was found at half-past five o'clock in the morning, until we have more information about that it is quite reasonable that finding the deceased at half-past five was finding him at the earliest possible moment, which, considering the operations we had on hands, it was reasonable to expect he should be found. I think it is not deserved, and it is not just either to the Army authorities, who dictate the policy that has been carried out from the Army point of view, or to the men who have been suffering death and pain and wounds at the hands of men in Wexford, and suffering them cheerfully, and with very good discipline and control—it is not just to them to state that there was callousness in their attitude in this particular instance.
As I say, it is greatly to the credit of the Deputy, this extending of his compassion and sympathy to these unfortunate people who have brought so much trouble on that particular area. In view of the spirit in which he raised the matter, certainly the men in the ranks of the Army there, who have suffered and are suffering so unnecessarily, might receive from the Deputy some of that compassion and sympathy that he has given expression to. Prisoners to a large number did escape from Wexford, and the duty that was upon us to hold these prisoners at that time is upon us to recapture them. Some very dangerous prisoners have escaped in different parts of the country. We have explained to the Dáil that, while there is a large amount of peace on the surface and while we hope for a continuance and a firm establishment of that peace, we still have certain duties to look after the protection of the country. In view of certain things that we know of, and certain things that are plain and are happening, it is our duty at least to see that men who are prominent Irregulars, and who have escaped from our custody, are recaptured. We have to get after these men and to recapture them by military force. It is not unreasonable, knowing what our treatment of prisoners has been and knowing the clemency of the Government in dealing with the prisoners who have fallen into their hands, whether there is a charge against them or not, that when men know they are caught in a trap and know they are surrounded by our soldiers, that they would answer the challenge to halt. If they bring death or wounds on themselves by not answering challenges that are only issued for the safety of these men themselves and for the safety of our troops, then we cannot be accounted callous or unreasonable if, by non-compliance with these challenges, these men bring either death or wounds on themselves. The policy of the Government generally, and the policy of the troops in Wexford, is one of dealing stoutly and sympathetically with whatever there is of danger in the situation there, but dealing with it in the same tactful and clement way that the situation in every other part of the country has been dealt with for so long, and is being dealt with at present.
Mr. DOYLE
My chief point was that if other means than shooting could be dealt out in cases like this it would be desirable. It was to stop shooting that I put the question.
The Dáil adjourned at 7.45 p.m. until 3 o'clock on Tuesday, the 26th June.