LORD ASHTOWN.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 143, 11 March 1908, Page 7

LORD ASHTOWN.

VINDICATION FROM KING'S BENCH. A POLICE REPORT. . ' THE JUDGE ON HIGH OFFICIALS. BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS. ASSOCIATION—COrYIUGIIT, London, Starch 9. Mr. Justice Kenny, of tho' King's Bench (Ireland) Division of tho High Court of Justice, states that there is not a scintilla of ovidonco against Lord Ashtown in connection with the Glonahira outrage. Ho severoly condemns Inspector Preston for signing a report (charging Lord Ashtown with being privy to the outrage)..under tho orders of the •Inspector-Goneral of Constabulary; when ho did not intend to make the charge himself.Mr.' Justice Kenny believes that lMr. Preston's original report had been altered in Dublin Castle, either by Sir Nevillo Chamberlain (Inspector-General of Constabulary) or the Under-Secretary (Sir A. Macdonnell). He confirms the County Court's i award of damages in tho case. . j

AUTHORSHIP OF THE RERORT. In a letter addressed to Mr. Birj-ell, Secretary for Ireland, in November, Lord Ashtown referred to the Preston document as "the report, to which the name of Distriqt-Tnspector I'reston was affixed, but for tho contents and • publication of which your colleagues in Dublin Castle aro directly After attacking, seriatim, statements in . report, Lord Ashtown states! "These, and many other questions of an equally interesting character concerning the real origin and authorship of this egregious document, now admitted to havo been typed in Dublin Castle, must form a vital part of. any sworn inquiry, honestly'instituted, which. may be held now or later, flnd which 1 I, for one, will gladly welcome, provided, first, that it is full and exhaustive, and, secondly, it bo not entrusted to officials or political partisans,; anxious only to .vindicate, not a subordinate like District-Inspeetof Preston, but those who are primarily responsible for his report and its contents.','