MOONLIGHTING POLICEMEN.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XII, Issue 38, 9 January 1885, Page 13

MOONLIGHTING POLICEMEN.

There are few countries outside Ireland wh ;re such a casa as that which has just baen disposed of by the Inspector-General of Constabulary would be likely to h ippen. Even in this country, where theiecordof the preservers of the peace is so chequered, there is something novel and startling in having two policemen charged with and cjnvicted of "Moonlighting." The inquiry into the charge took place some time ago at Farranfore. county Kerry, where the two Koyal Irish Moonlighted were stationed, and ,tie evidence was in due course for»varded to tbe luspector-General. This officer has now communicated his decision. The evideuce showed that on the night of the 19th. September, the policemen — Constables Donovan.- and Kennedy — attacked a number oE houses, arnongso others that of the parish priest, and no the terror of the locality fired several volleys of shots. Thrj evi'lence was conclusive, and the Inspector-General found both defendants guilty. A fine of £2 eac i was imposed, to be followed by their removal, ab their own expense, to distant and separate stations. Another constable named Moroney was also fiiei 10s for supplying the defendants with ammunition wh ; ch did not bear the regiUatio i mark. The decision is nearly as bad as tbe criminal conduct of tbe men. A peasant would get penal servitude for exactly the same offence — many Irish peasants hive got penal servitude for vastly lighter offences. Ie is bad enough that the Moonlighting policemen should escape a trial under the form an I involving the puuisbmeuts of the crimin »l law which they so outr tgeously violated , but it is infinitely worse that when tried by the military tribunal or the force the proceedings should hive so f^r^ical a termination. Tnere is no county iv Ireland which has been so utterly fleeced by the apphc ition of the *• extra police '" clauses of tbe Crimes Act as Kerry. The inhabit mts as a consequence, of course, eujoyeo the reputation of being the most lawless in tbe country. How far, it will now be asked, were the polics involved ia tbe ''outiages," aud how many areen-jackets should ha placed in the dock beside Donovan and Keunedy 1 If only for the sake of dtcency, the InspectorGeneral might have made the punishment in some measure commensurate with the off hcc— Dubliu Freeman,