SIR WILLIAM STIRLING MAXWELLasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, If it be true that the lad who was convicted on the 14th instant at Worship Street of cruelly killing a neighbour's oat, and who was sentenced to fourteen days' imprisonment with hard labour, has had half of the sentence remitted; and, if so, whether he will state the grounds upon which the remission was granted?
MR. ASSHETON CROSSYes, Sir; it is true that the lad who was convicted of killing a cat and sentenced to 14 days' imprisonment had half his sentence remitted. The doubt is as to the word "cruelly." On careful inquiry by the police it appears that the cat was after the boy's pigeons the boy went to drive it away and it jumped upon a wall, where the boy hit it once or twice with an iron rod and unfortunately killed it: but, apparently, he did not mean to do so, and did all he could to restore it, and beyond the blows there was no wanton act of cruelty. The Superintendent of Police further reported that the Secretary of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said he would be happy to further the object of the memorial praying for the remission of the sentence, and on that I acted.