§ Mr. T. Duncombewished to ask the right hon. Baronet whether he was prepared to lay on the Table of the House the Report of Mr. Robins, relative to the system pursued by a magistrate and certain constables in Staffordshire in respect to the punishment of Eliza Price; and also whether, in addition to such report, he would also produce a copy of the correspondence between the Government and the Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire upon the subject? He had recently received a communication from the same neighbourhood, where it appeared that the same kind of treatment had been pursued against two women under the warrant of a Mr. Briscoe. 672 The deposition in respect to the latter prisoners, which had been laid before another magistrate, stated that they were two young girls—one only eleven years of age, and the other fourteen. The first was apprehended by a constable on the charge of stealing a halfpenny worth of coals, and the latter for stealing a waistcoat of little value. The deponent, who was sister to one of these unfortunate girls, stated that she went to the constable, on the evening of her committal, who had Eliza Price in custody, when she found her sister in a back kitchen; that she asked him whether she could have a bed, when he replied in the negative, as he had not one there; that she then offered money to procure her sister a bed, which was also refused. On the following morning she again called, when she found her sister with handcuffs upon her, and chained to the grate. On the next morning she called and found her sister in the same dreadful condition, and the other prisoner, Emma Woodall, also chained in like manner to the grate. Her sister said that she had never been washed since she was taken into custody, and asked deponent for some soap. This statement was corroborated by another sister of the deponent. It appeared that Mr. Briscoe, before whom these two young girls were brought, had desired the constable to take them to his house, where they were confined for four days, and were both chained to the grate in the back kitchen. He (Mr. Duncombe) observed that this appeared to be a most monstrous case of cruelty, and that the constable, if found guilty of having acted so to these young women, should be made an example of, and the most effectual means taken to put an end to such a system that was alleged to prevail in the neighbourhood of Mr. Briscoe's magisterial authority.
§ Sir J. Grahamsaid, he should not have the least objection to produce the minutes of evidence which had been taken before the Commissioner in respect to the cases referred to, and the report of the Commissioner himself upon such evidence. He would be also happy to lay upon the Table of the House a copy of the letter which he had addressed to the Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire on the subject, enclosing the Report of the Commissioner and the minutes of evidence. The hon. Member for Finsbury would then see that he had pointed the attention of the Lord Lieutenant to this practice of chaining prisoners 673 upon mere night charges, which he stated was most reprehensible, and he had pointed out to the Lord Lieutenant the necessity of directing the magistrates' attention to the subject, with a view of inducing them to use their influence to check this practice, which he was sorry to see had prevailed in that district. The conduct pursued in respect to the recent cases mentioned by the Hon. Member was also most unjustifiable.