§ MR. P. A. TAYLORsaid, he would beg to ask the Secretary of State for War, Whether his attention has been called to the murder, in the Barracks of the Royal Engineers at Dover, of one Serjeant Barnes (a native of Leicester) by a comrade whose insanity was proved by many witnesses, one of whom, Benjamin Batten, a sapper in the same regiment, deposed to the fact in these words—
His conduct this last six months has been so strange that I have been frightened out of my life the whole time he has been out of hospital" (where he was placed as a lunatic). "I have lain awake for hours for fear of what he would do. It was not safe to be in the room with him. He was just like it when he came out the first time. He had been sent to the hospital several times, but the doctor has refused to take him in. This has happened lately. I believe he had no more intention to shoot Barnes than anyone else," &c.Whether he does not think there was neglect on the part of some one, in allowing such a man to be at large, especially with access to arms and ammunition; and, whether he will not issue regulations calculated to prevent such a catastrophe in future?
§ MR. CARDWELL, in reply, said, it was true that the sapper to whom reference had been made was long supposed by his officers and comrades to be suffering under insanity; that he had been fifty-three days in hospital within the last few months, but that he had been discharged by the surgeon under the impression that he was sane, and he afterwards discharged his duties with perfect regularity. However, he was 1577 bound to say that, after communicating with the Director General, neglect might be justly imputed to the surgeon, and the Director General had been directed to communicate officially with him.