§ MR. ASHMEAD-BARTLETTasked the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, If he could state what is the date of the murder by the Boers of Mr. Bethell, Chief of the Frontier Police; what are the dates of the first official Despatch sent from the Government to inquire into the circumstances of Mr. Bethell's murder, and of the official reply, and of the consequent instructions to Sir Hercules Robinson referred to on Monday; and, whether Mr. Bethell was killed while endeavouring to save from the Boers Montsioa, the Bechuana chief who protected British subjects during the Transvaal War, and whose territories were guaranteed by the Conventions of 1881 and 1884?
§ MR. STUART WORTLEYasked, At what date the first request was despatched from home for information concerning the murder of Mr. C. Bethell, which took place on July 31st, and which was reported in the English newspapers in the second week in August; and, whether such request was telegraphic?
§ MR. EVELYN ASHLEYIn answer to those parts of these Questions which are not rather matter for debate than for Question time, I may say that Mr. Bethell was killed on the 31st of July last. The first intimation we received that there had been any foul play in connection with his death was in a letter we received from his brother on the 22nd of August. On the 25th of August we received a communication from Sir Hercules Robinson, not alluding to Mr. Bethell's death, but in which he stated that Mr. Bethell's appointment as Commandant of Police had been disapproved by him, and that he told Major Lowe he could not approve of it. Having received that letter from Mr. Bethell's brother on the 22nd of August, we sent, on the 26th, a despatch to Sir Hercules Robinson, asking him to ascertain the truth and give all particulars; and we received his reply to that despatch, enclosing Mr. Wright's account, on the 23rd of October, and on the 27th we sent off the telegram I referred to yesterday. The important point to bear in mind is, that it is only by Mr. Wright's communications that we learnt that the names of those who committed the murder are known, and that there is a Native witness who saw and can identify the men. Although on this occasion I 344 must ask the House to take my word for it, in justice to the Secretary of State I must say that he came to the determination, in reply, to send that telegram on Friday last, and it was in no wise in consequence of the Questions which were put down that that telegram was sent.
§ SIR MICHAEL HICKS-BEACHMay I ask if Her Majesty's Government received the intelligence of the death of Mr. Bethell by telegram; and, if so, on what date?
§ MR. EVELYN ASHLEYWe received the account of Mr. Bethell's death by telegram on the 8th of August, and we immediately telegraphed out at once to see what Mr. Bethell it was. It merely stated the death.
§ MR. W. E. FORSTERMay I ask the hon. Gentleman another Question? Two gentlemen were sent from Cape Town into Bechuanaland in an official position—Mr. Rhodes and Mr. Bowen, who was Secretary to Sir Hercules Robinson. They were not, I understand, far off at the time of the occurrence. Has no Report been received from them?
§ MR. EVELYN ASHLEYMy right hon. Friend is incorrect. They were a long way off, in Stellaland, and knew nothing at all about it. Mr. Rhodes went up afterwards. He arrived on the 25th of August in the neighbourhood of Montsioa's country; but he was not within several hundred miles of the plane when the murder took place.
§ MR. CREYKEasked whether it was not the fact that in consequence of the publicity given to this matter in the Press by the brother and relations of Mr. Bethell, the Colonial Office took some steps; and whether they might not infer that had it not been for the agitation by the relatives of the murdered officer, the Government would have passed the matter over in silence?
§ MR. EVELYN ASHLEYI can have no control over hon. Members' inferences, but the facts of the case are these. The first statement we received was on the 22nd August, in a letter from Mr. Bethell's brother. In consequence of that the Colonial Office sent out to make inquiries. Most undoubtedly the Colonial Office were as anxious as anybody to bring the murderers to justice; and I can assure my hon. Friend that he is quite wrong in thinking that we required any stimulus in taking action in the matter.
§ MR. STUART WORTLEYasked whether on the 8th of August, as the hon. Gentleman said when the first telegram arrived announcing Mr. Bethell's death, it was known at the Colonial Office that Mr. Bethell was in the employment of the English Government?
§ MR. EVELYN ASHLEYYes; it was known that Mr. Mackenzie had appointed him temporarily, but we did not know exactly whether he had assumed office, and we did not know whether there were any police to command. I am not quite certain whether we knew at that time or not that Sir Hercules Robinson had refused to ratify it; but certainly we did know that he had been appointed by Mr. Mackenzie.
§ MR. STUART WORTLEYDid Sir Hercules Robinson refuse, as a matter of fact, to ratify it?
§ MR. EVELYN ASHLEYYes.
§ MR. CREYKEMay I ask why, if the facts were perfectly well known on the 11th or 12th of August, the Colonial Office waited for a letter from Mr. Bethell's brother before taking any steps?
§ MR. EVELYN ASHLEYsaid, he really must dispute what the hon. Gentleman had stated. The matter was not well known in England. He believed the first mention of any foul play in connection with the death of Mr. Bethell was on the 19th of August. He thought that was the first date on which there was any mention in this country of any murder having been committed.