§ MR. D. CRAWFORD (Lanark, N.E.)asked the Lord Advocate, Whether his attention has been called to the trials at Hamilton of Peter White, Alexander Tennent, and John Clark on 26th January last, and of Timothy Ward, Andrew M'Cuskar, and James Martin on 27th January, all steel workers, on a charge of mobbing and rioting at Motherwell, on 4th October; whether, in the first trial, the jury, after a very short deliberation, found the three prisoners not guilty, and in the second trial the Procurator Fiscal, after leading evidence, withdrew the charge against all the three prisoners; whether a special defence of alibi was pleaded by Tennent, Clark, M'Cuskar, and Martin, and given effect to by the verdict of the jury; whether Ward was, at the conclusion of the other 1060 trial, convicted on a separate charge of assault committed at the same time and place; and, if the above circumstances are correct, whether he will inquire into the circumstances of the case, and take steps for giving some redress to these five innocent men, especially the four who were acquitted on the ground of mistaken identity?
§ THE LORD ADVOCATE (Mr. J. H. A. MACDONALD) (Edinburgh and St. Andrews Universities)Yes, Sir; my attention has been called to these cases. The statements in the second, third, and fourth paragraphs of my hon. Friend's Question are substantially correct. Upon the evidence laid before the Crown Counsel it was absolutely necessary that the men referred to should be tried. There are no public funds in the hands of the Lord Advocate out of which any payment towards the costs of an accused person could be made; and as I can find no circumstances indicating anything improper in calling upon these men to stand their trial, I do not see any reason to ask for a special Vote of money in their case.