§ MR. W. REDMONDI beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many murders and attempted murders have been committed in the County of Essex during the last quarter; and what are the general figures as to crime in that county during the same period?
§ MR. THEOBALD (Essex, Romford)May I ask the right hon. Gentleman if any of those murders or attempted murders can in any way be called agrarian or political; and if the juries in Essex have not done their duty fearlessly, and have in no case failed to return a verdict in accordance with the evidence given?
§ MAJOR RASCHMay I ask whether the hon. Member for Clare is not somewhat premature in connecting these occasional deviations from humanity with the County of Essex, before any Essex man has been either tried or convicted in connection with them?
THE MARQUESS OF CARMARTHEN (Brixton)How many of these murders, or attempted murders, if any, have been due to the carrying of revolvers?
§ SIR W. LAWSON (Cumberland, Cockermouth)How many of them have been connected with drink?
§ MR. ASQUITHI have no reason to suppose that there is anything abnormal in the state of crime in Essex, either as regards amount or quality. I must deprecate—and I think I am justified in doing so, after what the House has just witnessed—the patting of questions with reference to particular counties unless there are some special grounds on which the question can be founded. With reference to the question on the Paper, I have made inquiries. I understand that in the quarter ending March 31 one murder was committed by a man who was afterwards found to be insane. There was no case of attempted murder. From 1072 a Return which I have received from the Chief Constable of Essex, the general figures as to crime during the last quarter are as follows:—(1) Indictable offences: Committed for trial, 19; bailed for trial, 6; summarily convicted, 78; summarily discharged, 34. (2) Offences dealt with summarily: Convicted, 880; discharged, 265.
§ MR. W. JOHNSTONDoes the right hon. Gentleman not think it peculiarly appropriate that this question should have been put by a Member for quiet and peaceable Clare?
§ MR. W. REDMONDCannot the right hon. Gentleman state how many murders have been committed in the county during the last six months; is it not a fact that no less than four murders have been committed, one of them being the case of a police-sergeant who was beaten to death in the execution of his duty; and when a murder of that description is committed in Ireland, should I be justified in referring to it as "an occasional deviation from humanity?"
§ MR. ASQUITHI have answered the question on the Paper. If the hon. Member wants further information he must give me notice.