MR. II. J. WILSON (York, W.R., Holmfirth)I beg (1) to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to the case of two miners, Simms and Broadhead, of Cawthorne Basin, who were arrested on the 3rd of March, detained all night in the Barugh Green Police Station, and charged before the Barnsley Magistrates on the 7th of March with being drunk and disorderly; (2) whether he is aware that although evidence in support of the charge was given by Sergeant Humphries and Police-constables Rollinson and Walker, yet the Magistrates preferred the evidence for defence, which prove that they were perfectly sober and orderly, and dismissed the case; (3) whether he is aware that abundant evidence is forthcoming to prove that Police-constable Walker was at Darton at the time when in his evidence he swore that he saw the defendants at Claycliffe, a distance of nearly two miles from Darton, and cautioned them; and (4) whether he will cause inquiry to be made as to this evidence, and also make further inquiry into the conduct and evidence of the above-mentioned police officers?
MR. GEORGE RUSSELL (who replied)said: (1) Yes. (2) No. The Justices have informed the Secretary of 1179 State that in dismissing the case they were giving the prisoners the benefit of the doubt to which the evidence in their favour had naturally given rise; and the Chairman, when stating the decision of the Court, said that—
There was a strong conviction in the minds of the Bench that the prisoners were not sober at the time, and that they were not conducting themselves properly.(3) No. The Secretary of State has made inquiries, and sees no reason to doubt the truth of the constable's evidence. (4) The Justices found that the police had acted properly.