§ MR. M. DAVITT (Mayo, S.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been directed to the inquest held upon the body of Richard Holton, who died during the working out of a sentence passed upon him by the justices at Aston; is he aware that this man had served in the Army, and had fought at Tel-el-Kebir; is he also aware that the charge against him on his trial was that of using obscene language in the street, for which he was sentenced to seven days' imprisonment in default of the payment of a fine; that he became ill in prison after two days' incarceration, and was not taken to the infirmary, but left in his cell; that his wife applied to see him, on learning of the critical nature of 210 his illness, but was refused admittance to the prison because she arrived after the usual visiting hour; and that Holton died that night without being allowed a visit from his wife; and will he state who is responsible for this rule, which shuts out a relative from seeing a dying prisoner except within specified hours?
§ DR. TANNERI beg, at the same time, to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been drawn to an inquest held in Birmingham on Saturday last, respecting the death of Richard Holton, aged 40, a builder's scaffolder, who was imprisoned by the Aston magistrates for seven days in default of a fine of 5s., and cast in Winson Green Prison; is he aware that Holton was suffering from pneumonia at the time of committal; that, in consequence of his condition in gaol becoming critical, a message was sent to his wife from the gaol, but that she was not admitted until next morning at 6 a.m.; and that Holton died at seven next morning, without his wife seeing him alive; and whether the governor of the prison had the option of admitting Holton's wife to visit him on the point of death? I also beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if all the medical points before and after the death of Richard Holton in Winson Green Prison can now be given to this House, with the medical officers' names and testimony?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Sir M. W. RIDLEY,) Lancashire, N., BlackpoolI have not had time as yet to consider the Report of the inquest in this case, which is one that requires to be carefully looked into; but I am anxious to give the hon. Member the fullest information possible, and the facts, so far as I have been able to ascertain them, are these:—The prisoner's health on reception was recorded as good; two days after he complained of sickness, was treated in his cell, and ordered to rest for two days. At the end of the two days commencing lung trouble was discovered. He was admitted to hospital, and became seriously ill. He was unfit for removal on the day for his discharge, suffering from, pneumonia of both lungs, but refused to have his wife 211 informed until the following day, when two telegrams were sent at his dictation, the first to a wrong address, which the prisoner himself gave. The wife arrived at the prison at a quarter to 11 at night; and the governor, being informed by the medical officer that the prisoner, though dangerously ill, might last a week, refused her admission, and advised her to call early the next morning. The usual regulations as to visits are suspended in cases of serious illness, and the governor has an unfettered discretion in the matter. In the present case he appears to have committed a grave error of judgment, which the Commissioners deeply regret: but the governor is a humane man, and I see no reason to doubt that in acting as he did, contrary both to the spirit and letter of the regulations, he acted in the bonâ, fide belief that the life of the prisoner was not in immediate danger.
§ MR. DAVITTCan the right hon. Gentleman say whether the man, on his reception in prison, was put on the plank bed?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENTI am informed his health was good when put in prison, and I suppose he was put on the plank bed.
§ MR. DAVITTWill the right hon. Gentleman be kind enough to inquire whether the pneumonia might not have followed as the result of a cold contracted through sleeping on a plank bed.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENTI will inquire.
§ MR. J. O'CONNOR (Wicklow, W.)Was the prisoner examined by the doctor on his reception, and did the doctor report, him as being free from any serious disease?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENTMy answer to both questions is yes.
§ DR. TANNERThe right hon. Gentleman has told us that this man was suffering from double pneumonia, which means inflammation of both lungs, and his wife was prevented from seeing him, although there was necessarily danger of heart failure. Did the medical officer give his 212 testimony to prevent, this unfortunate woman seeing her dying husband?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENTNo, sir; my answer was in an exactly opposite sense. I have said the governor had been informed by the medical officer that, in his opinion, this unfortunate man was not in immediate danger of death, and the governor, on his own discretion, refused—and in this he committed a grave error of judgment—to allow the admission of the wife at 11 o'clock at night, but told her to come the next morning. I have expressed the regret I feel at the circumstances.
§ DR. TANNERI want the right hon. Gentleman to answer that portion of my Question on the Paper which suggests that, although the wife of this poor prisoner was admitted at 6 o'clock in the morning, and the man did not die until 7 o'clock, she had no opportunity of seeing him; further, will the right hon. Gentleman give the name of this doctor, and produce the evidence he gave, as well as the certificate of death?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENTI have already stated that it was only because of my desire to give the House the earliest and fullest information that I have said what I have. This poor man only died last Saturday, and I have not had time to see the report of the inquest. I cannot at present say more than I have done.