§ MR. WILLIAM LAWRENCE (Liverpool, Abercrombie)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War, whether he can state the reason why the sentence of death passed on the Boers Vanderwalt and Vorster, who were convicted of murder, has been commuted; whether he will furnish a Return of the murderers whose sentences have thus been commuted, with a short statement of the nature of the crimes committed; and whether against white or black subjects of His Majesty; whether, seeing that the use of uniform of an enemy for the purpose of disguise was condemned by the Conference at the Hague, he can furnish a Return of the cases of this use of His Majesty's uniform in attacking our troops; and whether any persons have been punished by court martial in consequence.
§ MR. BRODRICKI have no information as to the reasons for the commutation of the death sentences mentioned. The number of murderers 1097 whose sentences have been commuted will be included in the Return of Extracts of Proceedings of Military Courtsheld under Martial Law which I have promised to lay on the Table. A certain number of Boers captured, disguised in British uniform, have been shot, but I have no information of the numbers.
§ MR. FLYNN (Cork, N.)Is there any guarantee that these men had a fair trial?
§ * MR. SPEAKEROrder, order!