§ MR. ANNAN BRYCE (Inverness Burghs)I beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland in connection with the case of Joseph Hume, sentenced to be executed at Inverness on Wednesday next:—(1) Whether he has received from Inverness a petition for reprieve signed by nearly 4,000 persons—or a sixth of the population—including many prominent citizens. (2) Whether the case for the Crown required that the murder, if committed by Joseph Hume, must have been committed on the evening of 24th September, while several witnesses deposed to their belief in having seen the murdered man on the following day; (3) Whether it is true that, although the verdict was said to be unanimous, the jury were absent from court for a whole hour, whether this long absence was due to some of them having held out for a recommendation to mercy, and only given way on an assurance from the foreman that there was no likelihood of a death sentence being carried out and (4) Whether the evidence having been entirely circumstantial, he is disposed to give favourable consideration to the petition in view of the recent notorious case where reprieve was grantee although the crime had been committee in the presence of witnesses.
§ MR. SINCLAIRI am aware of the strong public interest which this case has aroused; and I can assure my hon. 62 friend that it is now under anxious consideration. The petition to which le refers has been received. I am unable to follow my hon. friend into a discussion of the remaining points now raised by him.