London, U.K.
24 November 1888
It is understood that the appointment of a successor to Sir Charles Warren will be settled at the meeting of the cabinet to-day.
THE QUESTION OF FREE PARDONS.
In the House of Commons, yesterday, Mr. Hunter asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he was prepared, in the case of the Whitechapel murders, other than that of the woman Kelly, to offer a free pardon to any person not being the actual perpetrator of the crime.
Mr. Mathews: I should be quite prepared to offer a pardon in the case of the earlier murders if the information before me led to believe that it would assist in the detection of the murderer. In the case of the woman Kelly there were certain circumstances which were wanting in the earlier cases, which made it more probable that other persons - at any rate after the crime - had assisted the murderer.