CONFESSION DENIED

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 147, 18 March 1931, Page 9

CONFESSION DENIED

Rouse and Newspaper Story London, March 16. The Rt. Hon. J. R. Clynes, in answer to questions in the House of Commons, said he was satisfied after making searching inquiries, that no confession by Rouse had been-passed out of the prison by any official, and it was most unlikely that one had been passed out by anyone else. Mr. B. W. Gardner (Labour): “Certain newspapers claimed definite information that the confession came from the prison.” Mr. Clynes: “I cannot answer for the resources or inventiveness of the Press.” In answer to other questions, he said that he had no powers to prohibit the publication of such sensational and erroneous information. There was a firmly-established practice against the publlcatffip officially of such confessions, and no official information had been given out regarding Rouse’s last hours.

While Arthur William Rouse, the “blazing car” murderer was awaiting execution the “News of the .World stated: “The condemned man since his appeal has admitted his guilt and said: ‘The jury weer right.’ He also said that he came to the conclusion from a conversation with his victim that he was an ex-convict who resented inquiries as to his identity.” This story was denied by Rouses’ wife, who was the last person to visit the condemned man.