5. In many cases there was no corroborative evidence, and all attempts to obtain such evidence proved fruitless, a very strong oath of secrecy having clearly been imposed on all the people. Even the relatives of the victims, who were in most cases young boys and girls, were afraid to give information. 6. It soon became clear that, although the District Commissioner and his assistants relied on being able to prove a special mark indicating membership of the Society, there was not sufficient evidence against many of the persons arrested to justify their being committed for trial. Accordingly, in order to assist the District Commissioner, who was overwhelmed with work, the Solicitor-General was sent to the Northern Sherbro District with instructions to go into the cases with him and ascertain in how many there was a sufficiently strong _prima facie_ case against the accused. 7. The result of the Solicitor-General’s enquiry was: out of 336 persons who were detained in custody at Pujehun and Gbangbama, 42 were committed for trial, three turned King’s evidence, and 291 were discharged after the preliminary enquiry had been held. Later on, 66 other persons were arrested, all of whom were committed for trial on various charges. The total number committed was, therefore, 108. 8. The state of things disclosed by the reports of the District Commissioner was so serious, and the pernicious influence of the Human Leopard Society appeared to be so widely spread, that it was considered necessary, in order to deal adequately with the situation, to give the Government special powers. The Human Leopard and Alligator Societies Ordinance of 1909 was accordingly amended in the following particulars:— (_a_) The two Societies were declared to be unlawful societies. (_b_) Power was given to the Governor to proclaim any chiefdom in which a murder had been committed in connection with an unlawful society, and to the District Commissioner to arrest and detain any person in a proclaimed chiefdom on a warrant under his hand. (_c_) It was made an offence to be a member of an unlawful society, or to take part in the operations of any such society or of any meeting of an unlawful society. The effect of this provision was made retrospective. (_d_) Powers of search were given to the police in the Colony, and to court messengers and the West African Frontier Force in the Protectorate. (_e_) Power was given to the Governor-in-Council to order the expulsion of any alien convicted under the Ordinance and sentenced to imprisonment on the expiration of his term of imprisonment. A copy of the amending Ordinance (No. 17 of 1912) is attached. 9. It was further considered necessary to appoint a special tribunal to deal with offences committed by members of unlawful societies, for the following reasons:—