4 MAY 1951, Page 18

64 The Shadow of the Gallows"

Sta,—Sentiment alone is no good basis for balanced judgement. After reading the paragraph in your last issue by Janus about capital punish- ment, it is well to remember that the prisoner arrived where he did because, in absence of extenuating circumstances and after a fair trial by his fellow-men, he was convicted of wilful, and in many cases brutal,