29 DECEMBER 1961, Page 9

OUTSIDE THE WALLS

S12,—Mr. Charles Pannell's admirable article in the Spectator advocating a new Bill, to be called 'The Burial of Offenders Act,' should be read by all. He refers specifically to the Timothy Evans case and the refusal of the Government to release the body of this man to his family after his execution, although we all know today, with 90 per cent. certainty, that he committed no murder; even the Home Secretary has been obliged to admit that If the facts as they are now known had been known in 1950, the jury would not have found that the case against Evans had been proved beyond all reasonable doubt.'

We Irish, however, are particularly interested in the return of the remains of the Irish patriot, Roger Casement, to his own country for decent interment there. Pleas for this to be done from his relatives and from the Government of the Irish Republic have again and again been made, with refusals from successive Home Secretaries, thus illustrating the fact - that vengeance is carried even beyond the grave. Gibberish about Casement being, a traitor is, fortunately, seldom heard today. No doubt this is because people have learned an easy lesson taught by all history books that a `traitor' is often a patriot who has failed, and a 'patriot' is sometimes a traitor who has succeeded. GERALD IIAMiI TON 17 Dartrey Road, Chelsea, SW10