§ 10. Colonel DAYasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the execution shed at Shepton Mallet gaol is against the wall of the prison, and that at the execution on the 2nd March a large crowd of men, women, and children were able, by placing their ears to the said wall, to hear the execution; and will he take steps to prevent a repetition of this?
The SECRETARY of STATE for the HOME DEPARTMENT (Sir WilliamJoynson-Hicks)The execution was carried out, not in a shed against the outer wall of the prison, but in a brick building 43 feet from that wall. It is diffi- 2559 cult to believe that persons behaving in the manner described could have heard what is suggested.