THE INNOCENCE OF EDMUND GALLEY
By R. S. Lambert It is difficult to believe wholeheartedly in progress—at least in progress all along the line—but in matters of crime and punishment we seem in this country to have made a certain amount of head- way. Human justice can never be perfect and sometimes errs badly, but it is tempting to believe that a case like that of Edmund Galley, who in 1835 was sentenced to death for a murder with which he had nothing to do, could scarcely occur today. The story, now very well set out by Mr. R. S. Lambert (Newnes, 10s. 6d.), is likely to appeal specially to amateurs of criminology, but will not easily be laid down by anybody who begins it. Though simply told, the account of the crime and trial and of the persons involved is highly dramatic, and it reaches a climax in the evident hesitation of the .judge to pro- nounce sentence. Galley was not hanged : his sentence was commuted and he was transported to Australia, where he never ceased to hope that his name would be cleared. In 1879, nearly half a century after the trial, he received a Royal Pardon, and two years later a sum of one thousand pounds by way of compensation. This was due chiefly to the efforts of two or three men who refused to believe in his guilt. Parlia- ment, once it had the facts, behaved well, but the law's blunder and the civil service's delay might well have driven the poor man mad. His story seems to contain all the ingredients for a suc- cessful film, including a happy ending.
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