The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-12 00:00:00

LEICESTER GAOL INQUIRY.

LEICESTER, OCT. 10.
The inquiry into the management and discipline of the
county gaol was re-opened this morning, at ten o'clock,
in the Nisi Prius Court of the Castle. There was a large
attendance of magistrates upon the bench, amongst
whom were Earl Howe, the Earl of Lanesborough, Sir
Henry Halford, Bar:;., M.P., Mr. Charles Hay Frewen,
M.P., Sir F. G. Fowkes, Bart., Mr. Hodgson, the Rev.
H. J. Hoskins, and several others. The body of the
court was also crowded with anxious listeners.
Mr. Welsby, the chief commissioner, commenced the
proceedings by stating that the commissioners attended
to further pursue the investigation, by command of Lord
Palmerston, the Home Secretary, in consequence of a
requisition having been presented to him on the par; of
the magistrates, who felt that they were upon their trial
at the bar of public opinion.
The Right Hon. the Earl Howe was the first witness
who was called. He said he had been a magistrate for
the county for many years, and had frequently visited
the gaol. He was one of the committee who drew up the
report after the system had been protested against by the
inspector, and ordered to be stopped by the Secretary of
State, in which the magistrates stated that they fully
approved of the conduct of the visiting justices. Had
been in the constant habit of asking the prisoners, when
he visited the gaol, if they had any complaint to make.
Lord Berners, one of the deputy-chairmen of the quar-
ter sessions, said that he had visited the gaol constantly,
and had never heard of any complaints or of any r amours
of such cases of starvation as had been mentioned at the
recent investigation. He was a member of the committee
(alluded to in Lord Howe's evidence). He had been in
the practice of inquiring of the governor how the system
worked, and at the meeting of the committee took notes
of the proceedings when the report was framed approving
of the conduct of the visiting justices. On making that
inquiry at the gaol they found an immense decrease in
the number of committals for vagrancy and malicious
trespassing. They also found that some prisoners pre-
ferred having bread and water to hard labour, and it was
their firm opinion at the time that Mr. Inspector Perry's
report was exaggerated as to the withholding of food.
In reply to the Commissioner, his lordship admitted
the punishments by flogging appeared large in number,
but the punishment itself was of so light a character
that in some instances the prisoners laughed at it.
Colonel Jebb had approved of the cranks.
Sir Henry Halford also said that the system had been
adopted with the sanction of Colonel Jebb ; or, at all
events, after he knew it he did not disapprove of it, and
the magistrates always considered it had his sanction.
Ile knew that the governor had been in communication
with Colonel Jebb on the subject of the cranks, but
could not say whether he had been in communication
with him on the subject of the stoppage of food.
Sir F. G. Fowkes, Bart., said that he had been a
magistrates for many years. Had been at first opposed
to the alteration of the system, but had since altered his
opinion. He had never heard of prisoners being kept
without food. He had not devoted any time to the gaol
since the crank system had been introduced.
The Rev. John Dudley said he was 91 years of age,
and had been a magistrate nearly 46 years. He had
frequently visited the gaol, both in the olden and the
modern time. Since the introduction of the crank, three
or four years ago, there was a great diminution of the
vagrants in his own neighbourhood. The vagrants used
to come to the relieving officer at Mount Sorrel, and de-
mand relief, and upon being refused broke the windows.
They were frequently brought to him and sentenced to a
week's imprisonment. After the introduction of the
crank system he bad not had one such case. He had
never heard of any such rumours as that the people had
been starved in the gaol.
Mr. C. H. Frewen, M.P. for Sussex, also spoke to
the same effect, that he had never heard of such rumours;
but was a very infrequent visitor of the gaol, as he re-
sides on the borders of Rutland.

Mr. Hodgson had been a visiting justice from 1842
to 1849, during which time (in 1846) the cranks were
introduced. It was then confined to tramps and vagrants,
and those prisoners who were sentenced to she-.. 1 terms
of imprisonment. He had no recollection in his time
of any stoppage beyond the ordinary stoppages recorded
10 the Punishment journal. He had gone through the
books, and found only two instances of complaints being
made to him by prisoners. He was always ready to
listen to any complaints. He had intended on the for-
mer
occasion, being present, to offer himself fur exa- 1
initiation, but from the heat in the room and his being
iu bad health, he was compelled to retire. He now
offered himself, and was willing to be examined at any
He begged to ask Mr. Perry (the inspector) if he
reason to speak disparagingly of the prison
;lea! g
seent .
any
during the time that he (Mr. Hodgson) was a visiting
magistrate ?
Lord Londesborough was examined to the same effect,
that he bad never heard of food being kept back to the I

injury of the prisoners.
The Rev. H. J. Hoskins spoke to having visited the
gaol on the 21st of Awiust, 1851, and seeing all the pri-
soners in the gaol. He did not receive any complaints.
He had entered that visit in the journal. According to