The Shasta courier., 1867-08-03
The Case of Floggfng at Fort Sedgwick-

Fort SEDGwIcK, June l6, 1S67.-The case
which am writing about presents unusually
interesting facts. A stranger, very much
afflicted with an incurable disease which in
capacitated him from manual labor, came
up the road ~. P. r. r. about week
ago, and loitered around Wilson's ranch on
Pole Creek. On the 18th inst. this man.
whose name was Hendricks, was accosted
by two men dressed in citizens clothes
They requested him to buy them bottle of
whisky, which he consented to do. They
furnished the requisite funds, and he imme.
diately went to store, bought the whisky
and gave it to them. About two hours
afterward this man Hendricks was arrested
and brought down to Colonel Dodge's quar-
ters in the camp of the 30th Infantry. The
Colonel accused him of selling whisky to
soldiers. Hendricks solemnly asserted that
he did not know they were soldiers that if
he had known they were soldiers he "most
certainly would not have sold or given them
whisky" Col. Dodge, without trial by court
martial, ordered him to receive one hundred
lashes. AT noon on the following day, ex-
tensive preparations having been made for
the complete and effective carrying out of
the sentence, the wretched culprit was
brought from the guard house to the place
the ground attracted the attention of the man,
on which he gazed with dismay. Lieut..
Lantz, of Co. F., of the Both Infantry COM
manded the squad detailed to attend the
punishment. Gathered around to witness
this most unusual and un- American scene,
were some two hundred soldiers and small
group of citizens. When all was ready,
Lieut.. Lantz ordered him to be stripped,
which was Immediately done, with the ex.
ception Of short thin shirt, which barely
reached his naked hips. lie was then firmly
bound with his face TO the cross At a
given signal, two soldiers armed with plait-
ed thongs, who stood on his right and left,
raised their whips and brought the whistling,
kissing lash full on the naked body, which
sprung convulsively upward, as if touched
with red hot irons. a broad, deep red vale
marked the spot on which the lash had fal.
len, but in second it was lost to sight by the
strokes which fell thick and fast on the un-
fortunate man. Gradually the deep. red
wales assumed a blackish color, and in q
short time crimson drops of blood rolled down
the naked legs, filling his shoes, or were
splashed over the clothes Of the spectators.
Toward the seventy-fifth stroke, the flesh
around the hips hung in shreds, as if rudely
torn by an animals claws. From the middle
VI ilIC " Nitull INCHES OF the
knees, the body was perfectly raw and black.
At last, citizen named Seward of New
Julesburg, intreated Lieutenant Lantz to
stop, /" for Gods sake" The mans
screams were awful he bounded from side
to side, spasmodically upward. and hung as
If lifeless on the cross. His lacerated body
was perfectly frightful. After 10S lashes
had been administered, Lantz gave the signal
to desist. The orderly sergeant says he
counted eightytwo, but two or three by.
ISLANDERS stated that they counted one hun.
dred and eight. Leaning heavily on the
cross, after being unbound, he managed to
dress himself, after which he was sternly
ordered to leave the camp and the military
reservation at Fort Sedgwick. Turning ono
look toward Lieutenant Lantz. he crawled
and limped painfully away to the sandbluffs
to the northward. A feeling of universal
horror at the cruel punishment pervades all
the settlements. General Sherman had left
for the end of the track but two hours before
the punishment commenced 1t is doubtful
whether he knew anything about it. Flog-
ging, bucking and gagging. and stretching
soldiers spread eagle" fashion, seems to be-
the order of the day here. Lieutenant Lantz,
through the influence of Senator Coon, of
Pennsylvania, was appointed Second Lieu.
tenant only twelve days ago. l imagine he
has commenced early. Still there are men
in the neig hborhood who believe him to be
christian and a gentleman.