Delaware tribune, and the Delaware state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1877-18??, 1877-08-16
m. nnur1ve PosT.


49,. h.. undaSS.han m agitation concern
h. he re-estsblishfusht a tho whipping 4
vt in New York. n suggests whether .
liz reffnements Of obi civilization have nos
dofte Hway With some very COCO and
rrnct;cai oN.faslioned methods q
nn,mishino crime, On sccount OF when
rr;mes of \ certain class hsve increased
n quotes tho experience Of Delaware ~
tlia eject that one public whipping n0
many ~ sny individual seems 70 caro- TOT.
Hs either refrsihs ct leaves the State aftcr
that. In New York, 8n ~ contrary, hn
common for criminals to be detssted and
ulfer the milder punishments o. 49,
states law several tmes for the same kfnd
Of offence. When the Dutch ruled Han
haitian the whipping post wss an esssnna,
part of their machinery OF 1usuce, sro
continued to be in good fepuss certainty
until after the Revolutionary wa. Inc
number of stripes was usually, eccofnn6
TO the scripture rule, "forty stripes save
one," and the penalty was innic.eo on
women a. we'll o. men. The branding OF
thieves With the letter 7 on "the Drawn OF
the thumb" immediately upon oonyicaon,
in the presence of the court, wis also one
Of the practices in those good ga amcs'
But the history of this form OF punish-
ment Is pretty well known; the question
of present interest il concerning the policy
of restoring Il, and upon this point the
| Times has been at the trouble TO obtain
! and print the opinions of citixens supposed
I \, ha,., made q more thorough study than
most have nal opportunity Of dong
Of the subject Of pens..sles ana 'nen
influence. 4.
And who; out of the whole number,
| ~ aKNNn16A
of the ra.establisiHsSs 81 the public
wb;nn;no most? Will the rsadsS 81 sur
nr;sed when told he is the well-kno*n
head of the Society for the Prevention OF
Cruelty TO Animals, Mr.. Henry Bergh?
Tie MIN Who will not endure that belky
horse or obstinate mule shall be made TO
do his work by beating, " Mat vicious
dog or caterwauling feline Sh6da be
estopped by brickbat, is enthusiastic TOR
the logging of humans who violate the
laws, IA good sound licking" he says,
twill do them good, and ii Is the only
thing that will. III Ihad my way would
almost entirely replace the penitsntiary
with the whipping post......In some cases,
rufffans should be licked until the blood
| would pour down their backs 70 the hoor."
In his experience he has often known per-
sons convicted Of crime aver that they
committed e In purpose to get into the
penitentiAry, ard 1--WE Hrst not make % our
prisons so devilishly attrsce3ss:" Mr..
Bergh related that when IN Egyp: N wss
his custom, nearly every day aftef
/, breakfast" TO light his cigar, saunter up
to the place where Egyptian Justice was
, meted ont and witness the infection OF the
bsstinado, which our feaden know il
, fiopeiup with rods on the sofes Of the feet.
, The wretches howled terribly while under
' going punishment, aud could mot walk
! when ii was over, but it produced no per.
y manent i'll effects He was told that one
l infection was enough; it was almost never
that man came back for another. "Oh
it's good thing, tell you" exclaimed tn
philanthropist; mot only the city but the
c whole State, believe, should adopt tn
4 whipping post"
Mr.. John Sparks, who has had twenty
eight years experience as deputy and clerl
:, of the criminal courts in New York city
e is decidedly in favor of the whipping post
ct He thinks the penitentiary has NO terrors
te having seen great numbers Of boys ant
ID young men brought up the second, thir
i'd and fourth time, and even more, TO
lie offences of the same character. He think
tie the lash would be vastly more effective I
&c restrain the growth of crime among tn
in young. He would make whipping pun
he ishment in addition to imprisonment fc
al felonies. Judge Henry A. Gildersleev
re thinks the moral effect of the whippin
ey post would be good, but has some doub
he about the propriety OF restoring 1t, excel
ny in The cases Of wife-beaters, for whom
in thinks it is altogether the most prop,
et- punishment. E. b. Hewes, warden
to the Connecticut State prison, and pr
do viously State prison commissioner, thinl
he the we'll being of society demands corpor
IL punishment, and that the reinauguratic
re of the whipping post would be the be
! a and most economical thing the State cou
&c do for the repression of crime. D
re Elisha Harris, Corresponding Secretary
CHI the New York Prison Association, thinl
ty that it ia lack of mental education an
bis moral training that makes the whippir
no post necessary, and that such state
ice things is disgrace to the community
, n which it exists. Whipping is common
is Great Britain and Ireland for certa
nix crimes, and he has no doubt that in Il
nut present condition of large portion Of Il
ID people it is wise and necessary. Colon
so, Sheldon, general agent Of the Priss
an Association, who has during seven yea
he past had extensive personal knowledge
mt criminals, does not believe In the whippil
bur post as it is managed in Delaware, but do
no believe that it is needed for ''the prom
and sharp punishment of low vagabon
re, who would get no good from impriso
nee ment-fellows who seem beyond the req
,he of moral influences, and who would on
of find Incarceration and regular meals COL
urt Portable"
ie- These various opinions are as curious
l., IT.. A-ks
'ne the whipping post will ever be revived
10 New York as a punishment for Al
ls, offences; but there Is one point in viii
'ws worthy of attention. What makes viii
m. ping an effective punishment ia !
we promptness and its unmitigated unple,
tn antness. The most hardened do not {
tile dure II with complacency. Anoth
ors aspect of the matter alluded to by sevel
rer of the gentlemen interviewed, was
not economy. The culprit is quickly punish
is and released to earn his living, whereas,
is imprisoned, the State has to support I
All only him but often his family as well.
nth is little curious to note that nearly At I
ere same time this matter is sgitated in N
uce York, the convention in session at Allan
With Georgia, making new constitution
han the State, has had it under discussion.
cas- matter of fact, it was settled in Geor
or last week. One section of the bill
in rights prohibits whipping % punishmt
hat for crime. The bill having been adopt
are as whole on Tuesday last, an effort '
AXE made on Wednesday to reconsider t
f particular section, without success. It
the curious to zee convention of Georgia
lren who are entirely familiar with all the
ton vantages of punishment by the lash, taxi
Q to such action, while intelligent citizens
, of New York who have reputation
ling humanitarians discover sudden eagern
J, of to revive practice 20 intimately a.
out ciated with the barbarism Of slavery.
tate
,uld
,ove PLONdAN0 OYER A bh1D0E.
hite -
and NoSEsy SeS00sS He~PA0 ADJSA