The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-11-14
A Much-Needed Punishment.

The venerable Mr.. CoRCoRAN, of Wash
ington, had his pocket picked OF a watch
valued at 5000 while in this city during. the
Presidents reception. Our readers recol-
lcct this feat OF the light-tngered gentry
among many others they achieved pending
the proceedings in honor OF Mr.. HAYES. A
reward OF 5000 was offered for the watch.
The Washington detectives are reported to
have arrested two wellknown rascals, who
protested their own innocence, lut inti-
mated that some one in their brotherhood
had the watch. They were released upon
the promise OF cXerting themselves to get
it. The eXpedient was successful. The
watch came, but not the thief.
These facts show the combinations Of
rosucs and the impunity that attends their
operations. Such combinations are all over
the United States, and they arc very pow
erful through the collisions that are 4 part
OF their system.
The insaficiency OF the punishment for
their crimes, and the consequent .iaXity OF
the public administration, have caused Il
great multiplication OF rogues and villains,
and extended their operations far and wide.
The crime Of picking pockets is one OF the
most contemplate and aggrayating. 1t
needs punishment that will tend to re-
press tone that will expose criminals as
we'll as in1ict pain upon them. Clearly this
is the whipping-post." That instrument
would 60 far to clear the land OF pickpock-
cts. We are gratifed that Judge WHITE
ordered it in the case OF q pickpocket
caught in this city in the act OF stealing q
.pocket-book.. The fellow. only clutched 4
neyless book, but his guilt was as great
as though it had been filled, and he got JUS
tice-we should say White iustice-ior
Judge WHITE prescribed it, and he was a
white man. We doubt whether he will
come this way again.
And Just here we may repeat an anecdote
which we have printed before: Two pick
pockets-very gentlemanly-looking white
thieves-were once arrested at II Fair in this
city and sent to the penitentiary. In the
penitentiary they acknowledged that when
arrested they were making tour OF the
States in pursuit of "business." They
went down the Mississippi and through the
Gulf States, and along the Atlantic coast us
far as Virginia before they were stopped
They said they passed through North Caro-
lima without attempting to rob anybody,
sEbccause that was q barbarious State, where
.sthey whipped people for stealing. They
"could stand the penitentiary-that was a
gentlemanly punishment-but they could
"not run the risk Of being achipped."
Exactly! The rogues cannot stand the
whipping-post. The State owes it to So
ciety and to these wretches, who might be
deferred from crime by it, to make the act
OF pilfering from the pocket punishable by
whipping. This kind OF punishment would
save Virginia large outlay in criminal ex-
penses, and do vastly more than the peni-
tentiary to suppress crime.
Delaware knows what it is as protection.
She stands like lighthouse in the ocean.
The thieves may, like waves, surround her,
but they do her no harm. They are repealed
by the whipping-post and flood neighbor-
ing populations, but Delaware remains I'M
harmed. A point is put upon the wisdom
OF her laws by the loud complaints that are
made in neighboring communities that all
the rogues are driven from Delaware to
modest and rob them.