The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1878-05-15
The BristsN Ivhtpptno-Poss.
s[Cincinnati Commercial. ]


The marked increase of brutality of ell
sorts in this country in the last ten years is
a matter of frequent mention. The same
thing has been observed in England, and be-
came SO serious matter that a desperate
remedy was necessary to repress it. Eminent
philanthropists, among them Baroness Bur-
dett-Coutts herself, finally advised a return
to the whipping-post. The merciful way of
dealing with crime had no effect on down.
right brutality, except to increase it. The
only way to reach it seemed to be to make il
feel, even through it's thick-skinned de-
graduation, the kind of pain it vas SO fond
OF making others suffer. At length, after
proper discussion and consultation, the
whipping post was actually revived for gar
roting, wife-beating, and kicking, and some
other brutal offenses. History really does re.
peat itself at intervals.
The new punishment seems 10 have most
salutary effect, so far as it has been tried It
cannot be said to be brutalizing in it's nature
to those who seem already so brutalized that
no other punishment has any effect on them.
Those on whom it has been tried Invariably
manifest wholesome horror of it the second
time. Some weeks ago five conyicts from
l6 to 20 years of age received the fogging to
which they had been sentenced, all the same
day, at one of the London police stations.
Flogging is said to be punishment which
the most hardened nerves cannot endure
without flinching. However much bravado
the convict displays at the beginning, few
stroks of the CATO nine-tails invariably take
the starch out of him, so to speak, ana leave
him limp and bowling. It is certainly des-
perate remedy, but desperate cases of bru-
tality are occurring every day. =.
Two of the convicts who received the pun
1shment IN London were boys of Is and Is.
They had robbed woman, knocked her
down, and then kicked her, and were to re-
ceive fogging as part of their sentence, the
younger boy twenty strokes with birch rod,
the other the same number of blows with a
cat-o'-nine-tails, on the bare back. The
prisoners legs were fastened in sort of
black box, while their arms were pilloried at
the wrist. The governor of the prison, the
sheriff, and the Jail physician were present,
while the attendance ola number OF other
officials added impressiveness to the scene.
The punishment was inflicted by two robust
prison wardens, who relieved each other in
regular turn. The 16-year-old boy was
whipped first. He began to whimper at
sight of the rods, and each stroke was at
tended with howl and an entreaty of :Oh,
don't, sir!'' The second convict was an
overgrown bully, who looked bold enough to
endure anything, but he, too. began to
whimper before he had been struck. The
third had evidently made up his mind to
bear it gamely, and utter cry, but at tho
fourth blow of the cat he broke down and
beloved like cat. Yells and cries for
mercy rent the air during the whipping of
the whole five, and at the end of the punish
ment each was led away trembling, pale, and
breathless. It was not an agreeable scene,
but then neither was garroting gentleman,
robbing him, knocking him down. and kick
ing him in the head till he was nearly killed
the crime for which the last three Of the
five were fogged-an agreeable scene.