Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-05-12
The British WhLpping-POst.

cincinnati Commercial.
The marked increase of brutality of all
sorts in this country in the last ten years is
matter of frequent mention. The same
thing has been observed in England, and be-
came SO serious matter that desperate
remedy was necessary to repress it. Eminent
philanthropists, among them Baroness Bur
dett-Coutts herself, finally advised return
to the whipping-post. The 1nerciful 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 it
feel, even through its thick-skinned de-
graduation, the kind of pain it was SO fond
Of making others suffer. At length, after
proper discussion and consultation, the
whipping post was actually revived for gar
roting, fe-beating, and kicking, and some
other brutal ofenses. History really does re-
peat itself at intervals.
The new punishment seems to have a most
salutary effect, SO far as it has been tried. 1t
cannot be said to be brutalizng in it's nature
to those who seem already SO brutaiZed 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 a punishment which
the most hardened nerves cannot endure
without hinching. 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
ishment in London were boys of 1G and 10.
| They had robbed a woman, knocked her
down, and then kicked her, and were to re-
celve logging as part of their sentence, the
younger boy twenty Strokes with birch rod,
the other the same number of blows with a
cato -nine-tails, on the bare back. The
prisoners legs We're fastened in a 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 of a 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
oAShV " VIC LUIS, anu edCu SCfOK6 Was at
tended with howl and an entreaty of ooh,
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 no cry, but at the
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
GREATNESS. 1t 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 fogggged-an agreeable scene.