The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1878-01-29
WHIPpiN. OF vAGEANT>,

which appears To have been first prac-
ticed in England Immediately after tine
dissolution of the monasterie>, by or
der of Henry VIII. Owing To the
Wholesale suppression OF the numerou.
religious houses, where the poor had
chiefly found re,iei. vast number OF
poor and unemployed persons were
suddenly thrown on the country with
gu, any legitimate means at relief,
and to this fact. the result of closing
the munas,aries. where the poor and
needy were ever gladly cared ior. may
he traced To- the first step in establish
ing the poor law system in England.
Thus shut out and cast upon the cold
world. the treaimen; the poor and des'
,itute received inr a long perici al
time WAS 50 harsh. 50 cruel. - To be
worthy the worst DAYS "i pagan Rome.
The only means le!i io the thousands
thus thrown entirely upon their own
resources was to wander from place e.
place. seeking subsistence from Iii,
casual aim. of nv benevolent person
thew might chance {" meet. Their
roavina an,l precIrious life soon Dr"
duced It's natural fruits. AMI il,e-s
again neces,iia,e,l severe measures nj
repression. Hence we find that by
an act passed in 22 Henry VIII. va.
rants were 10 lie carried Ia some
market town ar other place, and Their,
tied TO the cid ot a cart naked. ans
beaten with whips throughout such
market town or other place, ill thu
body should lie bloo'lv by reason o'
such whipping The punishment
was afterwards slightly miiigated, i"r
bv n statute passed in the tlir'y-ninii
year of Eiizeba.h'> reign. vacrant'
were only Ito he whipped till the
BODY should h. bloody" Still Va
-rancv not ONLY continued. but incrcas
ed. 80 that several benches of magi>
trates Issued orders for the apprehen
sion and punishment oi Migrants iunnd
in their respective districts. We hay,
before us innumerahle instances viii
the precise details OF the whipping a
these uniortunates, bat for the pur
pose of this article the following sc
lection as a fair specimen will suffice
BENJAMIN Smat and his wife and three
children. vagrant beggars, he Of mid
die stature. but one eve. was this 2sil
dav of September, 1899. with his wifi,
and three children openly whipped a
Boveney. in the parish Of Burnham
County of Buck. according 10 We laws
Again. Isabel Harris. about sixty year
ofage, with one child thirteen years o
age were similarly hegged As vagran
beggars. Thus it seems that this de
grading punishment was publicly in
fiicted ON females without regard &
their tender or advanced age. Ii ma,
be here mentioned. however, that :h
officers i'm some instances recommends
the poor women whom they had whip
ped to the tender mercies Of the au
ihori,ies of parishes through which
the unfortunate sufferers had 10 pass
as a specimen of these recommends
,ions one selection will suffice: ct
all constables. head-horoughs and tyill
ing men to whom these presents shall
come. desires them to he a charitabl
rs the law in such cases allows to tn
bearer and her two children" Cru
city in the first instance AMI recon-
mendation of bcnevolence Ia Others ii
the second looks like an improved
reading of Sidney Smiths celebrate
formula, "A. never sees Il. IN dis
tress. but he wishes T.. 10 90 and re
lieve him"
WHIPPING POSTS.