The daily gazette., 1881-01-18
Special Dispatch to the Phiia.. Press.
Whipping In Jersey.
CONFLICTING VIEWS ON THE
GRAND JURY's PREsENTMENT.

OPINIONS OF TIE BENCH, BAh AND
PULPIT ON THE Rn-EsTABLlsHMEar
OF THE wHIPPIsa-PosT IN RssEx
COUNTY.
NEWARK, January 1E.--The recon-
mendstion Of the Grand July In regard
to the establishment Of the whipping
post for wife-beaters is generally CON-
mentsd on here. Many prominent men
approve the proposition, while others
firmly deprscate 1t. Sheriff Peckwell,
Constable John Post and other old res
idents remember this mode of punish
ment adopted more than fifty years
ago. sheriff Van Rensselaer, says he
would have wife-bea, rs lashed aud
County Clerk Smith thinks this mode
OF punishment would have good effect
Judge McCarter says he is In favor Of
the whipping-post and speaks freely OH
the subject. The Grand Jury was an
excellent one aud the presentment good.
lu England Judges have authority to
impose the penalty Of the lash for Ger
tain OF 'nses. So also In Delaware, and
In that State burglary, as q consequence,
has become quite rare. lhere is class
of professional criminals to whom i'm
prisonment is not punishment. In fact,
some criminals commit crime to be sent
10 Jail. They would fear the lash. To
say whipping is barbarous 10 simply TO
be sentimental. Ex-Judge Ellsworth
holds the opposite view. He says he
would be sorry to see any such humilia-
tion of humanity practiced in this city.
The spirit of the age is TO make men
think more of themselves. A man who
is whipped publicly would lose the ie-
spect Of his family and be looked down
upou by the community. He would be
degraded and his family disgraced. He
could think of nothing better than i'm
prisonmeut for wife-beaters. DR.. q. Il.
J. Lehlback says 1t is ridiculous to talk
of restoring the whipping post. City
treasurer WiDans thinks differently
Major O'Connor approves ofthe whip
pibg-post for wife-beaters, and Prosecu-
tor Abeel says he believes In the whip
ping-post, and TO test public opinion will
probably draft bill providing for the
whipping OF certain offenders, and have
it introduced into the Legislature. He
would have the punishment inflicted in
jail.
Ex-Judge +. ii. Tess's opinion is that
this mode is out of date. While he was
on the bench he did not see the difficulty
which the Grand Jury points out or
knew anything about wife beating which
made him think 1t necessary TO provide
special punishment for. Senator Frau
els would be willing to introduce to the
Legislature bill providing for whip
plAg wIfe-he4ters, but his support Of 1t
would depend much on the way In which
it IL proposed to have the whipping done.
Ex-senator James L. Hays said that dis
graceful and degrading as whipping is,
IL is not too bad for q wife-beater. A
bill providing for such punishment ough,
TO pass.
Rev. DIR. j. 81. McIlvane, Rev. VIM.
T. Findley, d. D., aud Rev. Mr.. Kelley
favor the lash, while Rev. Henry Baker
and Rev. j. q. Snow oppose it.
The Newark Law Association met
last evening and selected for debate,
Shall the Whipping-Post be Revived as
Punishment for Wife Beating9 Messrs.
Bnrgess and Thorn spoke in the affirm
alive and Messrs. Black and Walthers
In tue negative.