National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-02-19
AS TO the Lash.

1t is not likely that punishment by the
lash will over again DO incorporated into the
criminal statutes Of any of the northern
states, although there are many good people
in that section Of tho union who believe that
a sound whipping would be the proper pun
ishment for certain classes of hardened
ruiiians The revival of tho crime Of CARROT
ing in New York has started discussion as
to the punishment that ought to be metod
out to the villains who compress the Threats Of
their victims while they pick their pockets,
and the lash has been recommended even by
some of the judges of the New York crimi-
nal courts. Judge Cowing said to an inter
viewer that he concurred with Mr. Bergh in
the opinion that wife heaters ought to DO
whipped, and he believed that tho lash
would have a salutary effect upon such
criminals as take their sentences Of impris-
onment with cool indifference. Judge Glider
sleeve did not favor going back to the lash,
although he thought it might have reform
atory influence on wife beaters and the in
.iured women would be saved the additional
hardship of being deprived of support while
their husbands aresserving term of impris-
onment
On the other hand, Recorder smyth ex-
pressed himself as being opposed to the use
of the lash for any crime. He regards whip
ping as a kind of punishment entirely an
tagonistic to the spirit of the age. 1t often
breeds sense of evaporation which leads to
murder for the sake of revenge. In the
opinion of this eminent judge, what is wanted
to insure the public safety is the certainty
of punishment. The facilities which
the law and the practice of the
courts afford for delaying trials and
taking appeals give great encouragement to
criminals. Recorder Smyth mentioned the
case of q lottery dealer who was convicted in
the court of general sessions. His counsel
the Judgment was affirmed, and then they
went to the court Of appeals, and that tri-
bunal ordered the conviction to stand. Tho
last that Judge Smyth heard Of the case it
was on the calendar of the United States su-
preme court for 1884, with prospect of being
reached in about seven years. In the mean
time the lottery dealer is enjoying his free
dom.
Two years ago the Maryland legislature
passed law providing that when man has
been convicted of "brutally" beating his wife
the court may order him to be whipped or
imprisoned. Forty lashes is the maximum
punishment The first man who was con-
victed of wife beating in the Baltimore city
criminal court and sentenced to receive
thirty-nine lashes under this act took his case
to the court of appeals. The court of appeals
overruled the appeal and ordered the con-
viction and sentence to stand.
| AS far as we arc advised, this is the only
instance in which the new law has been en-
forced in Maryland, and we have no informa-
ton as to whether the crime of wife beating
has become less frequent since its passage OF
not. 1t is probable that most of the judges
avail themselves of the discretion given them
by the statute and send the convicted hus
bands to Jail rather than to tho whipping
post; and it is also within the bounds O
probability that the poor, suffering wives
knowing that their husbands may be logged
are more reluctant to make complaint agains
them than before. The defendant in thi
case was very severely whipped, the thirty
nine lashes on the bare back which the cour
prescribed being administered by an able
bodied deputy sheriff with new raw hide
When he returned to his home his wife re
fused to live with him, so the opportunity O
learning whether the fogging would max
him better or worse husband was lost.