Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1888-07-05
DELAWARE,S WHIPPING POST.
The Grotesque Court that Condemns
Men to the Lash-The Pillory.


New CASTLE, Del.-Four times q
year this old town, that seems to be the
link between the last century
and the present time, is aroused little
from its lethargy by the Sheriff throw
ing open the heavy wooden gates of the
old Jail yard These four times are
upon the occasions OF the quarterly
whippings of petty criminals who have
been sentenced by the Court to stand in
the pillory and to be struck upon the
barred back by cat-o'-nine-tails in the
hands of the sheriff. These whippings
are the outcome Of court of quarter
sessions of the peace and Jail delivery.
To the natives of this sleepy old place
the whippings have lost most of their
attraction, and the audience that gathers
in the Jail yard upon such occasions is
made up principally of children--some--
times little tots hardly able to walk-and
loafers of the village, few curious men
from Wilmington, and three or four re-
porters. The offences for which pris-
oners are sentenced to the whipping post
are the various grades of stealing, from
petty larceny to highway robbery and
burglary, and the punishment is accord
ing to the offence. The pillory senten ce
accompanies higher grade offences, and
the number of lashes is larger to those
who aspire to lead in the profession of
stealing.
The most celebrated whippings in
New Castle took place about 1871, when
several celebrated bank burglars, who
attempted to rob Wilmington bank,
We're made to stand in the pillory for an
hour and were afterward given forty
lashes. The punishment is the most Sc
we're in winter, when it is not an unusual
thing for the victims to stand for an hour
in cold rain, and be literally covered
with ice before taken down and fogged.
Five lashes is the minimum and forty the
maximum number. The court that dis
poses Of these criminals and imposes the
sentences sits in Wilmington although
this place is the county seat, and is a
very austere body. The Chief Jnstice is
rs years of age. Judge Houston, one of
his assistants, is IA years. and has been
on the bench for thirty-three years. The
other judge, Paynter, appointed two
years ago, is as deaf post. These
three old judges sit and hear argument
before a jury in case after case that
should be settled by Justice of the
Peace. Most of the offenders are poor
miserable blacks, and it looks to an out
slider as o travesty of justice to watch the
process. A black boy, for instance, is
brought into the court in charge of q
deputy sheriff. The Clerk of the Peace
CLERK of the courts), who resembles Ma
poleon Bonaparte, then in loud, sing
song voice reads the. Indictment of the
Grand Jury. This document is pom
derous affair, copied after the old Eng
lish, as is everything connected with the
court, and charges the defendant with
stealing two chickens of the value of 81.
The prisoner pleads notguilty, and asks
to be tried. A jury is drawn, the Attor.
ney-General, who is the prosecuting
officer in all the criminal courts of the
State, reads the Indictment again, and
the hearing of witnesses begins. The
result is generally the same. The pris-
oner is found guilty, and the dignified
Chief Justice commands the prisoner to
''stand up!" The trembling wretch
stands up in the dock, and this is what
he hears:
"The sentence of the court is that YOU
pay 50 restitution money, the cost of the
case, be given five lashes on the. bare
back ON Saturday next, and then be i'm
prlsoned for period of nine months.
You are now delivered into the hands of
the sheriff.
That is fair sample of the kind Of
work that often keeps three Judges, the
Attorney General, his assistant, the
Clerk of the Peace, the Sheriff, the
Grand Jury, and the petit jury occupied
| for four or five days at d time. Fol
some offences prisoners are put in the
pillory only, and not whipped at ALL A
very few years ago prisoner convicted
of larceny was also, in addition to the
specimen sentence quoted, ordered tt
wear convicts jacket for six months
after his release from prison. That por
ton of the sentence, which had really
become dead letter, was repealed il
1888. 1t is mistaken idea that wifi,
heaters are whipped ct the post, when
as matter of fact, only offences that re
late to stealing make the offenders liabl
to the pillory and the whipping
The whipping post and pillory in us
here at New Castle are plain affairs
First there is heavy upright pos
about twelve inches square and fifteel
feet high. About eight feet from tn
ground is platform about six fee
square, through the centre of which tn
post runs. The platform is braced b,
numerous stays, arranged somewhat lik
the ribs of a raised umbrella. O,
either side of the post, about four fee
from the ground, is an iron semicircl
with aanges at the end. One end i
fastened to the post, SO as to swim!
loose. The other end slips over staple
into which a pin is placed when the wris
OF the victim to be fogged is placed
against the post and encircled with til,
iron. The portion of the post above til,
platform has q cross beam about fiv,
feet from the floor, and forms lare,
cross. The arms of this cross, on eithel
side are cut through the centre, the up
per portion lifting as hinge. Three
openings are made in the centre of the
arms, one for the victims head and the
other two for his wrists. The upper
portion of the arm is lifted up. fht
prisoner places his head in the lover
half OF the centre hole and his wrists II
those at the side. The upper part of The
arm is lowered and fastened at the end
and the prisoner is secured. They are
tIVyo H. L