The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1890-02-27
OELAWARE'S WHIPPING POST.
What 1t Has Been and What 1t Is in This
Year of Grace.

Year of Grace.
At the last session of the legislature
saws the Wilmington Del.) Netrs. il
was enacted that hereafter no female
convicted of any crime in this state
shall be whipped or be made to stand
in the piliory.n
The introduction of this act revealed
a fact not generally known, that wo-
men could lawfully be whipped fol
cOunterfeiting, horse-stealing, bur-
glary, arson, manning by lying in wait,
and poisoning They are liable to be
pat in the pillory for perjury, suborna.
ton of perjury, forgery, receiving
stolen goods assault with intent to
kill, conjuration. witchcraft, fortune
telling, and dealing with spirits. That
law had been dead letter for many
years, the last white woman having
been whipped for larceny about the
year 1886, The law was afterward
amended to do away with the lash for
white women. As late rs 1870 colored
women were sent to the post. AT the
session of the legislature in 1871 the
word white" was stricken out of the
law relating to the punishment of wo-
men for larceny, and the black sisters
were put on equality with the white
sisters. Now it is designed to remove
ali possibility of women being whipped
or put in the pillory.
A gentleman who has been perfectly
familiar with the operations of the
whipping-post for over forty years says
that he has seen scores of prisoners
lashed at the post, and while it is sell
dom now that blood is drawn, if ever.
he has seen backs of prisoners that
were almost cut II "a Jelly" He says
that the whipping became less violent
when the newspapers began TO report
the quarteriy V performances at New
Castle with the eat. The whippings
formerly only took place twice year.
There was a great tendency on the
part of the sheriifs to regulate the force
of their blow entirely through preju-
dice for or against man. For in
stance, if the sheriff was farmer he
would have but little mercy for a fell
low put IL der the lash for horse-steal-
inc. The man who robbed a store
would get off pretty well if the sheriff
was farmer. Then again, if the
sheriff was a city or town man he
would have no mercy on city burglar
or sneak-thief. The same gentleman
declares that he has seen, but many
wears ago, nine or or ten men run back
from the post with their backs all
bloody. The story that blood often
runs from the backs of the victims is
absurd. The writer has seen two or
three hundred men whipped, but has
never seen the blood flow. He has
seen large wclts on the backs of the
victims and fine drops of blood almost
ready to come through but never any
blood running.
Many Years ago butcher named
Stanhope was waylaid and robbed on
the highway, first being shot and badly
hurt. The robber was arrested and
convicted and sentenced to the pillory.
A number of the butchers purchased
three barrels Of old cggs and went to
New Castle the day OF the whipping
armed with eggs. After the man was
placed in the plllory, which was then
III the open space outside the jail ward,
the butchers began I fusiilade of eggs.
The poor victim was Il mass of foul
matter. besides being bruised BY being
hit in the face. The sheriff had great
trouble to stop the outrage. At the
next session OF the legislature the post
was moved inside the iail ward. There
have been no incidents of the Stanhope
kind since. The jail gates are always
thrown oDcD to the publ;c on whippino
DAYS, but the best Of order prry,iis
The history of the post for fifty Years
is that the lash as a rule has been used
with leniencv. The whites have es-
capped, it has been claimed. for poIiti-
cal reasons. t!a sheriff being in posi-
ton to win Il vote every time he spared
a mans back There has been but lit
tie difference as 10 numbers between
black and white victims.
Thor. la. Lnnr =, ..,.n,t ton;,.r do,,-,
Of late year, of In, T.In.,..r Of ia sbps
annIipi i u.,s .t.,. ,.,.,t tl,;.,.r ,,..,,s
n:-
a. " 7i'o q Ptisp'ici 'uiiiui'..'e -
soii'.ii'I e. anu iGi '''icc eueCcsei1e 1a'-
a., u5u"y ; ne Noulo receive el?hty l#SheS'
iIe 80. NtS: Nch .housh 'ilo oio"s