Daily Kennebec journal., 1890-01-18
oelAwAReAe WHIPPING POST.

oeLAwAReAe WHIPPING POST.
ex.,, r..si-ouv - 70 what It Has Bss.
and What It Il Nov.
At the last session of the legislature it
was enacted that hereafter no female
convicted Of any crime in this state shall
b whipped or b made 20 stand in the
pllory."
The introduction Of this act revealed .
fact not generally known, that women
could lawfully be whipped for counter
feiting, horse stealing, burglary, arson,
manning BY wing in wait and poisoning.
They are liable to be put in the pillory
for perjury, subornation Of perjury. for
gerry, receiving stolen goods. assault
with intent to kill, conjuration. witch
craft, fortune telling and dealing with
spirits. The law had been q dead letter
for many years, the last white woman
having been whipped for larceny about
the year 1885. The law was afterward
amended to do away with the lash for
white women. As late as 1870 colored
women were sent to the post. At the
session OF the legislature in 1871 the word
"vhite- was stricken out Of the law re-
lating to the punishment of women for
larceny, and the black sisters were put
on an equality with their white sisters.
Now it is designed to remove all posi-
bility of women being whipped or put in
the pillory.
A gentleman who has been perfectly
familiar with the operations of the whip
ping post for over forty years says that
| he has seen scores of prisoners lashed at
| the post, and while it is seldom now that
blood is drawn, if ever, he has seen backs
| Of prisoners that were almost cut to "a
| Jelly" He says that the whippings be-
| came less violent when the newspapers
began to report the quarterly perform
| ances at New Castle with the cat. The
whippings formerly only took place twice
| year.
There was a great tendency upon the
part Of sheriffs to regulate the force of
their blow entirely through prejudice fol
or against a man. For instance, if the
sheriff was farmer he would have but
little mercy for a fellow put under the
lash for horse stealing. The man who
robbed a store would get off pretty well
if the sheriff was farmer. Then again
if the sheriff was city or town man he
would have no mercy on a city burglar
or sneak thief This same gentleman de
clares that he has seen, but many years
ago, nine 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 and soaks the ground
is absurd The writer has seen two oI
three hundred men whipped, but has
never seen the blood flow. He has seer
large welts on the backs of the victims,
and fine drops of blood almost ready to
come through. but never any blood run
ming.
Many years ago a butcher named Gtan
hope was waylaid and robbed on the
highway, first being shot and badly hurt
and sentenced to the pillory. A number
of the butchers purchased three barrel:
Of old eggs and went to New Castle OF
the day Of the whipping armed viii
eggs. After the man was placed in The
pillory which was then in the open spac,
outside of the Jail yard. the butchers be
gan fusillade Of eggs. The poor victim
bruised by being hit in the face. Tn.
sheriff had great trouble to stop the out
rage. At the next session of the legsli
ture the post was moved inside the lai
yard. There have been no incidents o
the Stanhope kind since. The Jail gate.
are always thrown open to the public OF
whipping days. but the best of order pre-
walls.
The history Of the post for fifty years
is that the lash as a rule has been uset
with leniency. The whites have escaped
it has been claimed, for political reasons
the sheriff being in a position to win {
vote every time he spared a mans back
There has been but little difference as tt
numbers between white and black vic
tins.
There has been great toning down o
late years of the number of lashes ap
piled. II was frequent thing years ag,
to give prisoner "A cumulative sentence
and for three successive Saturdays h,
would receive eighty lashes. The result
was, even though the blows were light,
laid on. that the victims back would bt
in an awful condition. The story is told
of one old BLACK man, who. after bein.
whipped upon three Saturdays. was sole
into slavery.
He declared that he would never gt
south, and when his purchaser got a.
far as Havre de Grace the poor fellow
cut his throat.
1t was the rule at one time to sell col
ored men and women to the highest bid
der after they had been whipped, anc
they were frequently knocked down fol
81 and quickly hurried south. There is ar
old man now in the New Castle county
almshouse who was regularly engaged
in the purchase of blacks and selling them
into slavery.
1t is really surprising, however, how
few are the real facts and incidents thai
those who are in a position to know car
tell
There are very few whippings in Kent
and Sussex counties, SO that all material
for q history Of the post has to be
CLEANED in New Castle county Nearly
every whipping has some little incident
attached to it, but the story OF one is
the story Of ll.-Wilmington News.