The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1890-08-29
DELkWARE'S WHIPPING POST.
What It Has Been and What It Is in This
Year of Grace.

At the last session of the legislature
says the Wilmington Del.) Nea0s, it
was enacted that hereafter no female
convicted of any crime in this state
shall be whipped OF be made to stand
in the pillory."
The introduction of this act revealed
fact not generally known, that wo-
men could lawfully be whipped for
counterfeiting, horse-stealing, bur-
glary, arson, manning by lying in wait,
and poisoning. They are liable to be
put in the pillory for perjury, suborna-
tion 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
wears, 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 as 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
all possibility of women being whipped
or put in the pillory.
A gentleman who has been perfectly
familiar with the operations of the
whippng-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 to "a jelly" He says
that the whipping became less violent
when the newspapers began to report
the quarterly performances at New
Castle with the cat. The whippings
formerly only took place twice year.
There was a great tendency on the
part of the sherlIfs to regulate the force
of their blow entirely through preju-
dice for or against a man. For in
stance, if<the sheriff was farmer he
would have but little mercy for fell
low put under the lash for horse-steal-
ing. The man who robbed 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 city burglar
or sneak-thief. The same gentleman
declares that he has seen, but many
years 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 welts on the backs of the
victims, and fine drops of blood almost
ready TO come through, but never any
blood running.
Many years ago a 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 eggs and went to
New Castle the day or the whipping
armed with eggs. After the man was
placed in the plllory, which was then
IN the open space outside the jail yard,
the butchers began Il fusilade of eggs.
The poor victim was a 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 Jail yard. There
have been no incidents of the Stannope
kind since. Tie Jail gates are always
days, but the best OF order prevails.
The history OF the post for fifty years
is that the lash is a rule has been used
capped it has been claimed, for politi-
cal reasons. the sheriff being in IL posi-
ton to win IL vote every time he spared
:, mans back. There has been but lit
tie difference as to numbers between
black and white victims.
There has been L great toning down
of late years OF the number OF lashes
applied. 1t was 4; frequent thing years
ago to give a prisoner cumulative
sentence, and for three successive Sat
urdays he would receive eighty lashes.
The result was, even though the blows
were lightly laid on, that the victims
back would be in an awful condition.
The story is told of one old black man,
who, after being whipped upon three
Saturdays, was sold into slavery.
He declared that be would never 90
south, and when his purchaser got as
far as Havre de Grace the poor fellow
cut his throat.
1t was the rule at one time to sell
colored men and women to the highest
bidder after they had been whipped,
and they were frequently knocked
down for 81 and quickly hurried south.
There is an old man now in the New
Castle county almshouse who was reg
ularly engaged in the purchase of
blacks and selling them into slavery.
1t is really surprising, however, how
few are the real facts and incidents
that those who are in a position to
know can tell.
There are very few whippings in
Kent and Sussex counties, SO that all
material for 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 really the story of all.