The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-25
THE WHIPPING POST.
ro, NINE TAILS ADMINISTERED
TO EIGHT CRIMINALS.

NM Taathern Thongs Olcen DreW
8 p,ood From the Victlms-A Genial
esa-,ft. Who Weighs $50 Pounds
1a,d1ad the Lash-The Prisoners Had
-.-.,,,o,,slv stood in the Pllory-An
restitution Which is Seemingly Held
In Much Esteem.
Baltimore Cor. NeSo York Herald.
7, naIawars criminals are punished for
-.rors offenses by being placed in the Pill =
\ low and lashed at the whipping post. The
Il "a NJ Maryland has whipping post for
80 heaters only, and since its establish
-. ,vi,e-beating has been uncommon.
'D 'rba xritsr witnessed recently the whip
8 .,,n5 inflicted upon eight culprits at the jail
- Tsv Castle, Del. The construction which
t.olndes piIlory and whipping post is very
10 A post, about twelve inches square
"a sixteen feet high. is placed firmly IN the
-orrd On each of two Of the sides of
sbi. most is an iron band, fastened by
avs of staple. These bands are about
az feet from the ground, and the hands of
.be culprit are placed in them aud fastened
tightly: ,. 49,, o.-o,,rd around This
,,oet is built a platform five feet square.
Eour feet above this platform is board ten
;rchas vide running through the post and
,i.csd upright. In thisi board are holes
tbroTgh which the head and hands OF the
,riminal are placed. II is the general opin-
a. ,hst when a person has once been pun
;Sbad In the pillOry and at the whipping
nos, the humiliation is 80 great that he loses
ali respect for himself and every one else
and becomes a hardened criminal, but the
sheriff of New Castle county says tnis Is the
case only with few of tho worst.
There is no penitentiary in Delaware.
Wben A prisoner is sentenced to confne-
nent he goes to the jail. where he remains
in idleness until his term expires. The New
Cagtle Jail was taxed to its utmost capacity
at the time OF these fioggings, there being
six or seven prisoners IN one CELL
4 man from the west, who also wit
messed the punishment, said that many
people in bis part Of the country had never
heard of such an institution In the
limited States, and those who had
would like to know more Of 1t.
At 10 O'Clock in the morning the gates of
the Jail yard were thrown open and a crowd
of about $50 men and boys. white ard black,
came in to gaze upon two negroes who
stood in the pllloTy from 10 until III O'Clock
One was sentenced tor horse stealing and
the other for murderous assault. The horse
thief in addition to standing In the pillory
for an hour, received attsrward fifteen
lsshes on the bare back, and the man who
committed the murderous assault instead of
lashes got five years in jail. During the
time they remained in the pillory they suf-
fsred Intensely from the cold, the ther-
mome5er registering 280. Both men wore
gloves loaned them by the warden, and one
Of them, who was very thinly clad, had
canvas blanket thrown over his back for
protection from the cold.
When thoy were released they could
hardly strengthen themselves, their limbs
had become 30 stiff from cold. The one
who got five years in Jail was formerly q
fisherman on the Delaware river, and he
remarked TO one of the spectators, whom
be apparently knew, that it would be a
long time before he would fish again.
The next culprit placed in the pillory was
young white map, a delicate looking fell
low, who seemed to feel severely the
weather and the punishment. He stood in
the pillory for one hour.
AT II o'clock the whipping commenced.
The warden brought out one man at O time,
stripped naked TO the waist, manRcled his
hands to the whipping-post and read the
sentence declaring the number Of leshes he
was to receive. Then the sheriff, whom the
Law requires to do the whipping, laid on the
lashas, the warden counting them as they
we're given. The whipping is done with a
cairo nine-tails. This is 8 piece of white
oak wood about two feet long and an inch
thick, with handle. A piece of heavy
leather is fastened TO the other end, from
which hang nine round strips Of leather two
feet long, three -eigbths of an inch thick near
the stick, and tapering 70 point.
Every lash which the law requires to be
laid ON is in effect nine lashes, aud II laid on
hard will draw tbs blood. After criminal
has been whipped he is taken back to his
cell and his back is permitted to heal up
without any medical attention. The sheriff,
in administering the lashes, is not permitted
to bring his hand over his shoulder, but
must strike from under.
The first culprit brought out to be
whipped was negro, sentenced to receive
five lashes. His back was covered with
large scers, showing plainly that he had
suffered in the same way before, many a
time. he took his punishment well, as did
also another negro sentenced to receive the
same number of lashes.
the next was white man who was shiy-
ering with cold when he was brought out,
but found himself warm enough before the
sheriff had laid on five lashes. His back
was red from the shoulders to the waist.
The next culprit brought out was Of At
rican extraction. He was a tall, lean,
dudish-lookinR negro, who had never seen a
whipping post before, and came out laugh
Ing and in very Joll 7 mood, appearing to
think it sport He had little stump OF a
pipe In his mouth and pulled away at
great rate. While the warden was
msnacling his hands he was dancing
hoe-down, and kept 1t up until
his sentence had been read, much TO the
amusement of the spectators. The sheriff
TOOK good deal Of interest in him because
he seemed so cheerful. He was to receive
three iashes. and as the sentence was light
and the fellow behaved frivolously, the
sherlh lald them on hard, to the great salts
IScuon OF the crowd. When the sheriff
struck him the q SC blow the fellow dropped
ms pipe and ceased dancing. The next two
isAhes caused him TO cortort himself Il is
hardly necessary to add that he was not
iaugnlng when lis hands were unmanacled
ana he was led back to his cell.
Ills successor was q chestnut brown negro,
VINO came out with his coat on. The pris-
onerS are always permitted to wear their
coats on the way to the post. This fellow
plainly desired to have his hands manacled
without removing his coat, but the warden
invited him to take it off, which he did. IL
was then discovered that be had one sus-
pencer, which would have been a great pro-
teenon to his back The warden told him
70 take 1t down, and he did so, although he
Pte5ended not co understand the order at
hFst. Then another negro received five lsshes
anu told the sheriff that he would never
nave another crack at him.
j he negro horse thief who had stood Ia the
pluory an hour was then brought out and
got HIS fiftapn 10