The sun., 1893-12-01
srn1prEp 1Np sExr HoME.
The suddsr but PsinrnI Endins % &c ole.
t,r,e Triai In the special Sessions.


ttrie Trial In the special Sessions.
The oplnion expressed By superinte ndent
Elisha NJ. Carpenter Of the New York Juvenile
Asylum. at the Conference on the Care Of De-
pendent and Delinquent Children. that there
are times whom all managers OF institutions
nnd IL necessary TO whip the bows under their
charge was the echo OF an opinion often eX-
pressed. few years ago. by various Police
Justices Of this city.
IL am sorry that cannot send you down
into the Tombs yard and have you well
strapped" one OF the best known OF the Jus
tlces often told some young offender who was
brought before him; that would be the
proper punishment for you; but as the law
does not allow me to do this, | send you TO the
Island for three months"
In explanation OF this opinion the Justice
said in private that in at least lve cases out OF
ten the boys who were brought before him
would receive much greater benefit from
good strapping than from a term OF imprison-
ment They are generally young toughs.
anywhere from sixteen to twenty years old.
who in few years will be older toughs aud
harder to deal with. What they need Is to be
taught that crime is a disgrace They con-
slider IL rather an honor than otherwise to be
arrested: and to be sent to the Island makes
them heroes among their companions When
they come TO trial their friends are In court.
and when l sentence them to the
Island they exchange wInksi, Isi,r and b.t spies; hs
Is elevated rather than dlsgrecedi I do not
favor the establishment OF whipping post or
Hsin ish style %H My iaos is fa2Rsr sound strap
rne, laid on In the parental fashion. There is
any glory from It. Instead OF making a hero
OF him hs companions wo1Id fidiSule @ ,hins hInl;
snd i would have betteL ensct criinnss tmh
II this opinion is held by any Of the Police
Justices at present on tho bench they do not not
to whom the question was nut by n srNI re-
porter within few d"ys not , Gne " Vas rs NImin wIng
lister such punishment as the law directs"
was the reply. and the law does doe, not sanction
Notwithstanding this fact, there NAV be
seen in the stenoRraphic record OF trials IN tIe
Special Sessions Court this UNIQUE entry iol-
lowing the cases OF three boys. VINO were con-
Strapped. and sentence suspended"
years ar ago. ago and % as the the three bows have very
likely grown into good and industrious cii.
work a useless hardship; but the fearful scene
is remembered stu by some OF the older en-
pTT{seih TGs thpes the SOys ali "A and
mother had been found guilty by the Judges
ward. d. sal said R the prssidins Justics When they
stood IL row before him he m continued;
and they must he punished. But as this "a
their first offence I do not feel like sending
them to prison. whore they may grow worse
instead of better. The law does not allow mo
to iutiict any other punishment but IL you viii
take your boys into my private room and au-
thorize the policeman to strap them all sound
ly, will suspend sentence"
The mothers gladly accepted this alternn-
tive. and the BOYS them selves seemed TO think
II q great Joke. As tho policeman marched
them into the little back room. accom- panied
by their mothers. they were as frolicsome as
boys IuSt let out of school, But soon their
m ood changed. A long black strap appeared
from som ewhere. and the largest OF the three
was TAX on UP first Even in the hands Of the
policeman. and with tho strap in sight. he
could not Mt first regard the proceedings as
anything hut bit Of humor. it became more
serious however when the policemen rapidly
made various little changes In his clothing.
and he was laid over the end OF a sofa, with
one policeman holding his feet another his
hands. and the third applying the strap
The policeman received every encourage
ment from the mothers to lay the strnp on
long and well. In court they had testified TO
the general good behavior OF their boys. but
in tho privacy Of the hack room they were
loud in asserting hat the boys were notori-
ously bad They had given their parents no
end OF trouble. had disgraced them and put
them to expense. and here was swift and pain
ful retrhution. which the mothers were anN-
comm odating. and ono boy after another
found the work done thoroughly. In a few
minutes three Of the meekest and most tear
full boys In New York were led home with new
ideas of the administration of Justice.