Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-10-04
THE WHIPPING POST.
How 1t Operated I'm Alexandria. Ac
cOrlinS to Strangers View.

cOrdinS to Strangers View.
To the Editor Of The Evening Star:
Having carefully read the various COM
ments on the recommendation of the old
time whipping post 1 take the liberty of
sending you a copy of an article, written by
a correspondent of the Hartford Times Ia
Connecticut paper) in 1877. 1t was written
just after having visited Alexandria, Va,
at time when an old law almost obsolete)
had been put in force for the purpose of
checking petty larceny and to save the cor
poration the expense of providing for the
criminals. But will give the article as he
wrote and es 1t was printed:
Punishment by Whipping.
Correspondence of the Hartford Times.
1 never thought should ever be an advo-
cate of the lash as punishment of any
kind, but visiting Alexandria today and
making a little examination into the result
of a ten months trial. I am now free to say
that the whip will prevent great deal of
the petty thieving, as well the larger
stealing. now so prevalent in all our cities.
Happening to come across copy of the mes
sage of the model mayor of Alexandria,
- which had been sent to the city
council, was struck with the following SEN
fences:
instance of any consequence of a violation
of law has gone unreported and unpublished.
The police department has not a single pris
oner on the chain gang and but one prisoner
in jail for action of the court. There have
been but four cases of felony sent to court
during the last ten months, and ffty-oTe
cases of petit larceny have been disposed of
at the police department without one dol
lars expense to the corporation, thereby
saving by such a disposition to the city
treasury a sum not less than $1,000, thus in
dicatlng the good results of prompt and
impartial enforcement of the laws, regard
less of the prejudices of any one, and
dlsturberS of the peace and violators of the
law bear but small proportion to the rest
Of the community who keep the peace and
respect the law, it has always appeared to
me to be a misguided sentiment for those
who desire the maintenance of the ordi-
nances that have for their object the pres
ervation of life and property to evince mis-
placed sympathy for the violatorS of the law
when they are punished and to make COM
mon cause with them in reproach of those
who justly and impartially enforce the
laws
The idea of disposing of cases of this kind
without any expense to the city struck me
very novel. and soon called upon his honor
and asked him for the secret. 1 found the
mayor to be an excellent and intelligent
gentleman, very communicative, proud of
his position, his success and his city. He
has given the affairs of his city much study
and thought and has reduced it almost
d
when he at first looked into the subject he
found that the Jail was full Of prisoners
(more than tive-sixths of them colored), who
were serving out sentences for various Of
lenses. He thought it would be better for
all concerned if these fellows We're required
to do some kind of work. He then wrote
what now known as the "chain-gang
laws" which We're at once adopted by the
municipal lawmaking power, and put the
prisoners to work cleaning the streets, al
leys, cutters. &c, all of them being chained
together
Il soon found out" said the mayor, that
this would not work, because. first, it would
not pay, and. second, 1t deprived the fami-
lies of the services of these men. 1t worked
injury in other ways. No city wants to
make or save money out of the proceeds Of
crime, and our endeavor should he to pre-
vent crime We found that Imprisonment
would only temporarily do this, and besides
this, it costs 30 cents day to keep pris-
oner in Jail. Then, while men are in Jail
there is an expense for medical attendance,
clothing, &c, which materially adds to the
cost. After looking thoroughly into the mat
corporation, 1 ordered that all persons
found guilty of stealing should be given nine
and thirty stripes on the bare back for the
first offense.' 1t is success in every way
and is economical. l usually order that but
twenty Of the stripes be given and tell the
party to come back in ten days for the
other nineteen OF course he never comes
back for what is due him. This clears the
city of a class that we can get along without,
and it Is the most effectual way of doing 1t
that I know Of. During the ten months just
ended we have had but fifty cases OF steal
ing to dispose of, while In previous years we
had great many more The whipping is
done in the 'spread-eagle' style in the pub
lie station house. The prisoners arms are
run through door and locked together on
the other side. The stripes laid on the
bare back with large cowhide. The pris-
oners don't relish the business a bit, and
only two or three have been known to re-
quire a second dose. 1t is my opinion that
of this treatment, which 1 am sure would lie
effectual.'
(Signed) MAC