Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-10-01
ONCE IN VOGUE
The Whipping Post Not Unknown
Here.
IT WAS INHIBITED FROM MARYLAND
We Once Had the Pi|Iory and
Fines Paid in Tobacco.
P r S O RS UNEAS

The recommendation of the retiring grand
jury, made yesterday afternoon, as report
ed In The Star, favoring the establishment
here of whipping post for the punishment
| of wife heaters and petty thieves, seems to
lave met with almost general approval
about the city hall. The establishment of
such punishment here would not as many
imagine, be one new to this Jurisdiction.
Indeed. it would be nothing less than the
re-establ!shment of such a punishment,
certainly, at least, in the case of thieves.
For the records show that when the Dis
trict of Columbia was established the in
heritance of the laws then in force in
Maryland authorized not only the last, but
| also the pillory as punishment for thieves
And, more than that, the still harsher
punishment of branding was also inherited
from Maryland such n punishment the
branding of the letter ..T'' on 1.-The brown
of the thumb Of thieves, being in force as
late the year 1901.
During that year, so the records show,
defendant convicted of larceny was SEN
fenced Ito be pilloried for one-Quarter of
an hour, and to have ten stripes, and to
Pay 800 pounds of tobacco" That the SEN
tence was carried into effect there is no
reason to doubt. OF course, such punish
ments have long since ceased to be en-
forced here. the only punishment for petty
thieves and wife beaters being imprison-
ment in Jail
No Labor Sentences.
Several years ago petty larceny became
so prevalent here that Congress passed
law whereby person convicted the second
time of petty larceny should be confined in
the peniten4iary at labor for not less than
enc nor more than three years. This law
slightly decreased such offenses, but not
nearly much as had been thought and
fcped, and for some time those conversaat
with the alarming extent of petty th.eving
here have been discussing the substitution
of more effective punishment for such
offenders.
Unfortuna tely, and. in the opinion of the
vast majority of those VINO have inv Ncsti-
gated the matter, labor is not q part of the
Judgment of the courts in the imposition of
What are known as jail sentences. That Is,
in the case of a person sentenced to i'm
p"isonment in the District Jail, the law
fails to provide that such an offender shall
be compelled to perform labor Hence,
those so sentenced spend their time there
in utter tdleEess, save few who
lected by the jail officials to do the chores
in and about the prison: Such condition
of affairs induces many petty criminals to
commit such offenses as will insure their
incarceration in a place of warmth and
idleness, especially during tine cold and
stormy seasons of the year, and npon suth
condition of affairs D;stric: Attorney Biz
ney bases his belief that the re-establ:sh-
Offenders would be very good thing.
Would Diminish Crime.
II believe" said Mr.. Birney to Star
reporter today, that the establishment of
the whipping post here, for the punish
ment Of petty thieves and like offenders.
would not only greatly decrease crime. but
would also materially lessen the eXpendi-
tures Of the Criminal and Police Courts.
Such punishment, too, for the profess
eli rp1 frnr holt
cellent results. and I would especially
recommend it for wife beaters. OF course,
l would rot advocate the whipping of fe-
male offenders. But If the lash should not
be adopted / would most earnestly recon-
mend that the laws be amended as to
make labor a part of the punishment of
those sentenced to Imprisonment in cur
jail
Assistant District Attorney Taggart
agreed with Mr. Birney that the lash would
prove a most effective punishment in many
instances, but Mr.. Thos. c. Taylor. lead
ing criminal lawyer at the District bar,
thought that while the whipping post would
be q most ef1icacious punishment, it should
not be re-establ!shed, as such a mode of
punishment would be against American
civilization.
Felt Uneasy.
A feeling Of uneasiness troubled the forty
prisoners who occupied the three Police
Court cells this morning. because of the
recommendation of the grand jury yester-
day concerning the establishment of the
whipping post. There had been a publica-
tion of the recommendation. and it was
evident that the prisoners did not just I'M
derstand what 1t meant. Some, if not all,
of them were under the impression that the
recommendation was law, and some of
them fully expected to march out of court
and get q few lashes instead of going to
the workhouse or Jail for a short period.
Many members of the police force who at
tended court this morning spoke in favor OF
the grand jurys recommendation. They
were of the opinion that such treatment
would put an end to a great many cases Of
wife beating, where the brutes. afraid to
assault men, go home under the influence
of liquor and illtreat their poor helpless
wives.
There are many such cases. said one
officer. ''and whipping post is about the
only remedy. Some of these brutes have
been arrested number of times, but Jail
sentences do not seem to have any effect
on them. 1t is the same with petty thieves,
and a Jail sentence means nothing but a
home to them, for so many days or months
and this seems to fully satisfy them
There were no wife beaters in court to-
day, and so there was no occasion for any
remarks from the court about the grand
jury's recommendation.