The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1896-03-07
THE WHIPPING POST.
Delaware ettn, Oiinss TO the An
oloat Institution

:
De,ssvare stin, olinss TO the An
clont 1nstitut1cn
II Il UseA - : Means ef rrsvsetans
C1tninals 1Fesn Oatsids Iseettng
u tAe ota46-Aa 11esefve
nsnsay sse crtns.
Tho present law relating to the
whipping post in Delaware is that "the
punishment Of whipping shall be in
6icted publicly, by strokes on the bare
back well lsid on 1t shall be done
by the sheriff or his deputy, or by .
constable. The whipping post and
pillory shall be In or near the jaiyari
Of each county. Women are exempted
from. whipping. The whipping Of
minors il left to the discretion OF the
court in each case. Whenever cor.
poral punishment is part of the judg.
nent, the day for its execution must
Ike fixed in the sentence. Whenever =
convict, at the. same time, receives
several sentences of whipping. the
court shall so graduate them that un-
der all Of them he shall not receive
more than 60 lashes. nor stand In the
pillory more than one hour.
Whipping is inflicted as q punish
ment for the following crimes: At
tempt at poisoning, mayhem. highway
and house robbery, setting fire to Off
ces, vessels or stores, burglary, lar
ceny, cmbezzlement. making forged
plates, obstructing railroad trucks,
etc. The pillory il generally added as
q further. punishmept, or else fape Or
imprisonment.
"But why" asks the outsider.
'-since whipping was abolished in the
United States laws in 1899, and even in
tho navy in 1880, does Delaware
cling % fondly to it? In she wiser
than the rest of the country, or simply
more uncivilized?'' Well, it would be
hard to explain. to the average out.
slider, whose idea Of the whipping post
is made up Of tortured prisoner, a.
CORY cat-o'-nipe tails, and mol
OF brutalized spectators, the essy-go
ing indifference of the average Della
warean about the whole thing. The
large ma jority of the citizens Of Della
ware. indeed, have never SO much ..
seen the whipping post, and those who
Lave, have never been heard to cont
plain of any brutality in connection
with it. The movement for prison re-
form, now active in the state. has ne
condemnation for the whipping post; +;
it fixes on overcrowded cells and idle
prisoners as far greater causes foi
complaint Many would approve. In
deed, an extension of the punishment
so as to include the crimes of prize
fighting. cruelty to children and ami
,aals. and wife-beating. now punisha.
BILE. only. by fine and Imprisonment.
The reasons for this general acquies
cnce are rooted in (D the past history
Of the state, (2) its geographical posi-
ton. aud (3) the conservative charac
ter of its inhabitants. They may b.
briefly stated as follows:
l. Delaware has always had larg<
free negro population. Now. The nc
gro is given to petit larceny. and hi
does not greatly mind being fmpris
oned for it. In some cases he has
been known to commit petty offenses
at the approach Of winter, with ths
avowed desire Of getting home In jai
until spring. This tendency can b
successfully combated only by corpor
al punishment, which he does not like
cnd avoids II possible. The whipping
post has solved this problem for Della
ware Justice during the past, and it,
value II established until some bett<sl
substitute can be devised.
2. Delaware il . small agricultural
state, lying between the large cities o1
Philadelpnia and Baltimore. 1t is .
natural haven of refuge for criminals
from both cities, and would be overrrr
with thieves and small offenders If tax
quality of Delaware justice was no
bitter to their taste. The whipping
post IL an abomination to the criminal
from outside. He gives the state 8
clean berth on its account. One gang
of bank burglars did select Whining
ton as field Of operations s some year.
ago. They were caught and soundly
whipped. They had no difficulty. be
ing experts, in breaking out of the old
fashioned Jail at Newcastle after
wards, as EARLY a. they had broken in
TO the bank; but the whipping
ranked IN their minds; and they left
on record their determination never
again to enter the state where gentle
men in their line of business were
whipped like slaves" Whereat al
delaware chuckled! Priscilla Leon
ard, in Outlook.
A lrlohman's PatioAoo.
In . neat little white painted houa'
up in Maine q baby's gold ring hang
upon the wall, tied with bit Of ribbon
The owner, an Irishman, 2 humorou:
scion of his race, when interrogaaet
oboutit told the following story: While