The herald., 1896-07-19

o'clock he thanked me and a smile of
satisfaction passed over his ebony face.
Promptly at II o'clock the two wretches
were released and allowed to descend
and re-enter their cells, there to rest in
quiet for half an hour in order that they
might be the better prepared for the
fiogging they were to receive as the Sec
ond installment of physical torture
Thirty minutes later they were led out
again, one at time. Each man in turn
stepped up to the post beneath the plat
form on which he had formerly stood
and both of his hands were quickly fas-
tened to the posts by menas of iron
clasps. He was stripped naked to the
waist, ready for the lash, the lesser
criminal to receive twenty lashes and
the greater one thirty lashes.
At this juncture the sheriff. large
| powerful but really kindhearted gen.
| tleman, appeared upon the scene, hold
/ ing in his hand the official instrument
| of torture. The whip consisted of a
wooden handle about an inch and)a halt
| in diameter and two feet long. Attach
! ed to one end of 1t were nine round
black lashes or strips of leatheref the
| same length as was the handle.
With steady stroke. slowly and with
perfect composure, he applied the sting
ing lashestto the bare back and should
| ers of the crouohing, trembling victim
Every time the. whip came down on the
| exposed flesh the prisoner trembled
from head to foot, bit his lips and squirm-
| ed as IL the torture was more than he
could endure. And yet during the whip
ping process neither of the unfortunate
offenders uttered word or gave an au-
dible groan or murmur
The thashing administered, each VIC
| tim, with his back and shoulders show
| ing great welts and burrows, was hus-
tied back to his place of confinement
The crowd then quietly dispersed, ap-
parently well satisfied with the free en-
tertainment.
I In subsequent conversation with the
sheriff 1 asked HIM how he enjoyed ad-
ministering such castigations. He re-
piled that the duty was very repulsive
TO MIN. He Informed me that the num-
Der Of prisoners whipped averaged about
twenty-five q year and that neary all
OF, them belonged to the colored race.
I was further informed that two other
prisoners had beensentenced to the same
Kind of punishment to be administered
that same day. Luckily for them. how
ever, they were white men and respect
ably connected" so that the court kind
ly yielded to the persuasions of the
prisoners friends and remitted the pill
tory and whip portions Of the punish
Are not the laws the same for black
and winter" asked.
"Yes." was the reply; 1.-The laws are
Just the same. but public sentiment and
the courts often make distinction"
Delaware has no such institution as
a penitentiary. Therefore every felon
sentenced to termAn prison is sent to
Jail. where hel Isl confined year in and
year out, doing nothing other than a few
chores toward paying his way. There
are now two convicts in the New Castle
jail under sentence Of death for murder.
Unless they should prove to be remark
able specimens of longevity, however,
they are not likely to be hanged. The
sentencelof the court In one case is that
the guilty man shall remain confined
until the expiration Of fifty years from
the day Of his sentence and then that
he shall expire on the escaffold-provid-
ed, Of course. that he is living at the
end of that time. In the other case the
sentence is the same, except that the
period named is fffty-ffve years.-Ralph
Hoyt in Chicago Record.