The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1896-05-01
THE WHIPPING POST.
Delaware Still Clings to the An
cient Institution.
1t Is Used Means of Preventing
Criminals from Outside Locating
In the State-An Effective
Remedy for Crime.

The present law relating to the
whipping post in Delaware is that TIE
punishment of whipping shall be in
fiicted publicly, by strokes on the bare
back well laid on" 1t shall Toe done
by the sheriff or his deputy, or 10y a
constable. The whipping post and
pillory shall be in or near the iailyard
of each county. Women are exempted
from whipping. The whipping OF
minors is left to the discretion of the
court in each case. Whenever cor
poral punishment is part of the judc
ment, the day for its execution must
he 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 III the
pillory more than one hour.
Whipping is inflicted as a 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 tracks.
etc. The pillory is generally added is
a further punishment, or else fine or
Imprisonment.
but why asks the outsider,
since whipping was abolished in the
United States laws in 1893, and even in
the navy in 1850, does Delaware
cling fondly to it? Is 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 a tortured prisoner, q
CORY cat-o'-nine tails, and mob
OF brutalized spectators, the eaSy-yo-
ing Indifference of the average Della
warean about the whole thing. The
large ma jority of the citizens of Deia
ware, indeed, have never so much a.
seen the whipping post, and those who
Lave, have never been heard To com
plain of any brutality iii connection
with it. The movement for prison re
form, now active in the state. has no
condemnation for the whipping post;
1T fixes on oyercrowded cells and idle
prisoners as far greater causes for
complaint. Many would approve in
deed, an extension of the punishment.
50 as To include the crimes of prize
Eghting, cruelty to children and ami
mails, and wife-beating, now punIsha-
ole only by fine and impI ISonmcnt.
The reasons for this general acquires
cHce are rooted in (D the past history
of the state, (2) its geographical posi-
ton, and 90 the conservative charac-
ter of its inhabitants. They may To-
briefly stated as follows:
l. Delaware has always had large
free negro population Now, Jhc ne
gro is given to petit larceny, and hc
does not greatly mind being imprIs-
cned for IL. In some cases he has
been known to commit petty offenscs
at the approach of winter, with The
avowed desire of getting a home in jall
until spring. This tendency can be
successfully combated only by corpor-
al punishment, which he does not like
and avoids if possible. The whipping
post has solved this problem for Della
ware justice during the past, and ITS
value is established until some better
substitute can be devised.
>. Delaware is n small agricultural
state, lying between the large cities Of
PhiladelpnIa and Baltimore. 1t is -
natural haven of refuge for criminals
from both cities, and would be ovcrrUn
with thieves and small offenders if the
quality of Delaware justice was nos
bitter to their taste The whipping
post is an abomination to the criminal
from outside. He gives the state .,
clean berth on its account One gang
of bank burglars did select Whining
ION as field of operations some years
ago. They were caught and sound!N
whipped They had no difficulty, be
ing experts, in breaking out of the Old
fashioned Jail at Newcastle after
wards, as easily as 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 " here gentle
men in their line of business were
whipped like slaves" Whereat al
Delaware kledl-Priscilla Leon