The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-02-14
WHIPPING IN DELAWARE.
EFFORTS TO AB0LIsH norm N
POST AND THE PILLORT.
Puuishmcuts or Long StnudinG In the state
The whipping or women-Crueity OF
the Piiiory Formeriy-severity OF the
Whipping OF the Victims.

= ~ a<o"H ~ N'' 'h.hN
The whipping or women-Crueity or
the Fiiiory Formcriy-severity OF the
~bippinGs-Demrnuor OF the Victims.
WILMINoToS, Del. Feb. 13.-Tho agitation in
the Constitutional Convention and In the Cen
eral Assembly for tho abolition Of the pillory
and whipping. post In Della ware has attracted
renewed attention to these methods Of punish
ment. Neither body has taken positive action.
but n strong pressure is icing cxerted to accom-
plish the repeal OF the old law.
Some authorities place the adoption OF the
post and pillory in the year 17l7, when II was
provided that %pun!shments used in England
should apply here. In 1870 n writer for Lfppin-
colts Magazine, who lived In this city. wrote the
following in regard to the lash and post:
III we could accept without reserve the genial
chronicles OF Dicdrick Knickerbocker. we should
make the year 1850 the initial point In n sketch
OF our whipping post on the Delaware, In whose
wood for two centuries and n quarter the SAP OF
life has flowed. When in that year Jan Rlsingh,
the giant Governor of New Sweden, descended
upon the Dutch Fort Casimir-n now New Castle
and the commandant. Van Poffcnberg. aston.
ished but unsuspiclous. admitted his visitors
within the defence. and taxed oil the resources
Of the fort TO do them honor, we are assured by
Knickerbocker that there was n long
and elaborate ceremonial. with march,
ings and counter-marchings and reviews
OF the garrison. exhausting all known tactics
and including sundry strange ana irregular evo-
lutions, but the browning feature Of the enter
tainment before proceeding to dinner was the
bringing o: three Bridewell birds out OF tho
black hole. hauling them up to the halbuts ana
soundly %fogeipg them for the edincation OF the
Swedes. who were expected to be thus impressed
with the dignity and Discipline maintained by
Porenberg In this quarter of the New Neither
lands. After looking back to the days Of Risingh
and Stuyve.ant to see the whipping post erected.
we turn 10 find II standing guard upon the
shores Of Delaware Bay"
The first authentic account seems to be OF
Konigsmarke, or the Long Finn" who was
.entenced In 1860 by Gov. I.ovelace rs a rebel,
ito be severely whipped and to be stigmatized
with the letter II in great letters upon his
breast" and lhen sold as n slave to the planters
of Barbadoes. From an examination Of the
archives OF New Castle county, for the most part
badly kept and In many parts aot kept Mt all.
some incidents are recorded. In 1889 a negro
who had been convicted OF n felonious assault
was sentenced to stand for four hours In the
pillorS, with both ears nailed thereto, ana
before he be taken down from the same hc
shall have both his ears cut of close To his
head" Back In 1920 this sentence was imposed
upon n negro woman convicted OF larceny:
sarah Ann Morris shall forfeit and pay ms
restitution money to William stephens. the
owner OF the property stolen. the sum II Sji.OG.
the fourtold value OF the goods stolen and not
returned. and the sum OF S3O."5. the twofoid
value of tho property stolen and returned, and
on Saturday. the 10Th OF December. between tho
hours OF 10 in the forenoon and 3 o'clock IN the
afternoon. she shall be publicly whipped with
twenty-ons lashcs on her bare back. we'll laid
on. and shall be disposed OF as n servant to any
person or persons residing within this state for
the highest sum that can lie obtained for such
term AS shall be necessary, In order to ralse the
restitution money and all costs. or any balance
thereof that may remain after such pay mcnt rs
the offender may be able to make, provided that
such term shall not exceed seven years" She
was sold to Henry File for 30 cents.
In 1853 IL was made unlawfu to whip
women FOR larceny or receiving sto'en goods.
but there were other offences for which they
could be sentenced TO receive the lash. The rec
ords do rot Say so, but 1t is current among the
oldest Inhabitants that the last whipping OF u
woman by the agents OF the law In Delaware
was In 1861. 1t had. however. been provided
that white women should not he whipped. But
II Vas not until 1850 that the General Assembly
passed MI act declaring that the whipping post
should not lie used ut all for women.
IN olden times the victim OF the pillory was
subjected to cruel indicnithes at the hands Of
hsAN e'S's ''S l'"N N~ $500
yard in New Castle. The whipping posts Of
Dover. In Kent county. and Geotgctown. in Sus-
sex county. are stili in the open, the former In n
lot alongside OF the Jail and close TO the road
way. AMI thc latter IN the open spac. by the
Court House. The pillory victims were frequent
ly u .auitcd win stones. rotten eggs. and de:
cayed vegetables. When the victim wa> whipped
the crowd would cry to the sheriff. Lay II on
hard ANA give other advice Of a like char.
AFTER. Many years ago "a butcher named STAN
| nnI haHly tntuIs raj Hia ussllllnf and plnn-
fenced 10 the plllory at New Castle. the maxi
or two limited 10 one hour. Tho butcher friends
OF sianhope bought three barrels of old eggs
New Castle. After the ,ictiia had Gecn placed
In the piliory the butchers began Ia lombard
Min M Snt Vie ss snin s"" The ' S""ri rii laI cs S"sGi't r.
able difficulty Ia stopping the outrage. The
poor fellow was badly bruised and worse scared.
That was the last whipping and pillory exhibit
In The open, and the post was placed insidr the
Jail yard, although the gate, on whipping days
always saturdays are thrown open.
Within the last ten or twelve years. as the re-
suit of the increased desire of newspapers TO Sc.
cure reports OF unusual happenings. the story OF
scores OF times. The story OF one whipping.
with a rare incident now aud then. is the story
OF all whipping. Sometimes there are two or
three hundred spectator. while nj other times
only n dozen or more %loungers ar. present. AZ
every whipping u group OF mail children Is IN
W.. seen close To the post. The most memorable
whipping in the history of the New Castle post
was III lN'D. WHEN luuE ~ "Al'llVltu "
rob u bank In this city were pillorird and
whipped. They were men known to the police
throughout the country. ono OF them. BIG
Frank Mccoy, was released from the jail only a
few year ago. iio had ESCAPED aud wA> free for
for many wears. hut being caught Wa
brought back and made To tnish his term,
Those burglars received each forty lashcs. the
highest number ever given a convict. At one
time n convict might be sentenced TO eighty ~
one hund ed lasiIe- and hc Compclled To take
his punishment IN i~nsinllmrnls, II portion every
week until the full number OF blows had been
laid on. The plan was long ago abolished.
\ gentleman who has been familiar with the
whipping post at New Castle Tor thirty or forty
years says that he has seen scores OF prisoners
lasled AT the posi-. and while 1t hns been seldom
In recent years TINT blood has been drawn, h'
has seen the backs Of prisoners almost cut To 4
lelly. lie says that the whipplngS have becOm,
less violent since tho newspapers began. Il
chronicle the whippings, until now the lash %
nine lenthern thongs eighteen Inches long II
simply let fall upon the back of the culprit.
In Years gone by there was n disposition upOl
the part OF sheritiS to regulate the force OF theil
blow entirely through prejudice tor or -agnlnS
the victim. II. for instance. the sheriff WINS
farmer. lac would have lite mercy for u fellow
who had stolen u horse or rnbbrd n hen rOosT
The man who robbed n store, however. wonl,
-. .ll - ,l. Iu,l. - - torvn.r I..n.N