The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-11
AT THE WHIPPING POST.
The Public Admitted 10 Witness
DeInware's BnrbarOus Custom.
From the Philadelphia Times,

from the Pnllduelpnlh HINES
New Castle. Del-Within the narrowly
confined walls Of the historic old Jail yard,
five prisoners, four negroes and one white
man, were publicly whipped and pilloried
to-day recalling the barbarous days when
the thumbscrew and the rack were not
uncommon means of punishment for
crime with the exception of one man,
a negro, who had attempted to felonious-
~ assault little girl, and who richly de-
served his fate, all the other culprlts were
convicted on various counts, charging
them with petty larceny.
Following each quarterly session OF the
general sessions court of New Castle coun-
" there are usually number of cuiprits
condemned by the Judges to the piilory
and the lash, While the offence for when
some Of these prisoners suffer Is no great
er than the larceny OF q pair or boots,
or the ordinary case of purloining a pock-
efbook or robblng a roost the prisoner
must undergo the usual term Of impris-
onment and If the judge deems 1t an ag-
gravated case the pilory an the cat
are also added 10 his punishment.
In every instance, unless he Is disabled
by sickness or DEATH the sheriff must In
fiict the corporal punishment. lie has no
alternative but to obey the courts d.
rections Usually the prisoner who IS
20 be pilloried is brought out first and
while the crowd of impatient people gath
err about him and make all manner of jest
of the man in the stocks, the prisoner
wriggles and squrms at the post beat
ing a tattoo upon the floor of the stocks
with his feet. as IL to make sure that
nfe still holds his twisted and distorted
body together.
Owing 10 the hardness of Sheriff William
r. Finn, who was detained at court In
wilmington, the whippings did not take
place on schedule time this morning.
Far. tUr. Il inc
is II o'clock, and promptly at this time
the gate is thrown open to admit the
multitude Young men and young women
elbowed each other In their anxiety 10
get inside the inclosure, while not a few
grey-halred old men, and even children,
mingled with the morbid throng.
A few minutes after II O'Clock the door
at the end of the jail corridor opened,
and a negro walked side by side with
Deputy Sheriff Conner. The crowd opened
a passageway for the officer and his prls-
oner, and as soon as the latter had been
ouffed to the post and stripped to the
waist of his clothing the officer drew
paper from his pocket at the same time
calling out:
Edward Winder larceny ten lashes."
He had no sooner said that when Sheriff
Finn, holding in his hand the "cat," rails
ed Il on level with his shoulder and
brought it down with terrific force upon
the negro's back.
When william Flamer tall, angular
mulatto. made his appearance on the scene
he was hailed with mingled jeers and
curses Flamer had pleaded guilty to at
tempting to assault child. His punish
ment was five years, one hour In the pill
lory and thirty lashes. Sheriff Finn had
little mercy for the negro brute. He
brought the blows down upon the mans
back with full force, causing huge welts
n apppar 1IDOn the surface Of the CHR