The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1897-10-20
At THE WHIPPING POST.
SOMETHING ABOUT MARYLAND,S
BARBAROUS CUSTOM.
The Public Is Admitted to Witnos.
The FIOgging of the Culprlts.
The Sheriff Must Weld
the Lash,

4 New Castle, Del, press desna+cb
slys: Within the narrowly confined
walls of the historic old Jail ward five
prisoners, four negroes and one white
man, were publicly whipped and pjIIori-
ed today, recalling the barbarous DAYS
when the thumbscrew and the rack wnye
not uncommon means of punishment fo,,
crime. With the exception of one man
"A negro, who had attempted to felonionS
IN assault little girl, and who ricbIv
deserved his fate, all the other cuInri[s
were convicted on various counts, charg
ing them with petty larceny.
Following each quarterly session of
the general sessions court of New Castle
county there are usually a number Of
ouprits condemned by the judges to the
pill0ry and the lash. While the offence
t0r which some Of these prisoners suffer
is DO greater than the larceny of a pair
Of boots, or the ordinary case If purIoip-
ING pocket OF robbing a hen roost
the prisoner must undergo the usual
term If Imprisonment, and if the Judge
deems it an aggravated case the pilIoTv
and the "cat are also added to his pnn-
slment.
In every instance, unless he is d s.
a0ied by sickness or death, the sheriff
must int1ict the corporal punishment.
He has no alternative but to obey the
courts directions. Usually the prisoner
who is to be pillOried is brought out first
and while the crowd of impatient people
gathered about him make all man.
ner If jest of the man in the stocks, the
prisoner wriggles and squirms at the
post, beating tattoo upon the floor of
the stocks with his feet, as if to make
sure that life still holds his twisted and
distorted body together.
Owing to the hardness of Sheriff Wm.
Il, Finn, who was detained at court in
Wilmington, the whippings did not take
place on schedule time this morning.
sually the hour set for the whipDings
is II o'clock, and promptly at this time
the gate is thrown open to admit the
multitude. Young men and young women
eI1owed each other in their anxiety to
get inside the Enclosure, while not few
grey haired old men, and even children
mingled with the morbid throug.
A few minutes after Il O'clock the
door at the end of the Jail corridor open
ed, and negro walked side by side VITA !
Deputy Sheriff Conner. The crowd |
opened DasSageway for the officer and |
his prisoner, and as soon as the latter !
had been cuffed to the post and stripped
10 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 than Sher- I
if Finn, holding in his hand the 'cat,'
raised it on a level with his shoulder
and brought it down with terrific force
up the negro'S back.
When William Flamer, a tall, angular
mE.acto, made his appearance on the !
scene he was hailed with mingled jeers |
and curses. Flamer had pleaded guilty |
To attempting to assault child. His !
punishment was five years, one hour in !
the pilIOry and thirty lashes. Sheriff |
Finn had little mercy for the negro /
brute. He brought the blows down up
on che mans back with fill force, cauS-
ing huge welts to appear upon the sur
face of the skin.
John West got one hour In the pill0ry !
and twenty lashes for robbing the store
OF James Rankin Armstrong, at Newark, |
aud he took it cheerfully. William |
Doo.den, another negro, was given tif-
teen lashes for abstracting pair of
chickens from lien roost.
Harry Wilson, the only white man
logged, was an old offender. He had !
been whipped once for stealing pair of
Shoes, another time for taking watch
mat did not belong to him, and this
cine ne got fifteen lashes for stealing a |
par of tiatirons. This ended the show
and the crowd dispersed.