The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-05-18
WHIPPING POST
A REMEDY.
Chief Justice Lore Says It
Has Done Much For
Delaware.

Legal Society as to the advisability OF es.
tablishing the whipping post as u cor.
receive of crime. This was the sentiment
at the dinner in the Hotel ST. Andrew las
night
Correspondents whose opinous on the
subject had been asked and whose letters
were read also betrayed the feeling that
| physical pain, accompanied by mental
disgrace, would prove q powerful preven-
tive of crime
The societys president, Albert Bach,
sat at the head of the dinner table. In
honor Of tho ladies who were present as
| guests of the members the room was dec
GRATED with flowers. Clark Bell. secretary
OF the association. was at the other end Of
the table, aud read the letters commend
ing the "whipping post remedy, and
| added an eloquent Endorsement OF his
| own.
APPROVED BY A WOMAN
Even the Rev. Phoebe A. Hanaford, who
arrived too late to enjoy he dinner, pre- :
sented her approval. While depreoating
the idea Of whipping in Its bare meaning,
or as 1t was practced in the various naves
where captains We're allowed to sentences
refractory sailors to 'Hogging," she said.
Il cannot but believe that Justice aud
mercy alike demand the whipping post for
wife beaters till humane rights are by all
!HUE6 TospoCtou hLlu otoEy buFU VI
protection Is given to that sacred place
called home.
Hearty applause greeted this sentiment,
Mrs. Ida Trafford Bell, Mrs May Banks
Stacy, Mrs. N. Louise Thompson, Judge
Daley, DR.. George w. Grover and DR..
Charleuon Simon evincing strong appro-
baton of Mrs. Hanaford's belief.
Judge Simon E. Baldwin Of N,w Haven
was enthusiastic in his approval Of the
nlo <,f ba t.xr,I,i nj poatu n
rectivs of crimes.
II do not hesitate to avow," said Judge
Baldwin, "lhy conviction that whipping
would furnish mode of punish
ment far more appropriate than fine and
imprisonment for minor offenses and
useful addition to Imprisonment for gra-
yer ones.
''rhe tendencies of society on the Cont
nent of Europe have been strongly against
the infection of corporal punishment. The
people are afraid to trust their govern.
ments with such power. We do not find
it in their penal codes.
tis only in a free State, that has long
been free, that the Magistrate Is under no
natural bias to abuse such a prerogative
There tho absence of ranks and class dis
tinctions mako Is reasonably certain that
a sentence to n flogging will be passed on
ly as an act of justice, and not from feel
letter from Superintendent Brocxway
OF the Elmira Rofnrma5ory announced his
belief in corporal punishment to q certain
degree, coupled with shame or mental pun.
ishment as we'll, forms the best penalty
for certain miuor crimes.
A letter from John G. Shortall pre- ,ident
of the Humanitarian Society of Chicago,
was read by Mr.. Bell, which advised "ju-
dicial infiic'ion of physical pain by whip
ping performed without eclut in tho pres
ence of but few people, all of whom should
officially view he event, the number to in.
clude q physician" for offending youths
under 2l years, wife beaters and all perpe-
TRAITORS Of robbery ty violence.
WHIPPING IN DELAWARE.
Charles B. Lore. Chief Justice of the Su-
preme Court of Delaware, in u letter. said:
"The plllory and whipping post have
been retained in Delawares crimir al PEN
al system, the pillory being used only in
few cases of most heinous crimes, but the
whipping post In cases Of felony generally.
This has grown largely out OF two condi-
tions; first, the northern part of the state
is narrow tongue of land between Penn.
sylvania and Maryland. Across this wedge
run two trunk lines Of railroad; In each
cnse midway freight train make. up at
stations located noar Wilmington; at
which stations it Is not unusual to have .
daily dumping OF from thirty to forty rail-
road tramp riders, many of the criminal
classes. Nearly one-fourth Of our convicts
are OF this class. At "a recsnt term of court
in New Castle county one-half of the en-
tire number Of convlcts had not been In
more than twenty -four hours at
The time of tho commission OF the crime.
Many of these men are brutalzed, of the
lowest grade of criminals. They have a
wholesome fear of the whipping. post and
rarely return to Delaware for q second ap-
plicatiol. We're it not for this fear, Della
ware would DO overrun largely by this
class
"T~he peculiar location of the state,
therefore, makes the whipping post some
hing of n necessity in her criminal law.
The second test of experience Is that the
post is the most efficient deter
'ent of crime known to our laws as it is
ho most dreaded of all punishments, and
III application for mitigation ofs,nt,nce
he prayer IL almost invariably for re-
mission of the whipping. 1t appeals to
,rutalizod nature as no other punishment
oos, and has made and kept the past
classes of Delaware relatively
mall in number"