The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-05-10
DELAWARE'S
WHIPPING POST.
Interesting Paper Read by
Chief DOlan Before the
National Convention
of Chiefs of Police.

Chattanoona, Tenn, May 10 The whip
ping Post and Piliery Of Delaware occupied
the sessiun of the National Convention of
the Cbiefs of Police vf the United States
and Canada here today. At the request
of the last convention Chief of Police John
r. Do!an, of Wilmington presented an In
teresting paper on tho subject. The paper
causei considerable interest because Of the
fern of punishment being restricted to
Delaware and that several other states
are favorins its adoption. Governor
Roosevelt, Of New York and Judge Will
son,of Philadelphia, being some OF the
late advocates.
Chief Dolan presented the members OF
the convention with photograph OF the
Post and Pillory ,towing two criminals
in he latter while one man stood ut the
post with Bowers holding the cat In posi-
ton. A neatly executed model OF the post
and pillorv was also exhibited showing
the criminals in position.
Chief Dolan said Gentlemen AS we are
hero assembled to confer as to tho best
method of leisening crime. establishing
good order in society. insuring pubilc
safety, and reforming criminals, we Should
by an interchange Of views be able to for
mulate that much to DO desired plan.
Nearly all sections of our country is here
represented, and as each state haa enacted
laws relating to the punishment OF crimes
tbey differ but little as they all infict I'M
prsonment and labor as the proper meth
cd to deal with criminals whose crimes
may be less than murder of the first de-
gree, excepting the State OF Delaware,
which administers corporal punishment
in addition to imprisonment for certain
felonies, viz. burglary, arson, attempted
ment existed during colonial times and
has been wisely continued during our
statehood.
Wilmington, the metropolis OF The state
which I have The honor 10 represent con'
tains about IS 900 inhabitants, Or nearly
two thirds of the population OF the county,
and one fourth the number In tho state.
And according to statisl les we have less
per centage Of crime of felonious character
than any other State in the Union anu ~
Is greatly owing to the salutary e11ects
produced by that much critized instru-
ment The whipping Post although 1t
does not entirely prevent the commission
of those acts of lawlessness for which 1t IS
administered it reduces it to q MINIMUM:
Thero uevar has been but one attempted
Bank Burglary in our State, and fortu-
nately that proved unsuccessful, as the
perpetrators were arrested, convicted ana
sentenced to ten years imprisonment,
ftrty lashes one hour in the Pillory ana u
The term of imprisonment for which
they were sentenced did not trouble them
in the least but that portion of the SEN
tencs snbjecting them to the pest and pill
ory struck them with terror so much that
they offered SCI. 900 to have that portion OF
their entence remitted but they Ind to
submit and take the punishment. They af-
forwards made their escape by breaking
Jail and have given the state q wide berth
since that time, .----s'
Situated az we are between two large
ctie:, Philadelphia and Baltimore, 2S and
~ miles distant respcc lively, and within
three hours Of New York City we should
DO an easy prey for the criminal Glasses Of
tho,e cities, were 1t not for this particular
institution, for which they all have most
wholesome dread, in fact thieves passing
through our state although having COM
mitted no crime within our borders are in
terror until beyond its boun ,ries the very
atmosphere being unpleasant and uncon-
genial to them.
) Wo have no Penitentiary In our state,
but movement is now in progress to
erect workhouse, the funds for the pnr-
pose having been appropriated by the late
Assembly and 1t romans TO be seen wha-
ther 1t will be an improvement on ourp pre-
sent system which consists OF county JAIL
ouly, in which on an average about l6o
prisoners are confined the major part of
whom are being held for non-payment OF
fines and costs. and short term prisoners
committed for misdemeanors. the long
term and life prisoners being about 40 per
cent.
Instead of giving aprisoner convicted of
larceny two, three or six yenrs' imprson.
ment, as is done in other states, and keep
ing him at the public expense we give
him not less than s or more than 40 lashes
(grading the punishment and short term
in prison, and then turn him loose at Its
expiration, and the occurrence is rare In
decd when he comes under the lash the
second time-he either giyos up his habits
or else leaves the state.
In many instances the criminals have
reformed and engaged in honest pursuits
and become law abiding citizens.
I could mention a number OF these
Long terms Of imprisonment as punish
msnU do not to my mind lessen crime or
tend to reform Tho criminal When cor
poral punishment is not included in the
sentence the fear OF serving time has no
terrer for him, as he chances for escape
are always favorable, or at least consider
ed possible. He may be defended by able
counsel, and other safeguards Of The law
taken advantage Of, he has the chance of
acqrittal by the jury which tries him, fer
as iurles ars now constituted there is no
knowing what their verdict may be, (as
heard judge once remark, that 1t would
p,,zzle the Deity to fortell the verdict OF
q petit jury) he is willing under those cir.
cumstances to take chances OF conviction
us all he will suffer will be confinement, |
alleyiated with the hope Of pardon or es- |
cape in the near future. But when he |
knows that corporal punishment is sure to |
come Immediately after conviction and
from which there is no escape he will hes
L. ,,,,ip alan fNf 70 npit Or
Eeok some other locality to do his ncfar-
ious work.
As u matter of economy which Is an i'm
feature of The subject under con-
sideratiou she Post and Pillory" have
saved our State large sums of money by
criminals of other States from
u, by preventing in great meas
ure The commission of tine crimes for which
the punishment Is meted out, by i'll dis.
posed persons in our own community aud
in many instances reforming those that
have experienced tho unpleasantness pro-
duced by this mode of punishment.
l am we'll aware that this method of
dealing with criminals isnot in good favor
with the citizens Of other States we are
called barbarians inhuman. benighted.
and are almost ruled out OF the palo of
on account OF it. And we have
within our own State an opposition to Its
application by few sentimentalists who
pose AZ humantarians but they have never
been able to have it eliminated from our
statutes.
Sen,i,nentality will never prevent crime
whatever it may do to fostcr it, nothing
but drastic treatment such as fits the
crime will have the desired effect and for
tho crimes that have before mentioned
nothing is better than that we administer,
md which by long experience have learned
Is the only method by which we can pro-
tect ourselves from the criminal classes,
riz. Iha WINNING Post and PillnrY,