Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-13
FAVOR WHIPPING POST
Grand Jury May Again Recommend One in
This City.
The Arguments of the Chief of Police
of Wilmington, Del, on the
Law in His State,

1t is rumored that the grand jury will for
the second time shortly recommend the
establishment in Washington of a whipping
post for the punishment of persons con-
yicted Of certain crimes.
The question of lessening crime occupied
good share Of the time of the members
Of the Association of Chiefs of Police, which
met this week at Chattanooga, Tenn, and
Chief Dolan of Wilmington, Del. read
paper The Delaware Whipping Post
and Pilory'' which attracted much atten-
ton.
In part Mr.. Dolan said: las each state
has enacted laws relating to the punish
ment Of crimes. they differ but little, as
they all inf1ict imprisonment and labor as
the proper way to deal with criminals
whose crimes may be less than murder in
the first degree, excepting the state of Del
aware, which administers corporal punish
ment in addition to Imprisonment for GER
tain felonieS viz: Burglary, arson, at
tempted criminal assault and larceny. This
mode Of punishment existed during colonial
times and has been wisely continued during
our statehood.
wilmington, the metropolis of the state
which l have the honor to represent. con-
tains about 5000 inhabitants. or nearly
two-thirds of the population of the county,
and about one-fourth the number in the
state, and according to statistics We have a
less percentage of crime of felonious char
acter than any other state in the Union,
and it is greatly owing to the salutary ef-
fects produced by that much-critlcised in
strument, the whipping post.
although 1t does not entirely prevent
the commission of those acts of lawlessness
for which 1t is administered, it reduces 1t
to a minimum. There never has been but
one attempt at bank burglary in our state,
and fortunately, that proved unsucc essful.
as the perpetrators were unprecedented. ar
rested and convicted and sentenced to ten
lnch 0ro1
hour in the pillory, and fine of $1,000 each.
No Pen.tentiary.
1--WE have no penitentiary in our state.
but movement is now in progress to erect
workhouse, the funds for that purpose
having been appropriated by the late as
senbly and it remains to be seen whether
it will be an improvement on our present
system which consists of a county jail
only in which an average of 115 prisoners
confined, the major part or 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 30 per cent.
Instead of giving a prisoner convicted
of larceny two, three or six years i'm
prisonment as is done in other states, and
keeping him at the public expense, we give
him not less than fiye nor more than forty
lashes Grading the punishmenD and
short term in JAIL and turn him loose at its
expiration; and the occurrence is rare in
deed when he comes under the lash the
second time. He either gives up the habit
or leaves the state.
In many instances the criminals have
reformed, and engaged in honest pursuits
and become law-abiding citizens. 1 could
mention a number of these.
The Criticisms.
LAS a matter of economy, which is an
important feature of the subject under con-
sideration, the whipping post and pillory
have saved our state large sums of money
by lettering criminals of other states from
visiting US; by preventing in great meas
ure the commission of crimes for which the
punishment Is melted out, by ill-dispoSed
persons in our own community, and in
many instances reforming those who have
experienced the unpleasantness produced
by this mode of punishment
lam Well aware that this method OF deal
ing with criminals is not in good odor with
citizens of other states We are called bar
barous, inhuman, benighted, and are al
most ruled out of the pale Of civilization
on account of it, and We have within our
own state opposition to its application
by few sentimentalists who pose as hui
manitarians, but they have never been able
to have it eliminated from our statutes
Sentimentality will never prevent crime,
whatever 1t may do to foster it, Nothing
but drastic treatment such as f1tS the crime
will have the desired effect; and for the
crimes that have before mentioned moth
ing is better than that we administer what
we have learned by long experience to be
the only method by which We protect
ourselves from the criminal classes, viz,
the whipping post and pnlory."
Sunday school Workers to Meet.
It is announced that the Sunday School
Association Of the District OF Columbia
Will gather at st. Pauls English Lutheran
n