New-York tribune., 1900-05-13
THE WHIP AND PILLORY.
HOW THEY ARE APPLIED BY THE
SHERIFF IN DELAWARE-WIIAT
MIR. SIMS WOULD HAVE
IN THIS STATE

Dover Del May 12.-The recent whippngs at
the Delaware whipping post in this county Of
criminals who have been indicted and found
guilty by the Court of petty larceny and other
crimes where the post and pillory are the PEN
atty have created during the last week in THIS
county and in other States no little interest
and talk. The efficiency of this mode OF pun
ishment for criminals has been discussed perry
haps more thar ever in the last few years ow-
ing to the fact that there has been an effort
made to have both post and pillory abolished
from the statute books of Delaware, on the
ground that they are a most barbarous and in
human method of punishment of criminals; also
because Delaware is the only State in the Union
which still holds to these relics of olden times
Only few days ago, too, Adoiph Simls Charl-
ties Commissioner of Brooklyn, advocated the
punishment of fogging for men who beat or
abandon their wives.
Much can be said. however. in favor OF the
whipping post and pillory in Delaware. Whie
not an absolute preventive of petty larceny, yet
their success in this direction is appreciated by
the law abiding citizens of the State. for the
that seldom does criminal sentenced
by the Court for the larceny of chickens or any
thing else in that line to suffer ten, fifteen or
twenty lashes at the post before crowo OIL
several hundred people come back Tor the sec
ond dose OF course there exceptions to
this case, where old offender, like the one
punished here last Saturday, does find his way
back to the prison and the pillory and post, as
well. With few exceptions. after criminal has
finished his sentence in prison here, when he is
released he usually migrates elsewhere taking
good care not to be found in Delaware or in the
clutches of the law.
While undergoing the punishment of the pill
lory the victim is almost perfectly motionless,
hardly being able to move his head or hands.
In some instances. however where the neck of
the prisoner is small, he move it enough to
keep him from getting the cramp in it, is Of
ten the There have been cases where
prisoner has chewed tobacco during the whole
time of his incarceration. which is never less
than one hour, and in aggravated cases some
times is two hours While in the pillory the
prisoner is allowed to his coat and hat,
which serves to lessen his shame to the eyes of
the gazing public, who generally flock around
the prisoner as soon as he is placed therein.
If the pillory were the only punishment in
flicted upon the vioators of the law at each ses-
sion of the courts, little if any objection would
be offered, this part of the infiiction is moth
ing compared to the whipping which immedi-
Htey follows The prisoner III this is
tripped of his shirt ana coat and. with his
back exposed his hands in iron cuffs fastened
with spikes, he leans forward hugging the post
as 1t were, while The Sheriff applies the lash.
The mark Of the rawhde is plainly left the
culprt's back. who endeavors to bear UP under
it, but coming it does in rapid succession
and almost in the spot invariably he
squirms and twists, if to stay off the eff
fects of it. When the last lash has been laid
on by the Sheriff the victim at the post gives
a sigh of relief, if a load had been lifted from
his heart and mind. For of minor lar
ceny the sentence of the Court is not over ten
or fifteen; occasionally however as has already
been intimated, when Old offender is ar
ralSned before the Court, he gets twenty or
sometimes thirty The highest number ever
given in Delaware sixty lashes but they
were laid on lightly by the Sheriff then in office
The order of the Court used be that a man
should be whipped according to the gravity of
his crime. to be either well laid on or Laid
on light This, however, is not observed here
any more, but the Sheriff uses his discretion in
the applying of the lash according to the
enormity of the crime
II is safe to say that should the abolition of
the whipping Post and pillory be put to vote in
thls state an overwhelming majority would be
iouhd against ii, as il is often remarked at a
whipping here, 1T looks hard but it is the best
thing Delaware can have for the suppression
OF crime of the order of larceny"
TIE ROYAL FAMILY AND TIE IRISH