Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-01-31
THE WHIPPING POST.

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Friends Westinghouse, Fourth and
West streets, Sunday, January goth. by
David Ferris:
will endeavor to notice very briefly
the arguments used in support Of the
pillory and whipping post In Delaware.
The main argument and the one most
used Is: THAT situated as our State is
between the great cities OF Baltimore
and Philadelphia. we should III this
mode Of punishment were discontinuedl
become a resort OF criminals, who did
not fear few weeks In iall, where
they were we'll fed and protected from
Indictment weather: but dreaded much
more public whipping. /" Under the
present management OF our Delaware
prisons there may be come truth In
this, for they nre In terribly demoral.
mingle together the hardened and
youthful first offenders. Intoxicants
get smuggled in gambling Is INDUCED
In; no regular employment. Tramps
lodged and fed and not required TO do
any work, 40 or 80 In one ill-ventilated
room; no bedding and not required to
wash. Now this Is all to be changed
| In the new workhouse and its disci-
Iline will be far more obnoxious to
criminals than whipping and few
| days in such prison as New Castle.
Every prisoner Is to have separate
cell; reg ular employment eight hours q
day required; a daily account kept
with each convict and no communica-
ton between the prisoners possible
while In their cells.
Now, l ASK, will not the class you
fear, avoid the workhouse quite as
much as the whipping post The work
house will he reformatory and far better
than the whipping post for the very
objects for which the advocates OF the
whipping post want ii retained. The
retention of the whipping post will be
a hindrance to the successful working
of the new penitentlsry and also a
hindrance 60 all reform and progress In
our little State. Our prison manage
ment In Delaware is among the most
degrading, unsuccessful and expensive
Of any State in the Union. The whip
ping post has been and must continue
to be- bar and hindrance to any i'm
provement in our prison management.
The two great objects Of all nena
codes in institutions are the protection
Of society, and the reformation OF th,
criminal. These objects alone SHOULD
govern. Torture for mere revenge is I
great mistake and ought not to be re
, sorted to. Punishment is necessary, bu
it should be the punishment of th'
: physician In order to heal the disease,
Revenge has melted to all the lynch
ings and burnings at the stake tina
have of late disgraced our civilization
and Triangle our laws In the dust. ~
: avenge one shocking murder hundredi
3 OF men have become murderers. Cal
we not see that all this is degradin
b and injurious to society, and is turnin
n the hands on the fsos OF our progress
a backward? All revenge is crime an
9 inevitably leads to crime. The mos
q degraded criminal must have hope i'm
y planted in his heart before he can TAX
!, one step toward true reformation.
o oh, never yet upon the scroll
OF the sin stained but priceless soul
Has heaven inscribed despair.
Our Delaware prisons are NOR
schools Of vice than reformatory inst
buttons. The public whippings are 9,
d ceedingly demoraliziug, more SO to th
e promiscuous crowd who witness thel
n than to the culprit. Men, woiner
e young girls and children eongregate
7 have the worst passions aroused an
y excited. One criminal publicly whippe
u makes 10 candidates for future Will
pings. This mode Of punishment
continued only in Delaware, and
gives US q most unenviable charact'
among our sister States. A Philade
a phia paper lately, in arguing again
l. whipping wife-beaters said TT
to whipping would brutalize both victi
y and executioner, it would declare IL
y law of restraint, of patience, {
u humanity and love a failure. II maC
n public as in Delaware, with a view
deter others, by tie screams, the suffe
ing, the exposure and degradation
the criminal, it would brutalize who
community and would not be dete
rent Of the crime. When whippinl
ir occur in Delaware morbid and curio
!, a persons travel from neighborinR citi
~ and States to witness 1t and the seen
r. at such times are disgusting and /
IS furious" When the whipping Of Il
es two boys occurred some weeks ago
or caused severe criticism and condemn
tion in the papers OF several States.
For the success Of our new penal sy
tenn the pillory and whipping pc
ought to be discontinued. When 4
new workhouse is ready TO receive L
~ convicts, think We should have
70 Prisoners Aid Association in Delnwar
or composed of those who have the W,
a fare OF society and the protection
life and property at heart. Marylal
has the most successful reformato
n visited by our trustees, paying all G
peuses and returning to the State tire
e. sury large surplus, beside thousan
70 Of dollars paid to prisoners for ext
~ work. They have most efficient Pr
M, M oners' Aid Association. They visit
nm jails, examine their condition, sugg'
II. reforms, secure ministers and laym
ne to furnish religious service, distribr
{ II Bibles, tracts and other religious litel
ture have care OF discharged &C
victs to help them get honest emplc
ment and encourage them TO persev'
q in right course Of life. Have not |
~ good citizens and ministers of I
M ~ gospel of Wilmington been too luI
nd warm and Indifferent to our duty
ed. our erring fellow -oieaturesf
i'd Do we not owe to penitent convi
er, the same encouragement that we &
es. to penitent sinners at our church
old Not one in 10 OF criminals are ever
tected, or confined in prison wal
there are thousands OF undetected q
are caught and punished may make
others more artful In avoiding Diet
ton, but this does not reform the
- Only the grace OF God can do this; {
IS yet we have not faith in this and
- they can only be reformed throl
physical torture. Who in this asst
bly, knows OF those who have been p
. ished at the whipping post who
-