The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-02-18
Connecticut Likely TO Return TO
Old Method Of Punishment.
ABANDONED TWO CENTURIES.
Judges Approve Plan Will Enrt Beneficial
Iaflusncs Over 0ttsnssrs Who Can Be
Reached 10 no Other Way.

New Haven. Conr. Feb. Is.-Criminsls
in this state are alarmed over the possible
re-establishment OF the whipping post
No criminal has been thrashed by order
Of court In this state for 200 years
The law makers are determined 10
change all this, however. They think
they can discourage the wicked by the
application OF the lash.
The whipping post bill has been intro
duced by Harrison B. Freeman. OF Hart
ford. an educated man and a lawyer, who
believes that it will prove wholesome
corrective
IT is backed by the clergymen. among
them Rev. Dr. Newman Smyth. OF New
Maven. "A member OF the Yale corporation
ana pastor Of the wealthSest church in
the state; by Simeon Baldwin, member
OF the supreme bench; by Rev. w. s.
Clarke of WhitneyVille. and by a dozen
members OF the Yale faculty
Criminals have become organized, and
the state has not kept pace with their
organization" says Judge Baldwin. I'VE
need more strenuous penalties"
The bin provides that the whip shall
be applied TO the backs of boys under ls
years of age who have committed crimes
punishable by imprisonment other than
imprisonment for life. The whipping II
optional with the judge. 1t is limited To
10 stripes.
Section OF the bill provides for the APP
phcation OF the lash TO offenders against
women and 20 robbers who accompany
their crime with the use OF physical acts
or great violence or cruelty. The crime
OF kidnapping to obtain "a ransom will
earn whipping. Tramps who threaten
women and children with violence. or en-
deavor 10 procure anything of value by
force or intimidation. may be made TO
suffer at the post.
The whippings will be administered In
private. a physician must be present Ia
see that the health of the culprit is not
permanently impaired. IL the candidate
FOR the whip IL n minor. his father or.
guardian, or III he has neither, his near
est male relative may he present. The
whip is 90 be administered by the keeper
OF the jail. In case Imprisonment is paI
or the sentence. IL II is not. the whi%
ping Is TO be inflicted by such officer of
the law as the court may designate.
Prospective criminals in Connecticut
may be interested TO learn about the i'm
plement that will be used upon them. If
the offender Is under l6 IL will be either
birch rod or a leather strap or whip.
tne court making the selection. III the
offender is older than 16. "a healthy leather
strap or whip will be employed
The court, IL the law passes, may seq
tence the guilty person 10 moro than one
whipping, but not more than 80 stripes
may be inflicted upon one person in one
week. A whipping board is To be consti-
tuted by the states attorney and the SUI
perior court. consisting of Ave physicians
any one Of whom may he called upon
to be present when a sentence is carried
out
One OF the Oldest criminals in the state
has written a letter denouncing the lash.
lie says that Il would be crime 10 EN-
ploy IL on habitual drunkards. ''Wiu this
relic OF barbarian ages. demands the
man who H. prisoner In the New IIa-
ven county jail accomplish the Hercu-
lean task OF taking the appetite for IL
quor away from man when the Jail.
the home and tho church have failed 10
better his deplorable condition. I rather
think not The consensus among rnedl-
cal authorities seems 10 be that drunk
enness Is a disease