Middletown transcript., 1901-02-02
DELAWARE BLUE LAWS
Magazine Article on This States Criminal
Punishments

ers Of a movement to help advance civil
! zation. should so overdraw the true condi
tion here and make such egregious error
in their sensational exposures that the,
not only write themselves and thei
iournqls down as untrustworthy, in the
opinion of those who know the true con
dition, but also give the state black eye
in the minds of those who, ignorant ot
things hereabouts, accept their stories as
gospel truth.
The latest aspirant in this line of twen-
tieth century crusading is Theodore
Dresser, who, in the current number of
Ainslee's Magazine, writes his impress
sions of Delaware's whipping post. Judg-
ing from his story of it Mr.. Dresser spent
half an hour or SO in Dover jail busilv
taking notes and then was afterward
unable to decipher some of them, so that
he had to depend chiefly on imagination
! for his material. Here are some extracts
from his article:
cat New Castle, which is suburb of
Wilmington, in which the northernmost
pillory of the state is located, l saw a
crowd of at least two hundred gathered
to witness the lashing and pillorying of
men who had been convicted of offenses
covered by these penalties. The specta-
tors gaped with wide-eyed interest,
WINGED unanimously at each seperate
lash, smiled sometimes at the contortions
of the victim, and laughed when his
grimaces in torture seemed ludicrous As
each victim was led forth, his face was
studied with careful interest. With each
detail of fastening him safely to the post
his crime was discussed. Usually he was
condemned for his action, and many
serves him right was exchanged. When
it was seen that the criminal was not
incapacitated by the stripes
received he was thought to be well off
and deserving of no further care. Of the
mental scars, stretching red across the
sensibilities and finer feelings, the spec
tators took no thought Of the influence
which the contemplation of such spec
tacle must have upon their own minds
not thought.
go into Delaware to-day and you will
be invited by the barber, the waiter, and
The hotel clerk, to witness this very anti
Iuated form of punishment. By the very
irst servant that attended me ! was so
ldvised.
"They is to be a whipping at New
castle to-day, suh,' said this colored
citizen.
"a what?
"A whipping, sub. We has the pillory I
nd whipping post in this State
How often do they use it?' l asked.
Every Friday, sub, when cote's in
ession.'
Then courts in session now?'
" Yes, suh.'
IT saw this same servant after witness
ng the scene in question and inquired
That he thought of it.
7 don't think SO very much oft, sub,
e replied. t
Don't you think it stops these people {
rom doing the same thing over again?'
No, sub, not any mo- than Jail would.
hey is men here that has been whipped
n whipped until they is so hard they l
ont care no more fob it than fob flea. II
juss makes 'em wuss, think. {
''Many others of more refined feelings
expressed the same opinion, though in
ifferent terms. A judge in Dover said d
lat he had his doubts on the subject, o
nd the active head of charitable insti- Ii
ltion at Wilmington expressed the belief I
lat this mode of punishment was very r.
r from solving the criminal problem,
I'd added: {
" Its strength with the people is due to II
le fact that it has always been here.
eing customary they see virtues in it I
hich do not exist Increasing liberality "
Ill do away with it yet D
"The whole penal system of Delaware
in a more or less chaotic condition,
,weyer, and this, as well as the pillory
I'd whipping post, may be attributed to al
ck of public thought or study along cor is
ctive and charitable lines. The State il
lis have the qualities of old-time colony tt
isons There is no penitentiary. There Il
no system of prison labor. There is no X
form school. For important crimes the m
UNITY Jail at New Castle is selected be- a
use it is the largest and much the al
longest; for the most trivial offenses the SO
me prison is made to serve. Prisoners OF
tn ten day sentences are mixed with w
ose awaiting execution and those who th
We life time to serve. Young and old, 81
VS. and gray-haired men, negroes and th
lite, all are jumbled together, and the SIX
;crimination made is one which lacks bl
port. 1t is that the short term prison. ab
are allowed to do the small labor, such kr
cooking, coal-carrying, rock WI
ating and the like in the open court or at
ward, where stand the pillory, while th
, long term convicts are not allowed to he
anything at all. This is considered be
rly satisfactory arrangement, although Lii
nore modern work house is sometimes trs
zed of.
AT Dover, the capital of Delaware, as
Il as the county seat of Kent county,
list of criminals convicted and pun
ed in that county is complete and read sn 81
accessible. This discloses that dozens ~
men have been punished with periods ue' '
and lashes not exceeding
ty-fve for stealing or attempting to "
al sums of money ranging anywhere 81,
m two to fifty dollars. Thus, on Octo- ",
27, 1897, one Albert Gibbs, was con- W sul
ted of stealing two dollars and was @ @es
fenced to six months imprisonment, ~
en- fifteen lashes and ordered to restore Wy
stolen money before entering the
Id again. AT the same time George ea0