Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-01-24
WHIPPING POST AND PILLORY
Messrs. Lore and Love Enter
tain Different Views.
CHIEF JUSTICE FAVORS THE POST
But Would Like to See the Pill
lory Abolished.
Interesting Meeting for the Discussion of
Prison Reform Under the Auspices of the
Concord Friends = Addresses by Chief
Justice Lore and Alfred H. Love of Phiia-
delphia.

delphia.
A meeting for the discussion Of prison
reform was held at Friends meeting
house, Fourth and West streets, Sum-
day afternoon under the auspices of
Concord Quarterly Meeting of Friends.
The first speaker was Alfred H. Love Of
Philadelphia, president of the National
Peace Society, who has been visiting
prisons IN this ard other countries for
43 years. He said in all of his expert
ence he had never found any prisoners
wholly bad. There was some good in
all Of them. lie held that crime should
be treated as disease, Reformation
should take the place of punishment
and sufficient treatmentssfor the disease
should be administered to effect refor-
nation. All classes of criminals should
not be allowed to mingle together. The
different classes and ages should be
separated. Prisons, which should be
reformatories, should be only one-story
high, and each prisoner should have an
opportunity to ses the sun, sky and
stars every day aud should have daily
opportunity 20 walk on Mother Earth.
There should be no time limitations
for the various crimes. Each prisoner
should be detained Just long enough TO
make him repentant and reform him.
1t is not right that prisoners should be
kept ut the expense of the community
after he has reformed and fully atoned
for his crime.
Mr.. Love advocated volunteer prison
societies composed Of reputable citi-
zens who should visit the prisons regu-
l8rly and should be the judges of
whether prisoners have actually re-
formed and are fit to go out into the
community. Prison societies, which,
OF course do not have this extent OF
power, have existed IN Pennsylvania for
III years. Under the present regula-
tions, wien a prisoner completes his
ssntence he is give his liberty,
although he threatens revenge before
aging the prison. According to Mr..
Loves idea, such a prisoner should be
detained until he has reformed.
The speaker dwelt at some length on
work in prisons. He thought all prison
efs should be-required to work and ad-
vocated a division of the proceeds of
his labor so that the person he had
robbed or injured. or the family Of the
person injured or killed, would receive
one fourth. One fourth should also be
saved to the credit of the prisoner. At
least one-fourth should go to the State.
A proper disposition of the remainder
should also be made. Such plan
stimulates the prisoner to work hard,
rs he has two objects in view, one
being to make restitution and one to
accumulate fund for his own benefit.
af n
precated. Mr.. Love thought it great
mistake to put to death people who
have committed murder. murderer
should be permitted to live and re-
quired to work, the proceeds of his
labor to go toward the support CT the
family which he has bereaved. Much
emphasis was placed on the plan to per-
nit the prisoners to have themselves
kept from the public if they SO desire.
This has the effect OF making them un-
known to the public and when they get
their liberty they have an opportunity
to make new start in the world. As
an illustration, he told of an Incident
which occurred recently. He was rid
ing 10 a street car in Philadelphia,
wi the conductor called him out on
the platform and told him he had been
a prisoner at Cherry Hill and had
profted by lessons taught by Mr.. Love.
Mr.. Love then remembered him. The
conductor tod him he mad been on the
car many months, had never stolen any
thing since he left the prison and never
intended to steal any more.
Kind treatment. Mr.. Love said, should
replace harshness in the treatment of
prisoners. He pointed out where kind
ness had done more in coDquering un
ruly prisoners than haishness and cited
a number of incidents. He thought
prisoners should be given comfortable
quarters. Make their cells as homelike
as possible.
He favored the abolition of the post
and pillory in Delaware. He spoke of
Representative Ewing's bill to punish,
by whipping, wives who beat their
husbands but could not satisfy himself
that the Legislature Of Delaware would
ever pass such law. He thought the
post and pillorY and all public punish
menrs TOO degrading and not calculated
TO effect reformation in prisoners.
Grimes, he said, are committed by the
mind and the mind should be reformed.
In order to effectively put stop to
,rime the criminals must be reformed
and the cause will thus be reached and
she origin shut off.
Referring to the proposition to make
capital offence and also
20 the reported outrages in the South
md recent burnings at the stake, he
'aid they we're in line with the crimes
which can only be effectively stopped
,y ref formation.
If he had his way, instead of having
70, 900 soldiers in the Philippines on a
humane mission ~ he would have |
hem at home to put stop to the out
ages here. Returning to the whipping |
,ost, he said he always regarded it as |
J blot upon Delaware. People go to see |
he whippinRs, he said, and many of
hem afterward bear evidence that they |
lave not been in the most elevated |
ompany. He expressed the belief that |
{ was difficult to find the best people |
rho would WELD the cat. The man
whipped posons the COM
nunity whether he remains here or
ices elsewhere He thought the post |
vas spreading contagion, which should
lot be.
Chief Justice Charles B. Lore. upon
'eing called upon, said reformatory
chools and laws have two objects, to |
,revent crime and reform the pt tisoners.
The pillory, he said, ought to 60. 1t |
8 relic of the past which has outlived
Is usefulness.
As to the whipping post he had a
Iifferent view. he read list of the
rimes punishable by whipping, in ad-
lition to Imprisonment. He would add
o the list the man who whips his
wife, and he would like to see the wife