Evening journal., 1905-03-20
PILL0RY NOW A
THING OF PAST
Governors Expected Ap-
proval Of Bill Will Abolish
Punishment
It HAS EXISTED SINCE I'M
specIaI 70 the EvenIng Journai.

Special 70 the Evening Journal
Dover. March 2O-"And you are
dunther sentenced. John Doe TO stand
One hour in the pillory on saturday
next Cthe busiest day Of the week. when
everybody is ou) between the hours
of 10 O'Clock in the forenoon and
O'Clock in the afternoon"
1t seems hardly possible that this
sentence. which has been pronounced
upon Delaware criminals ever since
171I has been imposed for the last
time.
To-day. Governor Lea is expected to
sign the bin which passed the Senate
last week and overwhelmingly passed
the House last Thursday evening after
it had been given up for a bad under
taking.
For years and years. efforts have
been made to pass a bill through the
Legislature abolishing the pillory
Four years ago and two years ago
formidable opposition to the piliory de-
veloped. but it never dawued on Della
wareans that they could get away from
the use Of this instrument of touturs
and humiliation, so long had the,
sworn by it after other States had long
since Forgotten tt.
Senator Artemas Smith, OF New
CASTLE, where the platform pillory haS
hourished for many years. came int
this Legislature with a deterninatiol
to accomplish something toward tn
tearing down OF the Delaware pillores
He drew an abolition bin and manages
to get the infiuenoe of the Judges
several OF whom have objected &
sentenoing men to undergo this punish
ment. for years.
BILL FINALLY PASSED.
Oven Snndth's stamina and persever
ance. however, failed to make progres
for the bill in the House of Represen
tatives and 1t came back from Chain
imam Baggs' committees on judiciar,
without a recommendation. Reprs
sentative Baggs. who is an aged Dels
warean. could not see why DelawareaI
should want TO outlaw the piIory an
stil maintain the whipping-pos
Later, he with thirty-two other men
bers OF the House were convinced tha
I one mode of punishment was 50 swift
severe (the whipping that 1t acts
as a deadly deterrent to the commi
r sion Of crime. while the pillory, u
pubicity Of which had been great
s diminished, had long ago lost its us
/, fulness.
. OF the three distinct types OF pillol
now in use in Delaware, the Ne
= Castle county instrument appears TO
lthe most incongruous. The old Ne
Castle Jail pillory, especially, for wink
exposition and museum managers o
fered fabulous sums, and which Wi
once Spirited" away but recovered I
the authorities. was built about Il
same heighth above ground as the ga
lows. Tho instrument at the Ne
castle county wOrlxhOuse, however,
lmOre modern.
When the hour arrived for the COZ
vict to undergo his one hour in the p
] lory. ait the cid New Castle Jail.
dadder would be rum up to the pla
form, and THE prisoner would be marc
ed out, precisely the same as thouI
he was going to swing from a soaffo
into eternity. There over the heads
a dense crowd. and in the centre of
Il fringe OF trees. thick with human b
:, I5ngs the criminals, two at a tim
would be fastened in the wooden fran
'e II they were of medium height tn
=, would simply be required to bend th'
$. necks, stretch out their wrists and {
frame would be lowered and fastens
" three holes being in each apartmel
8 one for the head and two for the wuis
s. In this one position the criminal sto
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