Smyrna times., 1909-01-27
CALIFORNIAN ON
OUR WHIPPING POST
MAKES AN OBJECT LESSON
OF THE CRUEL CUSTOM
Writes at Length Upon it and the
Impression it Made Upon
Him When a Small Boy.

Kelseyville, CAL, Jan. "a hol-
iday in the school year to the school
boy is a desideratum. He halls it
with unfeigned enthusiasm and Joy.
He is always willing to desert the
school room, the field of hostilities
with the "school-marm'' who is al
ways an impediment to his happiness
anyway and who always proves her
self the "best man" by the reckless
disregard she has of causing him to
remain after school. Perhaps he
would not like to explain it all to
his parents and when grown to man.
hood and he remembers his school
days as the easiest and brightest days
in his existence he finds it difficult for
him to explain even TO himself.
! recall holiday which came to
me Unexpectedly with Only two days
notice before it arrived. My chum
and myself planned many things we
would do on that day, so many l
think it would have taken a month
to accomplish them, but when the day
arrived we forgot our plans and
decided to walk to New Castle, we
were living in Wilmington, and see
the autumn whipping in the jailyard,
which happened on that day. With
good spirits, an early start and a
gait that was hard on sole leather we
soon arrived at the Jail before the
event had taken place, but to our dis
may the guard refused to admit US
He told us we must get the Sheriff s
permit, and we only had rather vague
and uncertain notions of the Sheriff
which were. somewhat connected with
ogres. However he stood bareheaded
in front of the Jail conversing with
two other men and looked so much
like big, good-natured farmer with
a sun peeled nose that we concluded
one of US might tackle him-but
which one? While we were hesitating
the Sheriff. kind gray eyes flashed
in our direction several times and
each time We felt an inclination to
run. But his shaggy head of gray
hair, cropped whiskers and spectacles
to match and voice that did not
seem very ferocious, finally decided
US to edge up closer to him. Then he
asked US if we had any troubles to
tell him and we asked him for the
permit. He replied, smiling all the
while, Eyes boys if you will bring
your father along or wait until you
grow some. - The Sheriff's answer
made us happy although we did not
get our permit, for boys soon learn
some public officials who pet girls or
the cheeks and tell them they are glaC
to see them and to call again will
snap off boy in such way that i
gives him cold shivers and he is glaC
to get out of his presence; but ther'
was none of this this about he Sher
if,. In thinking over this inciden
many times in after life it has oftel
occurred to me that to a man with tn
kindly attainments of the Sheriff, tn
whipping of fellow being, previousl
rendered helpless, upon the naked bacl
while the blood oozed from the wounds
must have been a qluesome and re
pulsive task.
Many people do not like to go to
Jail, in fact l have known some t
spend considerable money to kee
from it, but after we had wandere
around the town few hours, viewin
such sights as it could afford, we re
turned to the Jail and were rewarde
by an entrance to the jail-yard. 1t
tragic scenes had been enacted durin
our absence and only the pillory
whipping post and cat-o-nine tail
with it's bloody thongs remained. Q
course our boyish interest cente1ed /
the "Cat" and we were probabl
very grateful our school teacher kne'
very little of that instrument of tori
ure. IT. might do US no harm to tax
a look into the lives of those who q
know this instrument o. tortul
from the feel of it, those who endul
this maximum penalty for pett
offense. Many of these offenders hay
no recollections of school days, the
could not tell you the letters OF ii
alphabet upon printed page. Vel
s few of them have ever been inside
grammar school, and none OF the
are what we call generally inte
Z ligent." Out of the slums of Il
city and from among the poor agric
tural workers they come. They ha'
Il always existed under the most CT
Gums cribed circumstances and ma
never known anything but abJe
poverty and it seems to me an irol
uopn law to pillory or lacerate {
backs of such creatures.
If the law is for revenge and
the reformation of the criminal the
Is a class much more entitled to tn
fetributiOn | refer To embeZZlll