Evening journal., 1910-09-05
OBJECTS TO THE
WHIPPING POST
Think State Should Rid Itself
Of That Form Of
Punishment
RECALLS SCENES WHEN
THE Lash IS APPLIED

Editor Of THE EVENING JOURNAL:
This article is not sent to THE
EVENING 4 JOURNAL because the
writer is in strict sympathy with all
it's views. II is sent TO THE EVEN
ING JOURNAL because the writer be-
lieves II stands more chances of be-
ing published by that paper, and, fur
ther, because he believes it will reach
a more desired audience.
I am a native Delawarean, have
spent practically all my years in Della
ware, and, on most occasions, am
proud to acknowledge it and assert Il.
But ofttimes the mention of my native
State abroad, that is, outside the State,
has been the occasion if not of cha
grin. at least of controversy. Most of
the criticism levelled against us is
jocular and arises from the territorial
smallness of Delaware. Yet one cant
help feeling there is a remnant Of this
criticism. after the trivial and jovial
have all been culled out, that is de-
served There is no need to rehearse
one political scandal that hung over
us like a reeking fog for a decade.
We have rid ourselves of that fog, IL
not of the blight il left And still there
remains
surely not so thick, but just as blight
ing. ! refer to the survival In our
punishment of criminals, of that crude
relic of barbarism-the Whipping
Post.
Well do / recall my first serious ac-
quaintance with this reformatory
method Of dealing with offenders. AS
boy I had always been highly in
terested in politics: in Delaware ev-
cry male old enough to talk is a poll
tician. | asked father whether John
Doe, a particularly meek and inoffen-
sive white farmer was a Democrat or
Republican. He replied neither; he
can't vote. On hearing this l was puz-
zled, for l knew that every negro of
age, however illiterate or degenerate,
voted; l had even seen aged negroes,
too feeble to walk, carried TO the polls
in the arms of white district work
er." Father went on to explain that
when young man, John Doe had been
whipped for stealing chickens and de-
prived of the franchise. thought, but
couldn't think il out. Today John Doe
is a minister and head shouter" in
Kent county.
All the boys in the village looked
forward, as to a holiday. to the pub
lie whippings in the old Jail yard at
Dover. One Saturday a number of
them went to see the "niggers get cow
hided." I was not permitted to go.
But / had ample opportunity to judge
of the effects on them. The next Mon
day morning at school recess l was
attracted by the shouts and laughter
from around the back of the school
building The boys we're reacting the
exciting melodrama for their own ben
eft. A dog securely fastened by all
| four feet TO a small tree was the vic
tim. Each boy took his turn at play
! ing sheriff.
My first actual witnessing of this
uplifting spectacle was out at Green
back three years ago. The law re-
quires, l believe, that the ceremony
be public. The one-sided bouts were
scheduled to be put on at 1890 a. m.
In spite of a drizzling rain, an hour
before that time there was a crowd
of about 200 pushing, showing and
climbing to vantage points. There
were but two classes in the mob 1.-The
curious, to which l fiatter myself to
have belonged; and the vicious-faced
unemployed, who we're out for a Ro-
man holiday. The talk in the crowd
was unprintable. Directly a half dozen
guards with loaded rifles came and
perched on top the circular walled en-
i closure, where the show was to be.
| Doubtless they were present to pre-
serve fair play. Necks were strained
toward the opening Of an underground
passage. Soon there appeared two
deputies positively dragging a man
aceld, british negro stripped to the
waist. He was quickly clamped into
a stretched position and the fiogging
commenced. My position was poor
and only once after about the 18th
lash did ] see the victims back. Each
blow had left a long crooked white
seam. The performance. as the dis
appointed mill-hand next me said, was
outrageously tame. The negro hadn't
cried out once, only mufiied groans.
no blood had been drawn, not even did
he have enough self-preservation in
stinct to faint "Wait for the next one,
he's going to get 80 for stealing corn"
No, l wormed by way out of the
crowd. On my way in town on a car
my neighbor mumbled. that was
nothing ought to have seen the time
we burned White"
To enumerate the obvious demOral-
izing influences of such cruelty legal
lied by the social sanction of the state
is superhuously fiippant No civilized
social body Of the Twentieth century
would wantonly torture its members.
There must be and are arguments in
support of this form of punishment.
The reasons advanced by Justice Com
eggs years ago no longer hold. In re-
cent years the Honorable Chief Jus
tice Lore in an open letter to a Phila-
delphia journal has urged the sanest
and most convincing arguments in
favor Of retaining the whipping-post.
They reduce themselves to two main
ones: First, we must have some quick
and effective means Of dealing with
our large percentage Of negro, crimi-