Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1917-01-22
WORKHOUSE WARDEN
OPPOSES THE POST
Says Whipping Fails to Have
Reforming Effect on
Prisoners
ALSO FAVORS A
PROHIBITION LAW

AOAllDl A(AN LII "
That the whipping post Is not prov
ing adequate to reform criminals was
The statement made by Captain Rich
ard Il. Cross, warden of the New Cas-
tle County WOrlShouse, at meeting
held in the Friends Meeting House.
Fourth and West streets, yesterday
afternoon. He declared that whipping
made the men sullen and did not have
anv reformatory effect upon them. lie
also declared in favor of prohibition
A bill is being prepared by Horace
G. Eastburn, attorney, for the aoon-
ton of the whipping post in Delaware
to be presented to the Legislature TINS
winter and the meeting was called iof
the purpose of arousing interest IN the
movement. Captain Cross said:
During the past year sixty-iour
men were whipped at the workhouse'
Twenty of these were white ana 1ofVy-
four colored. The white men on an
average were fairly intelligent, whlle
there were eight Of some foreign eN-
traction whose mentality was not very
high. Of the forty-four Negroes
whipped, none of them seemed to mind
the punishment after the effects were
gone. It is my opinion that you can't
reach a Negro, or any one OF a low
mentality, by whipping. The Negro
or any man for that matter, will fear
the physical pain, but it will have no
effect on his morality.
ct is hard to take a man to the
whipping yard, whip him and then
tell him that you are his friend. He
will not believe it, and find that a
whipping in stead Of improving the
conduct of a prisoner, makes them
sullen, hard to handle and more than
ever an enemy Of the State and So
ciety.
"The total lashes given during the
year were 1,175, and yet l may say
hat 999 out of a thousand or even
the thousand fiat, were Of no use as
far as making a better man out OF the
prisoner goes. To get some more
definite information about the benefit
or damage the whipping post might
be to the community, ! walked into
the diningroom yesterday and said
BOYS, there is a movement on foot Ia
abolish the whipping post. Now
want all of you who have been whip
ped more than once to raise your
hands i found that eleven had beer
whipped twice, three had been whip
ped three times and one had been al
the whipping post four times. / also
heard that there was a man out OF
prison who had been whipped seven
Of eight times.
"The whipping post was intended
primarily for wife-beaters and bank
robbers" Captain Cross said. "Wher
people think Of such persons being
punished in this way they have yer!
little sympathy and perhaps may con
slider the whipping post a beneficial
Institution and an instrument of jus
tice. Yet out Of the sixty-fOur mel
whipped during the past year, ther'
was only one wife-beater in the mum
Der. Nine were whipped for break
ing and entering or attempted break
ing and entering, ten for highway rob
berry and forty-four for larceny, man,
Of them for little more than petit
thievery."
Captain Cross continued by saying
that when he had attended the con
ference of prison wardens in Buffalo
he was greeted on all sides by tn
words, ooh, you are from Delawar
where they have the whipping post.
To these men it was a humorous an,
whimsical matter that there shoul'
still be a whipping post in this cen
fury ana IN ltllS country.
DR.. Louis N. Robinson of Swarth
more College, spoke before Captain
Cross. He said that physical PAL
was Of no use in reforming a criminal
He decried the sentimentality tina
some reformers are putting into tn
question of the treatment of prison
ers, and said that the abolition of tn
whipping post would be an act of SCI
Qnfffia a. ord i
lin sympathy on the part of the one
putting through such bill as is pre-
posed.
Towards the close of his speech
urged the formation of a prison sc
clety either aided or maintained b
the State, or if necessary, carried o
by private contributions.
Mayor Price Opposes Post.
Mayor James F.. Price, when spoke
TO about the recommendations mad
by Warden Cross relative to the abol
ton OF the whipping post as a mean
Of punishment here. said:
Il heartily agree with Warden eros
when he says that the post makes
man an enemy Of society. How coul
a man who had been dashed become
valuable citizen when he would be al
to condemn society and shun his fe
low men after the trying ordeal"
Chief of Police George Black, VIII
has advocated the use Of the post a
various sessions OF the National Pc
lice Chiefs Association, would nc
discuss the matter this morning
Chief Black has always cOntende
that the post was used as a mean
OF last resort, and while it might nc
be the means of reforming a crimins
it has served to keep Delaware FIRE
Of criminals, who have given thi
State a wide berth on account Of ia