Evening journal., 1921-07-11
Use OF LASH
IN WORKHOUSE
HOTLY FLAYED
CONTINUED From First Page.l

(Continued From First Page.)
of repression and public punish
ments He usually urges the aban-
donment Of 'high-brow' sentiment
tally in coddling the offender.
Altogether, the whipping posts
Influence on American penology-so
FAR as the public mind penalties
extends far beyond the confines OF
this the only State Of the Union
that has not YET arrived at the point
of creating and maintaining State
prison.
''The State OF Delaware still uses
makeshift county workhouse. four
miles outside Of Wilmington; and
throws into II a tumble Of feions.
misdemeanants. persons awaiting
trial and even at times witnesses
young, old, all sorts and condi-
tions Of human kind and human
problemsi And they all must as
sumo the convict's garb. Some Of
them may be discharged ultimately
as innocent, but all have served a
term in prison.
at is not hard 90 understand the
survival Of the whipping post in
Delaware"
Mr.. Lewis tells of a visit made
by him to the workhouse and of the
system OF confinement and self
government OF the latter he says:
Privileges Are Valuable
According to all customary prison
methods. IL was mighty risky. But
was told that the few fights that
had started died in their incipiency
because the inmates would not lei
them go on. Privileges are toe
yaluable-too unusual in the pas
history OF the workhouse.
we don't have a prison guard
in this shop at ALL explained tn,
warden If ! had my way, I'd rur
this prison without a single guard
at any time in the twenty-foui
hours. IT could be donei Just the
prisoners and I. At half-past FIVE to-
night you'll see the boys come our
into the yard. There won't be "a guard
there. Therell be a prisoner OF
e.watch In each OF the guard-house:
on the wall, but they'nl be there tC
chase any baseballs knocked ovel
the WALL Tonight, there'n be JUS
one prison guard in the prison. and
he'll he in the central rctunda be
tween the ceil-bloc<s In each OF tn,
two cell wings there1l be two in
mates as guards Most OF the in.
mate guards are lifers.-
+, -'A1most nouchalantly things OF
this sort como from the warden'i
lips 1t rs as though any dispute a.
TO hts rightness or his saeacit,
were out of the question. Few in
stitutions IN the entire country arr
taking similar chances. 1 imagine.
esAnd now about the whipping
post. and the men / had to whip re
Gently he went on. You must un
derstand that the law gives to th'
warden no discretion The whip
ping, II It rs to be DONE is on a cour
order. as part of the sentence. Blu
the law doesn't tell me how hard 4
whipl Here's tho way whip
- -
Slowly, gently, almost doubtful
he warden's right arm swung bacl
and forth, like the pendulum OF {
clock deciding to cease work. 'Whei
we open the gates OF the wallei
enclosure where the whipping pos
is. at least a hundred and fift
persons rushed in and filled ever.
n inch OF standing room
lIiamcs Wilmington Citizens.
'Prisoners2'
No sir Citizens. from VIII
lnington, and all around. crazy t
- ace the whipping. a lot OF tner
looking TO see me lay IL on good an
plentyi No prisoner sees it. Thi
whole whipping business is wronl
The whipping post does no goo,
but harm 1t humiliates. The boar
of trustees of the workhouse
against IT. But the board can
abolish it. That's got to be done b
law. And the people Of the Stat
want the whipping post
much on the Delaware priso
situation lies right in that stat,
ment. The trained visitor to n
wo-lhouse. accustomed to inspei
institutions. soon senses an insisten
vague, yet dominating pressure
the so-called public opinion Of De
aware beating upon that big re,
fbricked institution. which stan,
prominently on the rolling crest
the beautiful uplands just outsi,
Wilmington. I gained. during n
day ] was there. almost the feelir
of being in a besieged place-in
kind Of pathological fortress that
last had dared TO run up boldly n
nag OF insurgency against the 70
mer hide-bound ancient metho
"a 81
encrusted convictions without n
prison
"Out there. in the state. beyoi
those wonderful spring-time mea
ows. beyond the fruit blossoms. b
yond the lowing cattle. the greenii
woods, rules still, in unnumberl
minds. the age-oid belief that pu
ishment. if only severe enough, W
scare criminals not only out Of Grin
but outside Of the State.