The Washington times., 1921-05-09
Return to Whipping Post Will Cut
DoUn Crime, Says Gotham Jurist
Lash Male Offenders, But Spare
The Women, Advocates
Justice FaWcett.
BY MARGERY REX.

BY MARGERY REX.
NEW YORK, May s.--Lsy the lash
upon the felon's back!
Administer sharp physical pain and
thereby purge the criminal OF his de.
sire for evil deeds. and protect In.
nocent citizenry against his depra.
dations!
CRIMES OLDEST CURE.
A cure for crime-so old that it's
new--suggested by Lewis L. Fawcett,
Of the Supreme Court Of Brooklyn!
The remedy--novel enough in these
iays-wouid bring back the old in
stitution of the whipping post. the
cat-o'-ninetaiis and perhaps the
stocks.
stone walls do not q prison make"
observed an old poet. and likewise
has Judge Fawcett repeated the ia.
miliar line in connection with his
radical recommendation.
And let IL be known here that
Judge Fawcett has been Widely ex-
tolled for his clsmencys And often
called the man who wears This heart
upon his lapeLS Hence the startling
aspect OF his cure for crime.
DECLARES FOR WHIPPING POST.
prevent crime. declares the justice.
who several days ago. after passing
sentence upon a man convicted Of a
hold up. announced himself in favor
II the whipping post. combined with
shorter periodh of punishment in jail.
II would recommend the use of
the lash upon certain types of crimi-
nails" the judge said today. "For
robbery, burglary, blackhand, and
white-slave crimes let the sheriff
lash or hire huskies to whip these
especially grave offenders"
The personal opinions of the Judge
upon crime and punishment are not
prompted by lack of sympathy for
transgreJsors. or a belief that ven
geance constitutes justice.
Nor does he go TO the sentimental
extreme of saying that to sentence a
felon to a whipping, would pain the
court more than it would the criminal
A PUBLIC SAFEGUARD.
Belief that nowadays we do not
properly punish crime or try to pre-
vent IT, has prompted Justice Fawcett
to advocate publicly the return to the
lash as a means of promoting protec-
ton for normal. peaceful people.
THE criminals state of mind"
said the Judge. lis quite that OF the
child caught at the jam jar. IL he
is taken early enough. and given a
punishment he won't forget he is
apt to say away from the jar. II
not he will become holder and more
complacent over his crimes.
Men go to Sing Sing and come out
time after time with a feeling. not
that they have paid. for crime. but
that they have merely obtained
asylum for while.
Bed and board at the expense of
the taxpayers form the only risk that
confronts the hold-up man or white
SLAYER in the pursuit OF his career.
III he is caught he goes back again.
relieved OF the strain of work en-
joys the, comparatively pleasant ex-
istence lin our modern penitentiary.
and suffers no punishment.
ANXIOUS TO GO TO JAILs.
81 remember an old crook asking
me one day in court-he was a for
eigner who had served his time
abroad. too-'Why. judge. are you
really going to send me to Sing Sing p
HE was overjoyed. He said that
1t would be a holiday compared to
what he would get in England.
Now over there they had the whip
ping post revived about a dozen years
ago. was visiting England before
the war in 1913 and I know 1t was
found efficient.
AN English barrister told me that