Sentence:  ...he whipped a black man for disobedience of his orders fifty lashes; and again whipped him with a <WSD>cat</WSD>, which he wound with wire, about the same number of stripes;...he used this <WSD>cat</WSD> on one other man, and then destroyed the <WSD>cat</WSD> wound with wire. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  (Short form of) cat-o'-nine-tails.