ANCIENT PUNISHMENTS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 89, 14 March 1934, Page 10

ANCIENT PUNISHMENTS

LUNCH CLUB ADDRESS. ‘‘We cannot revere our forefathers for their forms of punishment—not centuries ago but even only 60 years ago,” said Mr J. M. Gordon when addressing yesterday’s gathering of the Citizen’s Lunch Club ux>on ancient forms of punishment. Great changes in the punishments given for different offences had been carried out in the last two generations, he said. In Biblical days crimes were divided into two sections as now—those against the person and those against property, he continued. Punishments were very rigorous indeed and death was a popular penalty. The Jews had broken away from'that and had instituted fines in certain instances. In the Middle Ages in England, in Cheshire especially, there had been in use what was known as a “dame’s bridle’’ whereby a wife who had been rather unruly with her tongue was fitted with a bridle on jit and a helmet over her head. A hook on the helmet allowed the victim to be hung on another hook, with the effect that after an hour or so she would he very much subdued. Ducking stools, stocks, and pillories were also dealt with by the speaker. He said that the olden days had been poor days in relation to these times, and it was far cheaper to erect stocks than prisons. In the days of Henry VIII. legislation was framed whereby for their first offence all vagrants should be flogged, that the tops of tlieir right ears should be cut off for a second offence, and that for -a third offence the punishment should become a hanging matter. The object of flogging was to send vagrants back to their place of birth, and the object of mutilating tlie right ear was to assist identification. In 1580 in Oxford seven people were hanged and 18 publicly flogged for absolutely minor oflencos in one day. The very slightest misdemeanour was regarded as a very fearful crime.

Early in the 19tli century the Lord Chief Justice had advocated that the death penalty for the theft of five shillings should not be discarded, the speaker continued. Hanging, drawing and quartering was abolished only in 1813. Hanging was not complete in that operation, the victim being still alive when cut down. Flogging was carried on until only recently, and in the time of Quen Elizabeth there were 180 flogging posts within the boundaries of London. In the army flogging was very prevalent indeed until quite recently. The- floggings had been as extensive as 3000 lasnes. • The victim received 200 or 300 lashes at the first time and was then taken to hospital, being later brought back for tlie other instalments. Only once in the Great War had a man been tied to a gunwheel in the Now Zealand forces. That had occurred in. Egypt and direct action had been taken by Australians, who had been encamped nearby, Several comparisons were made by Mi - Gordon at the conclusion of liis address. He said that in England since the war a man liad been given six months’ imprisonment for stealing a lien’s egg out of a field, and another had been given six months’ imprisonment for stealing £17,000 in bonds. In London a woman liad been fined £lO for negligently driving a car and killing a child, while in California a woman had been imprisoned for ten years for exactly a similar offence. Tlie vote of thanks to tlie speaker was proposed by Mr M. H. Oram. Even though we were in the midst of a depression we were very much better off than our forefathers of 100 years ago when they might have been hanged, drawn and quartered for quite a slight offence, he.said. The vote- of thanks was passed by acclamation. The chair was taken by Mr A. Grigor and Mr Tyer (Wellington) was welcomed as a guest of the club.