The Whipping Countess.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 849, 8 June 1888, Page 4

The Whipping Countess.

ALLEGED EXTRAORDINARY CON. FESSION BY A WOMAN OF HER CRIMINAL EXPERIENCES. A correspondent, who gives her name and address and declares her statement to bo true in every particular, sends us the following narrative of her criminal expe. rienee : ‘I am the daughter of a poor masoD, who, I am sorry to say, used oftentimes to got drunk, then return home and abuse his wife and children. For some time the* former bore with meekness the rough treatment of her spouse, but ultimately she, too, sought to drown her cares in liquor. With parents who both quaffed the intoxicating cup, is it any wonder her children (three girls and a boy) went to ruin? The eon went from one degree of iniquity to another, till ultimately he ended his days on the gallows for the murder of his sister. Of the two womeu then left, ohe of them was transported for life for burglary, oft repeated ; and the other (i. e., myself) fast followed in her footsteps, but succeeded in escaping with a few months’ imprisonment for each offence, until the last of my parents was laid in his grave. About a week after I went one night and stealthily opened the drawing-room window of the widow of an Earl. I entered the room and stole money, together with many valuables, to the amount of about £IOO. As I lived near to her residence and my character being well known, the lady on discovering her loss, at once hastened to my poor abode, and was not long in finding part of the money—for I had wilfully spent about £2o—and most of the jewels. She at once brought me by force to her home, made me follow her upstairs to an attic, with only a chair and a wooden bed for furniture ; then she spoke to me seriously and kindly about this and other misdemeanors, and told me she would not give me into cuetody, but I was to remain in that room for two months, to be fed on bread and water, and she wonld come three times a day—at morning, noon, and night—and administer the birch with her own hands. At first I felt inclined to rebel, but after all I thought anything better than gaol. The next morning after breakfast, which was given to mo at & o’clock, I was brought into an adjoining apartment, where I was stripped of all my clothing by the lady and one of her servants. Then I was stretched on a cushion as soft as down, after which my hands and feet wero securely fastened by means of leather straps, so that I was utterly unable to repel the strokes of the rod, which fell swift and smart.

At first, although I \Vas whipped till I cried (for my lady would never cease the chastisement till the tears came to my eyes in 'earnest), when I was released I at once declared I would leave and go to prison, when the lady said she was quite willing I should do so if I preferred it, hut I dreaded gaol too much from my former experience ; bo I decided to continue as I was ; but after the punishment I began to give a mock laugh and thank my lady ironically, but whenever I did so I was always again refastened and repunished, which was repeated onco as often as three times. Another time I resisted and would by no means allow • myself to be, so

treated, when two more female servants were called up and I had to submit. The servants who helped always went away before the-punishment. Ultimately I used to undress and lie in position myself, as the lady after that came alone, though the, whipping was as severe as ever. When the two months were expired I was x'eleaseo, with much prayer ,and good advice, aud I never after stole anything to the value of a pin, .and I am now the wife of a respectable mechanio, and bless God tor the experienceof those two months. I was at the time twenty-tliree years of age. I relate this circumstance, as I believe if the * cat ’ is beneficial in preventing men from committing atrocious crimes, that casti gation might also be performed with good results on the female prisoners by some of the female warders. —Liverpool Courier.