Curious Punishments of Bygone Days

								

Governor Winthrop added to his account of this affair that Ratcliffe was
"convict of most foul slanderous invectives against our government."
This episode and the execution of this sentence caused much reprehension
and unfavorable comment in England, where, it would seem, whipping and
ear-lopping were rife enough to be little noted. But the mote in our
brother's eye seemed very large when seen across the water. Anent it, in
a letter written from London to the Governor's son, I read: "I have
heard divers complaints against the severity of your government, about
cutting off the lunatick man's ears and other grievances."
In 1630 Henry Lynne of Boston was sentenced to be whipped. He wrote to
England "against the government and execution of justice here," and was
again whipped and banished. Lying, swearing, taking false toll, perjury,
selling rum to the Indians, all were punished by whipping.
Pious regard for the Sabbath was fiercely upheld by the support of the
whipping-post. In 1643 Roger Scott, for "repeated sleeping on the Lord's
Day" and for striking the person who waked him from his godless slumber
was sentenced to be severely whipped.
Women were not spared in public chastisement. "The gift of prophecy" was
at once subdued in Boston by lashes, as was unwomanly carriage. On
February 30, 1638, this sentence was rendered:
"Anne ux. Richard Walker being cast out of the church of Boston for
intemperate drinking from one inn to another, and for light and wanton
behavior, was the next day called before the governour and the
treasurer, and convict by two witnesses, and was stripped naked one
shoulder, and tied to the whipping-post, but her punishment was
respited."
Every year, every month, and in time every week, fresh whippings
followed. No culprits were, however, to be beaten more than forty
stripes as one sentence; and the Body of Liberties decreed that no
"true gentleman or any man equall to a gentleman shall be punished with
whipping unless his crime be very shameful and his course of life
vitious and profligate." In pursuance of this notion of the exemption of
the aristocracy from bodily punishment, a Boston witness testified in
one flagrant case, as a condonement of the offense, that the culprit
"had been a soldier and was a gentleman and they must have their
liberties," and he urged letting the case default, and to "make no
uprore" in the matter. The lines of social position were just as well
defined in New England as in old England, else why was one Mr.
Plaistowe, for fraudulently obtaining corn from the Indians, condemned
as punishment to be called Josias instead of Mr. as heretofore? His
servant, who assisted in the fraud, was whipped. A Maine man named
Thomas Taylour for his undue familiarity shown in his "theeing and
thouing" Captain Raynes was set in the stocks.
Slander and name-calling were punished by whipping. On April 1, 1634,
John Lee "for calling Mr. Ludlowe false-heart knave, hard-heart knave,