A PRISONER FLOGGED IN DUNEDIN GAOL.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 196, 29 November 1872, Page 3

A PRISONER FLOGGED IN DUNEDIN GAOL.

The' first case of flogging in connection' vrifcii ga">l discipline \viuoii_has occurred in the JDunedin Gaol for some years past —Earless, of West Coast notoriety, and a manXiamed H :yes being - the last persons Hogged,'and that occurred in Sep-

tembcr, 1835—took place last weeli in the of, the Provincial Surgeon, the G vornor of the Gaol, and several of the O! leers. The man who was flowed is Join Wardens, alias Gallagher, who, in September, 1889, was sentenced by Mr. Justice 1 Ward to fifteen yen's' penal servitude for a murderous assault on a storekeeper at Maerewhenua named Craig and hi? wife. Wardens' gaol offences vere—insubordination in July, 1870, for

which reprimanded ; disobedience of or ders in April, 1871, for which he go! seven days' solitary ; insubordination"iv February, 1872, for which he >vas reprimanded ; July, disobedience of orders two days' solitary, and refusing tn work. two days' additional soli fcary ; August, disobedience of orders in chapel, font 'days' solitary ; September, for having a piece of freestone concealed in his mattrass, reprimanded ; and disobedience ol orders, ;seveii days' solitary, daring which he refused to partake of food ; and lastly, maligning, for which, along- with other bad cases of insubordination,, he Was sentenced by two of the visiting, justices to receive twelve lashes. - The punishment was meted out in the Stockade, where the* prisoner was, fastened to. : a wooden triangle, \nis v hands being strapped to the upper part of "it, his feet to the 1 lower part. .A leather baud was passed round his neck to prevent the blows from falling .on that part of his body, the covering being removed from his'back when the 'flogging' commenced" The instrument used was ..the "cat," which, we may mention, consists of a •thicksbraighfc about a foot and a : ha'f long, to which is attached nine thongs of strong whipcord, being twisted at various points, indicating at;once that it-is. an instrument which will do its work thoroughly, and will leave a good account behind. The operator, lately arrived ■ in the Colony, and was formerly attached to 11 ,M.-S. . The lioyal ' Sovereign, stood about two feet distant from the -"■ prisoner whom he was to flog, partly to avoid hurting the man's face or head with the lash, and partly to get.a better, purchase for each stroke. " Then testing.the correctness of the reach \. by laying 'tlie " ca-t" gently on the culprit's back, the signal was given ; the, Eageltafcor swung the " cat" twice round his head to give the blow impetus, and with the third a long steady "swishing" stroke, the lash of the cat came down upon Wardens' bare back, taking-a slanting direction froir shoulder, to waist, every stroke being deliberately and firmly given. The strokes ... wer,e repeated regularly in the same manner ? and between each blow the fiagellator drew his fingers through the tails of the cat, to untwist and let them hang freely. The marks became apparent across the shoulders after the first stroke, but blood 'did hot flow. The effect upon the prisoner as regards pain was undoubted, for after the first cut he hegan to moan and twisted about a good deal during its infliction, and at each succeeding lash there was an involuntary' shrinking of the muscles on the right shoulder, and the convulsive twitching increased in intensity up to the final stroke. The sight was anything but a pleasant one to tlie spectators, but if the prisoners in :the G-aol could, have been witnesses of the terrible and degrading punisment, who can tell what a restraining effect it would have had on their' evil passions , Star.*

On Saturday last, at half-past 11 o'clock Mr. Strode, R.M., Senior Visiting Justice and Chairman, Mr. J". T. Thomson,. V.J. and. the Hon. Capfc. Eraser, V.J., specially attended ; at the Gaol at the Request .of prisoner Jolin Wardens alias Gallagher, under sentence of 50 lashes with-the cat-o-nine-tails, for gross insubordination in the Gaol.

The piisoner expressed great regret and contrition for his misconduct daring hisamprisonment in Gaol, and his verygreat anxiety to go to work, and conform to the whole regulations. ■ He said that owing to the excited state of his mind, he had not slept for two nights after the sentence. After a long and pain ful consultation, the Visiting Justices informed the prisoner that the sentence referred to should remain in force for three months from this date, to be carried into effect at once by Mr. Caldwell, Governor of the Gaol, in the event of any repetition of misconduct within that period, as the discipline of the Gaol must be maintained at all hazards.

We believe that Gallagher has suffered severely from the experienced hand of the new arrival that administered the late lashes, every one of which raad.e.. the culprit writhe and groan in fearful^agony.

iTo blood was drawn, but John Gallagher receiveda lesson which is not likely to be effaced from his memory during life. ' Times'