THE FLOGGING OF JOHN MCANN.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 41, 16 February 1877, Page 4

THE FLOGGING OF JOHN MCANN.

John M'Cann and Owen Kane, who wefe^ con victedof rape at the recent sittings of the" Supreme Court, and sentenced to- lengthened terms of impr^apnenent and! two floggings each, ujaderweat. the first instaljment, of the latterr portion of their ;punighment at the Gaol thia morning. • M'CanQ had toreceiVeUwo floggings of thirty lashes each, and l H !Kane r two of 25 lashed Sborti^before '9 o'clock, Dr Johnston, U&i'J!tt3Xti.ng;sui]geon, wap in attendance at the gaol. Punctually at 9 o'clock M'Cano waa takenMo^ a yard- 'in !the Hg.h^jwing of the. gaol, where -the triangle l siood VeaSy for hirato be tied up. One of the warders administered the flogging, while the other strapped the prisoner to the triangle. MtCann, who ia a middle-sized man, of about 50, Wiihjk thorougb animal and forbidding expression of face, appeared to be ib a state of much trepidation as he a topped • into-the-yard. He at once stripped to . the waist, 1 and was then- strapped to the triangle. This latter is a strong portable: apparatus of wood with four legs, twd of -wbicb were attached to the wall - of )|he yard, while the other two were 10 £ Slightly sloping position, standing aboiit"9frliigh7"~M'Cann alretched-his arms separately at length along the wood of the triangle, and straps were quickly paesed round at the wrists, the forearnje, and n ibe elbows, in this position M'Cann was bending ali»btly forward, with hia bare back a little arched, and hid feet resting on the ' ground. Straps were then passed round his legs at the ankles; and knees, .while another strap passing round at the back of. the ueck kept' his head out of^the^way- of the strokes of •" the cat;" -'Thw- modified process of *• seizing, up,?-' -as -ifc ia. termed in the navy., did not take above three minutes to accomplish. I Then all. being Teady, the warder, " cat " in hand, took up a positioDf about four feet from the felt shoulder of M'Can, and awsited ibe order -lo begin. ■*' The cat, 1 ' we l may inform, the.uninitiated, conaists of a wooden 'handle, about 18ib. long, with a" J lß'6p ; "at' ; ihe t 'end from" wbicb depend nfne j ißordsi lf each about 1 three • feet in length,- and -each cord having bine knots at intervals towards the ends. 11 is^an innocant lookiag scourge enough, but it "flays" the human back with taliing severity. At this point Mr Seid (gave 4he brief order " Proceed." Obedient to it, the warder, holding tba handle of '• the cat "in liis rigff^fiaitdV ffpriead out the cords ovei 1 tlie 'palm 'W bis left. Then, with a wbisUing , s^ouud, the cat's tail swung through . tbe air, and the first lash strock the flesh of the prisoner, making a pink broad welt from tbe top of the right shoulder right across the back; A» : the stroke came down, the muscles eiod eiuewa of the prisonsr'a back seemed to rise up with' the pain. M'QanD, at the first lusb, gave a loud "groan, and as each of the first balf-dozea followed he groaned deeply, again and again, lika a man enduring the most '■ intense pain. Tbe fastenings were so secure that he could no&move^ but bis ; shoulders rose and quivered,, aa if he were in the very extremity of physical suffering. 'After tbe tenthT lash, his voice partly failed, but he seemed to feel the pain of the strokes as keenly as ever. As the 20th lash stuck, he .was silent, his head fell to one side, and he seemed as if about to faint. Mr Bead, carefully on the watcb, called oat " slower," and' there was a^ cesaation in the administration of the punishment for a few seconds. It became evident, however, that the prisoner was in no danger of fainting, and that, in fact, though he was in a paroxysm of temporary terror and pain be waa quite able to take, the remainder of bis punishment. By tbia time 'his back was much scored, < and the light piok stripes had changed Io a deep b^lopjJ;.cVd." The, flesh Was not broken, except at the under part of the right sboulde, where* the knots hit and in- ? dehfod the flesh. Number 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and so on, up to number 30 *—tbe j final lash — were expeditiously admiDistered.and M'Cano's punishmeqt for the time was at an end. Although the flesh od'Hie prisoners back remained uncut, yet the raised welts showed full Ot blood, which would have trickled out at tbe puncture of a needle. Blood, too, was dripping from under the right shoal der,. and there was every evidence that the punishment had been adrainißfered • w,Uh considerable severity. ;VfbenanßtMpped, M«Cann jor a minute or two leaned against the triange for support. Then be was given a drink of water, which revived him a. little, and with' shirt thrown across hia shoulders, he wa& led away to bis cell by a warder, trembling, shaking, and apparently thoroughly prostrated for we time. Some men suffer more than others under the laub, aod.it is clear that M'Caon did suffer most severely. It need not, however, be supposed that 'the flogging vvill do him any permanent barm, as his" back will probably be fbjealed in about a fortnight. Nevertheless (hat flogging completely prostrated him both physically and morally. . .Almost from the date of hia sentence tbe prisoner fil'Canu has been behaviag 1 b&dly, coaataatly endeavoring to create disturbances among his fellow-prisoners, and threatening violence either to them • ! er to the warders. He recently threatened r tp thrust a spade down the throat 'of one prisoner, and to the officer a of the gaol he used such expressions as the with numerous expletives : — i'fKlJLdp for sgnie of you yefc. I*ll work thia week, but it'll be the last week Til X ; : work.'' som^ '^— — ■ — and

go and get hanged." Hia conduct has .been reported to the Visiting Justices, but aa his punishment of this morning has intervened, it will probably be the means of working a salutary and radical reformation in his conduct. On a future date he is to receive the second and final instalment of thirty lashes more.