THE CAT-O-NINE TAILS

[Welland Tribune, 12 March 1873]

Welland gaol on Monday morning last witnessed, for the first time, we believe, an exhibition of the powers of the cat-o-nine-tails as a moral suasive agent. The victim in the case was one William Armstrong, a mulatto.

His age is set down in the gaol register as 33, but he looks at least ten years older. He says he used to live in Montreal, but he came from the States here. One of his legs is of wood, having left the original away down in the Shenandoah Valley whilst fighting the battles of Uncle Sam. The offence for which he became eligible to illustrate the reforming influence of the many-tailed cat was that of assault with intent to commit rape upon a young girl named Saylor at a farm house near Fort Erie, in December last. The punishment took place at the early hour of half-past seven in the morning, in the day room of the old wing of the gaol, and was witnessed by but the Sheriff, the Gaol Surgeon and two or three others,-and the prisoners, all of whom were summoned to have the “fearful example” fully impressed upon their minds. The “cat” was manufactured at Lemon’s harness shop, and consisted of nine whip cords fastened to a staff about a foot in length. The lashes were about twenty inches long, and were scientifically adorned with a couple of knots each, for the more efficient torture of their victim. The instrument appeared light and inefficient, but the fact that its knots deeply indented a board, even when wielded by an unaccustomed arm, evidenced that appearances in its case were deceptive. The whipping-post was the most formidable feature of the affair, and it was not surprising that the victim turned pale upon being led to it and fearfully enquired if they intended to kill him quite. It was a stout upright post with a strong cross-piece. The prisoner’s arms were stretched along the horizontal piece and finally tied, his feet-no foot, for the wooden pin defied the manacle-was fettered , his back bared and the flagellation began.

The executioner claimed to be familiar with the use of the cat, and from the artistic regular, had unremitting manner in which he laid on the stripes, no one need dispute the claim. At the first cut or two, the victim ground his teeth and convulsively pressed his head against the post, but no further expression of agony escaped him. The knots on the lash came between the shoulders every time, and after a the first few strokes, the flesh began to give away and the blood to stand out in places where the knots fell repeatedly, as well as to slightly crimson the lash. After the twenty-five lashes had been duly administered, the prisoner was untied and laid down, and his lacerations washed with salt and was water and afterwards with oil. He stood the punishment well at the time, but was too stiff to get out of bed the next morning. Before his release he is to have another flogging, also of twenty-five lashes. The man who handled the “cat” is an old British soldier, a resident of the village. He is the person who some years ago fell out of Charley Loesch’s loft, where he had been sleeping off the effects of an overdose of whiskey, and alighted upon the back of a horse tethered underneath. The horse became frightened at receiving his burden so suddenly, broke loose, and carried his load to Port Robinson. There the wielder of the cat woke up and endeavored to dispose of the animal for a few dollars, but suspicion was aroused and he was arrested and taken to Welland gaol. He gave a plain statement of the case as above, but the judge and jury rather singularly didn’t appear to place implicit reliance upon his word, and he was forced to undergo a term of imprisonment. He received $2 for whipping Armstrong-a job which he was nowise delicate about, not scrupling to perform it without disguise.