The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-05-22
SHREWISH WOMEN.
Severe Treatment Melted Out to
Scolds in the Days of Long Ago.

Nlen our grandmothers talked tor
mucn our grandfathers, or, more properly
speaking. the grapdfathers of our con.
temporieS. had a way of dealing with then
which effectually silenced their chatter
Some one says:
There is but one scold in the world
ana every man thinks be has her," al
aqage that no doubt originated in the avs
of our gTandfathers and expressed Their
nplnion OF the feminine ability to make
life burden for every benedict who did
not exactly conform in the minutest par.
tlcular TO what his wife deemed be should
be.
Nowadays, of course, it is not TO be sup
posed that married people quarrel. The
when man is scolded by his wife there
Is Gaught for him to do but to grin and
bear 1t. But 10 former days II was not so .
When woman, one of our grandmother
perhaps, became so liberal in the use OF
her tongue as to render herself conspieu-
Gus In the neighborh0Od where she lived,
all her husband, if she had husband, OF
her afflicted neighbors, if she was a widow
or spinster, did was to proceed to the near
est magi strate and make charges against
her as Il common scold."
day was appointed for the trial, evi.
deDce was produced and if deemed con-
elusive the magistrate directed that she
town.
The scold's bride was always Kept in
the Town Hall or in the church, ana was
an instrument well adapted TO tame the
spirit of even the most able and successful
shrew.
1t consisted of an iron band passing
over the head from ear to ear from the
extremities of which another band from
one 10 two inches wide passed across the
lace between the lose and chin.
In front plate. projecting inward from
the face band, entered the mouth and
pressed down the tongue of the sufferer
TINS effectuaily preventing any Dutcry.
From the eX.rem tiles of the faceband
another thin iron semicircle passed around
the head at the back, secured on ona side
by hinge, on the other by a hasp and
staple.
The backband was thrown open
by means of the hinge, the bride placed
UPON the head of the shrewish unfortu-
nate; he hinged section was then closed
and fastened with a paddock, of which the
magistrate bore The key.
The scOld WAS then tied by the wrists to
the tail Of cart and escorted through the
streets, preceded by crier announcing
her name, offense and punishment ana
followed by mob of idlers such as can
always be collected to witness scene OF
this kiud.
One dose of such medicine, it might be
supposed, would overcome the temper of
any shrew. but in case it proved made
quate there was another remedy still more
severe, which was rarely known to fail.
After the scold's bride had proved its
inefficiency TO suppress the clamor of the
scod and she was brought up again before
magistrate, recourse was had, as last
resort, to the ducking-stool.
The duckiug-stoOl was a large chair
without legs, which was fastened at the
end of long pole. balanced on the top OF
a post close by the waters of a stream or
pond The pole was arranged upon a
pivot so loosely fastened that it permitted
Of considerable vertical as well as hori-
Z0ntal motion.
The scold was securely strapped in the
chair, haif-duZen pairs OF strong hands,
generally tti0se of the witnesses IN the
case, seized the other end of the pole and
reVOlVed the unfortunate scold until she
went directly over The water, when she was
soused a sufficient number OF times 10 kill
the ardOr and impetuosity of her tongue.
Generally she was ducked until she gave
promise of permanent reformation ana
made oath upon the Bible or psalm book,
brought from the nearest church for that
purpose, that she would scod no more.
But Instances have been known of in
veterate shrews refusing to promise any
thing of the kind, and in one case in the
south of England 102 years ago
all unlucky woman was Gucked twenty
seven times before she was sub
dued, while year or two before that an
other unfortunate was actually drowned,
the Determination of those iDflictng the
punls hment TO subdue her being eQualed
by her resolution not TO yield.