The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1893-07-15
YET We. ARE CIVILIZED.
Ridiculous Laws Of q New En-.
gland State.

AAUAAA ~OsSS~s
When the law makers of Rhode Island
and other States of the East made laws
against scolds they did not dream how
ludicrous the whole proceeding would
look to the people of the most glorious
epoch of the nineteenth century. The
old law still remains on the statute books
of at least one of the States, as witnesseth
= case in Rhode Island. A woman is on
trial charged with being public scold
and nuisance, and if convicted she will
be bridled up like horse and driven
through the prin cipal streets of the vii
lage. Of course she wonld sooner go to
prison for from one to ten years. but her
wishes will not be consulted. So if con-
victed, she will be compelled to take the
more severe and humiliating form OF
punishment. 1t is quite likely, though,
that she will not be convicted. Though
guilty as charged, she will probably be
discharged, that the people of the State
may be saved from public shame. Such,
though, would not have been the case in
our grandmother days.
Nowadays, of course, it is not to be
supposed that married people quarrel.
The refinement of the age is against it,
and when man is scolded by his wife
there is naught for him to do but to grin
and bear it. But in former days it was
not SO.
When q woman, one of our grand.
mothers, perhaps, became so liberal in
the use Of her tongue as to render herself
conspicuous in the neighborhood where
she lived, all her husband, if she had q
husband, or her afflicted neighbors, if she
were widow or spinster, did was to
proceed to the nearest magistrate and
make charges against her as common
scold."
A day was appointed for the trial, evil
dence was produced, aud, it deemed con-
elusive, the magistrate directed that she
should be bridled and escorted through
the town.
The scolds bride was always kept in
the town hall or in the church, and was
an instrument we'll adapted to tame the
spirit of even the most able and successful
shrew. 1t consisted of an iron band pass
ing over the head from ear to ear, from
the extremities of which another band,
from one to two inches wide, passed
across the face between the nose and chin.
In front q plate, projecting inward
from the face band, entered the mouth
and pressed down the tongue of the suf-
ferer, effectually preventing any cutlery
From the extremities Of tho face band
another thin iron semi circle passed
around the head at the back, secured on
one side by hinge, on the other by
hasp and staple. The back band was
thrown open by means of the hinge, the
birdie placed upon the head of the shrew-
ish unfortunate; the hinged section was
then closed and fastened with 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 a crier announ-
cling her name, offense and punishment,
and followed by mob of idlers such as
can always be collected to witness a
scene of this kind. One dose Of such
medicine, it might be supposed, would
overcome the temper of any shrew, but
in case il proved inadequate 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
scold and she was brought up again be-
fore magistrate, recourse was had, as a
last resort. to the ducking-stool.
The ducking stool was large chair
without legs, which was fastened to the
end of long pole, balanced at the top
of post close to 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
zontal motion.
The scold was securely strapped in the
chair, half dozen pans Of strong hands
generally those 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 sufficient number of times
to kill the ardor and impetdosity of hel
tongue.
Generally she was ducked until she
gave promise of permanent reformation
and made oath upon the Bible or psalm.
book, brought from the nearest church
for that purpose, that she would scold nc
more. But instances have been known
of inveterate shrews refusing to promise
anything of the kind, and in one case ir
the south Of England 1O2 years ago, ar
unlucky woman was ducked twenty sever
times before she was subdued while ,
year or two before that another unfortu
nate was actually drowned, the determin
alton of those inflicting the punishment
TO subdne her heinp e0ualed bv her reSO