The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-19
TRYING A COMMON SCOLD
The Case of Anne Royal Before a
District Court.
Convicted of ViIifyinE Citizens and
Sentenced to Pay "a Fine-The Only
Ducking Stool of the District-It
belonged to Alexandria, But Had
Only One Victim During Its Career.

I
the feminine genderl is public nuisance
to her neighborhood. For which offence
she may he indicted. and if convicted sail
be sentenced to be placed in a certain en-
CINE of correction called the
cueking stool, which in the Saxon Ian
guage is said to signify the scolding stool,
though now it IS frequently corrupted into
ducking stool, because the residue OF the
judgment is that when she is so placed
therein she shall be plunged in the water
for her punishment" The ducking stool was
made on the ''seesaw'' principle. The
scolding woman was tied in a chair fixed
to one end of the beam, and with bar
ley once, barley twice. barley three times,"
| she was souseG beneath the water.
There never was ducking stool in
Washington, although Alexandra had one
| during the last century, and the only case
in which a woman has been indicted as a
common scold in the city of Washington
is that of Mrs. Anne Royal, who was so
indicted and convicted in 1929. in Judge
| Cranch's court.
Mrs. Royal lived in Washington a third of
a century and died here In 1854. at the ripe
age of eighty-five. She was native of the
western portion of the State OF Virginia,
/ and had in her girlhood been captured by
( the Indians and carried into captivity She
was brought up without having learned to
read or write, but having married Captain
Royal. an officer IL the Army Of the Rev.
olution. she acquired skill in the use Of
| the English language, both in reading,
/ writing. and speaking and OF the aatter
! two she made with her pen and tongue
| the most vigorous and terrific use. When
she came first TO Washington, she lived
/ on Capitol HILL and taking q dislike to
( many OF her neighbors she proceeded to
abuse them with tongue and pen. Holy
Willy, Young Mueklewrath, Pompey Pop
I larhead, Tom Oystertongs. Sally Shark,
/ Haflelujah Holdfork, Miss Dina Dumping
! Miss Riggle and the Miss Dismals are
| among the nicknames she gave to some OF
/ those who lived near her. But besides
special vituperation upon individuals she
seemed 10 delight in maligning whole cont
munities.
OF Washington she writes In 1929. In ,ler
/ Black Book: "All the difference I perceive
/ in Washington since 1 wrote the Sketch
es,' IL, that the people eat more, drink
more, dress more, cheat more, lie more
steal more, pray more, and preach more,
and are more ignorant and INDECENT" Of
3
( bookseller. gets his bread is a mystery in
/ such an illiterate place as Georgetown
She berated Alexandria in this wise:
/ Here as everywhere else the women are
more corrupt now tlan in the days Of
I Popish ignorance. The young ladies of
! Alexandria employ their time In working
! for pious young men, and have regular
fairs to sell the articles, nor do they stop
at any species of fraud or meanness.'
Her abuse of the Rev. DR.. Post, chap
1 lain of Congress; of Mr. Coyle and his
! family became so outrageous that they
sought the protection OF the law and in
June. 1929, the grand jury Of the county
OF Washington found an Indictment
against her as common scold. 1t is Civ
| en- here in full. as it stands without pre-
cedent or successor on the records Of this
| District:
County Of Washington-The jurors for the
county aforesaid upon their oath, present
/ that Anne Royal, late Of this county,
/ widow, being an evil-disposed person and
| common slanderer and disturber of the
! peace and happiness of her quiet and hon
I est neighbors, on the 1st of June, a. D.
| 1929, and on divers days and times, as well
/ before as afterward, was, and yet is
, common slandrrer of the good people Of
/ the neighborhe ID in which the said Anne
/ resides, and that the said Anne Royal on
| the list day of June and on divers other
! DAYS and tines in the open and public
! streets of the city of Washington, In the
presence and hearing of divers good citl-
zens. did falsely and maliciously Islander
! and abuse divers good citizens of said city
to the common nuisance Of the good citt-
zens of the United States residing in the
city aforesaid, 20 the evil example of all
/ others III like case offending and against
the peace and government OF the United
| States
Second count-And the Jurors upon
their oath do further present that the said
Anne Royal being an evil-disposed person
and a common scold and disturbeT OF the
peace Of her honest and quiet neighbOrs
on the 1st day Of June, a. d. 1929, at the
county of Washington and ct divers other
DAYS and times in the public streets of the
city OF Washington did annoy and disturb
the good people OF the United States re-
siding In said county by her open public
and common scolding to the common nuI-
sance of the good citizens OF the United
States residing there and to the evil ex-
ample, etc.
Third Count-And the Jurors DO further
present, That the said Anne Royal being
an eyil-disposed person, and 8 common
disturber of the peace and happiness Of
her honest and good neighbors on the LIST
day OF June. A. D. 1929. and On divers
other Gays and times as well before as
afterwards. was and yet is. a common
broiler and disturber of her quiet and hon
est neighbors and that the said Anne
Royal on the LIST day Of June afore-
said and on divers other days and times
as well before as afterwards, in the open
and public streets. in the county afore-
said, did annoy and disturb the good peo-
pie OF the United States residing in the
county aforesaid by her open and public
hraWliup and DuhIic ISLANDERS to the COM
mon nuisance of the good citizens of the
United States residing in the county afore-
said, to the evil example OF all others in
like cases offending and against the peace
and Government of the United States.
THOMAS SWAMI.
Attorney, U. S"
Judge Cranch sustained a demurrer to
the first and second counts of the indict-
ment, and Mrs. Royal, having pleaded not
guilty to the third count, the trial pro-
ceeded.
The prosecution called as witnesses the
following: John Coyle, John Coyle. jr..
George watterson. JsO Dunn. Christopher
Dunn. ]. S. Whitwell. Charles Mccormick,
John T. Frost, L. H. Machen, and George
W Dawson.
The defence called Hon. John H. Cation.
Sarah Stack. ]. Hollahan. Mrs Green, II.
Tins, William Hickey, #. May. jr., and J.
H. Underwood.
The National Intelligencer's" report OF
the trial was without detail but the cor
respondent of New York paper told his
paper all that he had seen at the trial
He wrote: THE appearance Of the pris-
oner Qoudly greeted by the boys around
the door, and the reading of the indict-
ment excited much mirth in the court
room. But these smiles all vanished on
the examination OF the first witness for the