Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-12

punishment which the magistrates do In
ftict upon Gliding and scolding women. and
have often seen the ike done to others
Robbie" Burns refers to the Drank in one
OF his poems. and so does Gay. An early
English poet thus repines:
But for my daughter Julian
w"nid she were we'll h"lted with Rridle,
THAT leaves her work to play the ciack
And lets her "om stand idle
For II serves not for she ministers,
Fsrriers nor Furriers.
Ccbblers Button makers
To discant On the Bible
An Instrument Of Torture.
One If the simplest and least offensive Of
| these branks TO be one that may yet
be seen in Leicester. The gag did not cut
the tongue. and the machine was not severe
! when In place. The witch's bride which
dates back to 1864. and was probably the
copy for the one used in Boston. used
on condemned witches when led to eXecu-
ton. The gag WAS three-cornered or
pointed spur-like arrangement a NOV
able band. to which the chain attached.
The cruelty of the thing can scarcely be
calculated. and. twist she would. the
spikes would tear and lacerate the tongue.
A very celebrated Drank Is preserved at
Walton-on-Thames. 1t is dated 1873 and is
| inscribed with the following couplet:
Chester presents Walton with a Bride
To curb w"mans tongues that talk too idle
There is a tale attached to this Drank
which shows 1t to be the outcome OF a de-
sire to get even" A certain man had great
d
| woman whom he had not treated in a chiv-
alrous manner went to the kinsman with a
gcssips tale. which resulted in his losing
| the big estates. In fit of pique he pre-
scented the gossipers Drank TO the town that
| the tattling woman hailed from.
/ A queer one that is In the museum in Ok
| ford is a cage-like thing with a smooth
| gag or tongue piece. and a hole for the nose
! to pass through Just above the frame
work about the nose Is a ring. to which the
leading strings are to be attached. Another
| Drank bears an initial w. on it and is sur
mounted by a crown. 1t Is supposed that
| this belongs to the time of William III.
Drank preserved in the riuseum In Lin
colnshire looks like masque with mega
phone attached 1t is an iron cage-like af-
| fair. with holes for eyes and a hollowed-out
place for the Over the mouth H. a
long perforated funnel-like business. sup
posed to suggest the long tongue of the
wearer.
Some of these branks are Of intricate
mechanism. and by gentle twisting OK
nuts and cranks the refinement "f torture
could be inflicted. The poor victim woui1
be ''jacked up till she could endure no
! more without fanting, and then the pres
sure would be let up, only be applied
again she could enIure 1t. Ore
like a mask of iron Is made with great
hollows for the starting eyebaiis!
Ancient Records.
In the Worcester corporation accounts for
the year 1868 is the following entry: Paid
for mending the bride for bridleing of
scoulds and two cords for the same. is.
i'd In Scottish church record is this:
Item. for a bride for scouldinge women,
Is Cd
The name Drank is supposed to be de-
rived from the Teutonc 'pranghe,'
bride. A piece of torture machinery that
comes of the same family was used In the
Dutch Netherlands, and called a .'pranghe
or '.jougs,'' from yoke collar in which
the neck of the culprit was held. This
thing was used also in the West Indies. and
examples of it can still be founl i'll Cuba,
rusting in the FASHIONED walls of the pris-
ons 1t can also he found in the old market
places. on the weighing posts. fastened to
the prison door the church yard gate
and door in Holland and England, no
longer used but left. a melancholy souvenir
of tortures now happily long past.
ISABEL WORRELL BALL.