The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1911-09-15
DUCKING A SCOlD
A Custom Quite Popular at One
Time In This Country.
WOMEN ALWAYS THE VICTIMS.
In Colonial Days Duckins Stools Were
Common In Maryland, In Virginia
the Penalty Was Often Inflicted. and
Georgia sinned a. Late as 1878.

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the Penalty Was Often Inflicted. and
Georgia sinnsd az Late ss 1873.
Nowadays II woman forms the
habits of talking TOO loud and too long
or insists upon saying unpleasant
things In wrong places and at wrong
seasons there are several things which
may happen to her II she Is a person
Of some social standing her husband
may get a divorce. or II she belongs
in one of the lower strata be may
leave her without that little Formally.
II she makes life too unbearable for
the neighbors she may possibly be ar
rested and fined. II she lives In Eng
land and interrupts the proceedings Of
parliament calls names, chases digni-
taries to cover whenever they show
themselves in public and knocks off
policemen's helmets she Is called suf-
fragette and sometimes imprisoned.
But even the most "obstinately oppro-
brious and virulent woman" to quote
the stately Addison. may be confident
that she will escape the punishment
melted out to her sister Of old. What
ever happens, she won't be sentenced
to the ducking stool. In many ways
modern life Is tame and lacking in
dramatic incident for self assertive
lady, and even the English suffragettes
complain that they are not taken Sc
riously enough.
No such claim could have been made
In the past say between the fifteenth
and eighteenth centuries. when far
more rigid views prevailed on the sub
ject of feminine self repression. In
those days magistrates were unani-
nous In the conviction that "meekness
Is ye chojsest ointment for a woman"
and It was held crime to speak dis
cornfully" Of those In authority. civil |
or ecclesiastical. A woman must not |
even indulge In too great freedom Of
speech in the privacy of her own home
and neighborhood. Sometimes she did, |
and then she was attended to In a sim
pie yet spectacular manner.
She was bound securely to stout |
chair firmly fixed to the end Of a long
beam, arranged to work up and down
on the principle of the seesaw, on
the edge of river or pond. On the
bank at the other end q man worked
the continuance by means of a strong
chain, and she was given q ducking.
which lasted until justice was salts
fed or reform was promised. the popu-
lace of course gathering in large num-
bers to assist at the function.
In England the practice was so gen.
eral that each town had its duckfng
pond conveniently located where petty
offenders of various kinds were disci-
plined. The pond for the western part
of London was what is now a portion
of Trafalgar square, Charing Cross
Many Of the old ducking stools are
still In existence as curiosities. In the
days of their activity they were kept
in the church porcbes, where they
doubtless pointed a moral as to the
naughty spirit which goeth before a
fall.
The first colonists brought the insti.
tuition TO this country, although it new
er f1ourished in New England. In fact,
there are no authentic records of the
actual use Of the ducking stool in
these colonies. although a number of
women were sentenced to be so pun
ished. They had. however, other meth
DDS Of treatment for ladies Of shrew-
ish disposition, one of these being /,
the wearing Of cleft stick upon the
tongue. t
In the central and southern colonies v
the custom was quite popular. In the a
seventeenth century ducking stools Z
were in every county in Maryland. and r
In IT'S one was placed at the confiu-
ence Of the Ohio and Monongahela riv-
ers. In Virginia the penalty was often
employed. and In 1854 Thomas Hart
y of that colony wrote. 1t Is said, to
Governor Endicott. of Massachusetts.
giving detailed account OF ducking
to 'oDe Betsey, wife of
John Tucker. who by violence of her
ongue had mads his home and We @
ieighborhood uncomfortable" After a
the machine he adds: Eye !,
ope was slackened by ys officer, and
70 woman was allowed TO 20 down .
'~-eSi ~ "osSi Ao 10 okHtct VI ndiI
minute. Betsey had stout stomach
md would not yield until she had al n
owed herself to be ducked Ave SEVERAL
ines" After she promised 20 -sin no
more" Betsey was united and allowed
o walk home In her wetted clothes,
hopefully penftent woman"
The ducking stool prevailed longer z
America than IN England. In the
Id country It does not seem to have c;
cen used later than 1909. but In Geor- O
Ia women were ducked for scolding o
late as 1919. II Is Interesting 10
ote that In 1894 woman In Phila- r.
elphia was sentenced 10 be ducked.
ut the decree was not carried out, as
was deemed obsolete and contrary
the spirit Of the tines" A writer 9.
colonial customs states that one OF
10 last indictments for ducking IN '0
lis country was that Of Mrs. Anne
OVAL In Washington. lobbyist. who lit
became 80 abusive to congressman 1t