Evening star., 1923-10-21

auInOTlIleE, Ine secretary Oh
the Navy ordered Commodore
Hull, commandant of the navy
yard at Washington, to have con-
structed a ducking-stool. 1t would
be interesting to know who furnished
the pattern for this stool, If 1t was
made to pattern, and, If not, whose
ingenious brain devised it. When
finished. it was exhibited before the
District court. over which then pre-
sided Judge Cranch, during the trial
Of Mrs. Ann Royal, who was charged
with being common schold.
Mrs. Royal was a noted character
In her day, in and about Washington,
where she succeeded in making her
self something of terror to repre-
sentatIves and senators, as we'll as
the "cliff dwellers" generally. She
had been great traveller, mostly
afoot, and life in the city had proven
arduous and tragic, SO that. as age
advanced, her acidity and bitterness
appeared to increase, till many de-
clared her a nuisance, while others
demanded her suppression.
I L
| Royal managed to possess
herself of an old press and some
! worn type. and got out a weekly sheet
| which she called the Huntress.' u
But it should be said, in the interest
Of accuracy, that Mrs. Royals first
! paper here was the Paul Pry 1S31-
1880, which she began publishing
some time after her trial before
Judge Cranch as a common scold,
and in which she described, in rather
! broad humor, her experiences before
the court, where she came SO near TO
cold plunge in the Potomac.
After describing her method of OBJ
tanning money from prominent peo-
! pie, who were. mostly. afraid to
offend her, Perley continues:
| From q plump. rather handsome
woman in the earlier days, she had
become thin and sharp Of face, with a
I protruding nose and penetrating
black eyes, and busy. bitter tongue.
John Quincy Adams described her as
going about like a vrgo-errant IN
enchanted arnor, redeeming herself
|
notoriety of her eccentricities and the
forced currency they gave to her
| publications.
Mrs. Royalrs tongue at last be-
| came so unendurable that she was in
| dicted by the grand jury as COM
| mon scold, and was tried IN the Cir
! cult Court before Judge Cranch, who
! 1H In-&
found guilty she must be ducked in
accordance with the English law in
| force in the District. The jury found
her guilty, but her counsel begged
the Judge to weigh the matter. and
not to be the first to introduce the
ducking- stool as an instrument OF pun.
ishment In the District OF Columbia
At last the plea prevailed. and she was
let Off with a flne''-of only so.
! Whether this experience softened
her tongue is not recorded, but it ap-
pears to have revived and sharpened
her pen. to say the least. Her biog-
rapher says:
in the year 1929, at the Capital
! city of the nation, whose birth she
had just witnessed, old Ann Royal
was arrested. tried. and convicted on
the charge of being a common scold.
AS nearly as :an be found out at
| this distance of time, two chief in
stigators Of the arrest were clergy
men-who figured. not greatly tc
their credit, In the Eaton or Peggy
ONeal scandal which broke up Jack
sons cabinet Pretext for concerted
action was found in the unpleasant
relations which existed between Mrs.
Royal and a small congregation
which worshipped. almost continuous
iy night and day. in the sengine-house
near her dwelling.
Ann Royal Is the only person
ever tried in the United states on
! a formal complaint against her was
| entered. She was called before the
District authorities and examined.
No law being found by which the
alleged offense could be punished,
the case was dismissed. Then q
mighty howl went up from the
prosecutors. Immense though hid
| den pressure was brought to bear
upon the judges. The result was
brought to trial.
| The formal report OF Chief Justice
Cranch to the Supreme Court in the
| case of the United States against
Ann Royal sets forth: The general
| understanding of the English law
was that ducking was the onSy legal
punishment for the offense' \ model
of ducking stool was exhibited.
| Judge Cranch balked at ducking
Mrs. Royal Therefore, the statutes
were ransacked to find authority tO
impose a fine or Imprisonment.
The three counts In the indictment
were: % A public nuisance; (2), a
common brawler; (3) common scold
but the first two were dismissed
The courtroom was crowded from
day to day. The prosecution offered
twelve witnesses, including Mr.. Wat
terston, librarian of Congress, and
| others of prominence. OF the defense
Mrs. Royal herself wrote in her
paper, the Huntress: 7 had but few
witnesses, knowing how it would all
end-Secretary Eaton and a few
ladies' Miss Porter.
It transpired that the Jury was
made up of citizens OF Bladensburg
and when they found her guilty, Mrs
Royal states that she requested the
marshal that at her next trial he
would summon twelve tom-cats in.
stead of Bladensburg men" She
abused the judges and witnesses
without mercy or discretion.
Miss Porter says. 1906 proceeding.
Columbia Hist. Soc, p. /, "In over.
flowing measure, ridicule. injustice
and yilifyins persecution were poured