Curious Punishments of Bygone DaysAlice Morse Earle was a social historian of great note at the turn of the century, and many of her books have lived on as well-researched and well-written texts of everyday life in Colonial America. Curious Punishments of Bygone Days was published in 1896. It is a catalog of early American crimes and their penalties, with chapters on the pillories, stocks, the scarlet letter, the ducking stool, discipline of authors and books (egad!), and four other horrifying examples of ways in which those who transgressed the laws of Colonial America were made to pay for their sins. |
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army beadle benefit of clergy Benjamin Keach bilboes Boston branded brank burned cage cart-tail century church cleft stick colonies common scold constable convicted Counterfeit County Court crime criminals cruel culprit Curious Punishments death degrading disgrace drunk drunkards drunkenness ducking DUCKING STOOL ducking-stool Dutch ears cropped England English fastened fierce floggings fyned gallows Governor hand hanging hangman head idle ing-stool iron John Kittery large number lashes lecture-day Lord magistrates Maryland Massachusetts ment Minister naked neck officer pair of stocks paper penalty penance pillory Plymouth printed prison Puritan Quakers records regiment riding the wooden Robert Coles running the gantlope Sabbath Saboth Salem Samuel Breck says Scarlet Letter scold's bridle scolding women second offense sentenced to stand shalbe slander soldier stealing stood stool stripes tence Thomas tongue town tumbrel Virginia vpon wear whipped whipping-post whipt white sheet wife Winthrop woman wooden horse York