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Walking the Plank

For the most part, walking the plank is a Hollywood myth. There are a few accounts that people were forced to walk the plank by Pirates of the South China Sea. There is also one account that Barthalomew Roberts forced some of his captives to walk the plank. However, the accounts are suspect at best. Still, pirate were known to come up with some rather ingenoious ways to torture their captives so it is quite possible that some enterprising fellow with a sharp sadistic mind would've come up with such a develish plan.

For the most part pirates preferred the time-honored method of a "heave to". That is , they picked up the culprit and simply tossed him/her overboard.

Moses' Law

Moses Law refers to flogging. The law itself means forty lashes less one or 39 lashes. The term was meant to be a biblical one in that 40 lashes are what was determined enough to kill a man according to the Old Testament and thus 39 lashes was the most you give a man without declaring a penalty of death. This was also the traditional number of lashes, Christ received from Pilate and thus it would have been un-Christian to flog someone more than that. In actuality 39 lashes was more than enough to cause a man to pass out and easily enough to kill, depending on who was doing the flogging. Yet there are historical accounts of sailor receiving 50 or 100 hundred lashes and living to tell about it. This is probably due to the nature of the whip and man weilding it. Quite often a captain or crew would mete out fewer lashes depending on the particular infraction. Moses' Law was usually deemed just for only the most serious crimes that did not ordinarily carry a death sentence.

Another sources mentions that Roman law/tradition that said forty lashes were a death sentence, thus a person should survive 39 lashes! Of course the Romans didn't set limits when it came to flogging so that is also questionable. In fact it would have been quite possible for a Roman executioner to kill a person with fewer than 40 lashes with the flagrum, the roman whip that preceded the cat-o-nine tails. The flagrum was a long handled whip with three to twelve strands of stiffened oxen hide embedded with lead wieghts, bone, and or iron/brass hooks, The flagrum was designed to tear skin, muscle, and bone right off the body It was to bring about a slow very painful death. The cat-o-nine tails was designed to inflict pain and suffering but not lead to death. It was a mild, almost timid, cousin of the flagrum.

Moses Law would have been given using the Cat-o-nine tails

Cat-O'-Nine Tails The Cat o' nine tails was a particularly nasty whip that was common on board naval vessels at the time. It was a whip, usually made a cow or horse hide, with nine knotted lines. There are stories that steel balls or barbs of wires would be added to the end of the lines to give them more striking force. This would have been uncommon and against regulation

The whips were typically oiled and wiped clean in between floggings but the concept of bacteria and germs was unknown. The cat-o'-nine tails was a breeding ground for disease and pestilence.

After the flogging was meted out, the common practice was to throw salt into the wounds, thus inflicting more pain. Salt onboard ship was a precious commodity and would not be wasted for such a purpose as this. Instead, a bucket of sea water would be hoisted from the ocean and the the wounds would be doused in salt water. Rubbing salt in the wounds, while painful, may have actually prevented infection. On the contrary, the ocean water may have actually caused infections. Floggings could easily lead to a slow painful death from gangrene or blood poisoning.

On board a pirate vessel, it was up to the captain, and crew, by vote to determine if one were to be flogged. Often, though, the punishents were included in the pirate articles. If the articles were broken, pirates often would vote for the flogging even of a friend in order to keep order among the thieves.

However to insure that the Captain didn't retain the power to flog men at random, flogging was only done by the quartermaster on the Captain's order. This led to a system of checks and balances, because if the captain gave the orders, the Quartermaster could refuse and put the ship to another vote, possibly for a new Captain.

In the Royal Navy, the Captain could order any man to flog another man, often a privileged seaman or if he felt like it, he could do it himself. And it was up to the Captain alone if a man were to be flogged. There were no channels for appeals.

Of course, there had to be exceptions to these rules. For instance, Black Beard was a notoriously brutal man not only to captives but also to members of his own crew. I highly doubt any member of his crew would have really questioned his authority.

A final note: Many people have heard the song, What do you do with a Drunken Sailor. One particular verse was originally sung: Give him a taste of the Captain's Daughter. This has been corrupted by some balladeers to Throw him in bed with the captains' daughter. Obviously the second term makes more sense to many people today, but does not really seem to be much of a punishment (unless the Captain catches him!). If you go back to the original verse and make the connection that the Captain's Daughter was slang for the Cat-o'nine tails then the punishment become quite clear. So next time you are at an Irish bar and they begin singing Drunken Sailor impress your friends with this bit o trivia: The Captain's Daughter is the Cat-o-nine tails.

Marooning

Typically pirates had three forms of punishment, Moses' law, Throwing overboard, and marooning. Marooning was a punishment reserved for murderers, rapists, thieves, and bad captains. Typically a marooned man would be given the clothes on his back, a bottle of water or rum, an arm (pistol), a bottle of powder and a handful of shot. He would then be left behind on some spit of inhospitable land to his own devices.

Contrary to the book Treasure Island, no man would have been marooned on such a big island, covered with plant an animal life. No, quite to the contrary, the convict was left on nothing more than a bald spot of land with no hope of food or shelter. Often these islands would be nothing more than simple sand bar that would only be above water at low tide. By the time high tide would arrive the man may be neck deep in water or worse.

The reason the pirate was left with a pistol was so that he might take his own life, thus ending his misery in this world but condemning his Christian soul to hell for all eternity.

What is worse, as in the Case of Captain Vane, when a pirate was marooned on an island that might actually sustain him, it was unlikely that anyone would actually rescue him.

The word maroon comes from a Spanish word "cimarron" which was the Spanish word used for deserters. The English corruption of this word was Marooner. Because priates were notorious for leaving their shipmates on deserted islands the practice became known as marrooning. Because the practice was so common among pirates, when an honest sea captain would find a marooned man, they would usually assume him to be a pirate and would have nothing to do with him, or worse, clap him in irons and take him to the nearest port to be hanged and possibly collect a reward..

Keel Hauling or Keelhauling

Keelhauling was not a practice of Pirates but you can rest assured that such a punishment drove many an honest man to piracy. Keelhauling was a form of corporal punishment practiced in the Royal Navy.

First let us remember that in the Royal Navy on the high seas, the Captain was the law and could and did hand out punishments as he saw fit. This was also the case among many of the merchant ships belonging to such out fits as the Royal Africa Company. Many of the punishment were quite cruel and harsh. Some forms of punishments were in fact a death sentence. This was the case, for the most part for keel hauling.

How it was done

The guilty party would be stripped of clothing and a rope would be passed under the ship from port to starboard. The man's hands would then be secured to the rope . Often his legs would also be bound together to prevent him from swimming. He was never weighted down in any way, for this may prevent him from hitting the bottom of the ship. He would then be tossed overboard and a selected group of men would then attempt to the pull the man out of the water, by passing him under the boat and out the other side.

Of course the captain would select the men but it rarely mattered how many people hauled the man out.

If the man was pulled slowly he would most likely drown. The shock of the cold ocean combined with the wake of the moving ship was usually more than enough to cause the strongest man to fill his lungs with sea water.

If the man was pulled quickly, he would undoubtably hit the bottom of the ship, which was covered with razor sharp barnacles. In the end he most likely bled to death from the injuries incurred or suffered a slow painful death from infection.

There was also the possibility that the rope would snap while rubbing against the keel. And then to make matters worse, if the man did actually survive, the Captain could always accuse the crew of doing the punishment incorrectly and order it done again!

With such a cruel punishment facing one's possible future it becomes readily understandable why a crew might mutiny under a cruel Captain. (More to come-- such as when Keelhauling was finally stricken from Royal Navy Law)

Incidentally for those who do not know, the Keel is the back bone of ship which runs from stem to stern. (front to back)

Hanging

Unlike later executions, hangings in the 16th and 17th century were a spectacle designed to enlighten the community of the evils of piracy. A good description of such an act was reported for the execution of Captain Quelch, a pirate hanged in Boston in 1704. It is uncertain that every hanging was done with as much pomp and in the exact same fashion but it is almost certain that a grand public display of punishment would be meted out.

According to the Maritime laws in Boston at the time (and most likely throughout the British Empire) a condemned pirate was to be hanged within ten day of being found guilty. The time between the sentencing and the hanging was to allow the condemned man the chance to repent for his evil ways. (He wouldn't have his sentence reduced by repenting, he would just have his soul possibly saved.) It also allowed time for visitors from neighboring towns to arrive for the show.

During this time of repentance, the condemned would b visited by clergymen and would receive numerous lectures on their evils ways. It was also during this time that, on occasion, a person of high standing could buy a pardon for the condemned. In some cases this is also where pirates would turn state's evidence on other pirates in an attempt to save their own neck.

Eventually the hanging date would arrive. In a town such as Boston, the condemned were paraded through the town to harbor or docks. He would often ride in a one-horse cart, with his hands tied to a pole and his feet often tied together to prevent escape. An official would lead the cart. In Boston, the official would carry a silver oar that represented British maritime authority. Next to or behind the condemned would follow a clergyman who recited passages of repentance. The hanging would take place in the late morning or late afternoon. Businesses would close so that workers could attend the ceremony. A band might play some religious songs. Eventually the condemned would reach the gallows.

Typically the gallows were not a permanent fixture and was nothing more than two beams with a cross beam in which a noose hanged. The cart containing the condemned would be positioned under the noose. The clergyman would then mount a pedestal and give a sermon. The sermon may last as much as an hour or even longer. The sermon was always about the evils of piracy and acted as stern warning to all those present. Following the sermon, the charges against the condemned would be read and the sentence pronounced.

Once the sentence was pronounced, the condemned would get a chance to make a final statement.

After the final statement, a hood may or may not be placed over his head and the noose was slipped around his neck and tightened. The horse would be prodded to move and the cart would roll out from under the condemned leaving him dangle a few feet above the ground.

The other method of hanging required a higher cross beam and would be used in order for the crowd to get a better view of the event. What would happen is a rope would be passed through a pulley with a noose at one end and a few men or a horse at the other. When it was time the carry out the sentence, the condemned would be hoisted into the air and the rope tied off.

In either event, the condemned would slowly strangle to death. His body would go through convulsions and was twitch and a swing wildly. On many occasions bindings around the legs and hand would come loose and also swing about wildly.

Because of spasms, hangings were also called the "Devil's Jig", or "Gallow's Dance" or numerous other sardonic euphemisms.

After the condemned was dead he was almost always remain hanging until at least sundown, and often even longer. Once he was cut down, he would either be buried between the tides (beneath the high water mark*), face down, so that his soul may never find rest or he would be hanged in chains or iron.

* Many sources state the body was buried beheath the low water mark or low tide. This would actually have people digging holes in the water. The low tide is the point at which the ocean level is at its lowest. Each day the ocean reaches four different levels. There are two high tides, one about every twelve hours. One of these tides tends to be higher than the other. There are also two low tides. The lower of the two high tides is often mistakenly called a "low tide". Only the high tides leave a definitive mark on the shore. The low tide is the lowest ebb at which the ocean reaches. To attempt to bury a body beneath this point would mean to try and dig a hole in the sand under the ocean. This would be a most difficult chore to attempt. Most likely what the original authors were talking about was the burying the body beneath the lower water mark left by the lower high tide. Over time, the burial method has probably been obscured.

Hanging in Chains or Irons

The good news is, you were already dead. The bad news is you were not given a proper burial. For many pirates, this bad news was quite frightening. It meant that your immortal soul would never have any chance of redemption. The practice of hanging in chains or irons was pretty basic. The pirate would be hanged until dead. Then his body would be placed in a iron cage or possibly wrapped in chains. This cage was then hoisted on a rafter and left to rot in a public area. Typically this public place would be a dock where other potential pirates would be able to view it as a warning/reminder of what comes of those who go on the account. Such places as harbor entrances were a favorite for hanging pirates in irons. Gallows Point was one of the most famous paces. The body would remain on display until there really wasn't anything left to display because of decomposition. At this point the rotting body would most often be dumped in the ocean for fish food or, at best, buried between the tides. It was very rare for a body hanged in irons to be claimed, due to the enormous amount of disgrace attached to such a person and the assumption that whom ever claimed the body was a pirate as well.