Boasun-
"They use to hang thieves in England before they started transporting them to Austrailia."
Wouldn't it be more appropriate to return the favor, and transport the thieves to England? <VBG>
In grade
school in the US, they used to mention "tar and feather" and "ride out of town on a rail" as punishments for colonial scoundrels. No one ever mentioned that, like keelhauling, this was actually usually a death sentence.
Keelhauling in the age before antibiotics usually resulted in a long slow death from infections. Tar usually meant extensive burns all over the body, another lingering death. And when you were
rode out of town on a split rail, it was usually with the pointy side up--resulting in some major trauma to the rider and again, death.
Which probably is why "cruel and unusual punishment" is supposed to be banned these days. Or maybe, it is just because split rails have become
so expensive?