The "Gallows' Dance"

But if I knew a glorious and quick death, my crew didn?t know the same ending!  

At the time, and ?till the global disappearance of pirates at the end of the XIX century, punishments intended for us were long and cruel, in order to discourage possible volunteers. This is an original proof:

 

This old declaration gives us an outline of what happened about pirates caught by governments!

The letter explains, in old english language:

?You and each of you are adjudged and sentenced to be carried to the place where you came, from there to the place of execution without the gates of this castle; and there within the Lord Marks to be hanged by the neck ?till you are dead, dead, dead.

            And the Lord have mercy on your souls.

Dated at Cape Cors Castle, this 5^th of April 1722.?

That was the fate of the rebel prisoners, the dreadful gallows! Indeed, hanging was the fate of most Pirates. The process was a slow and agonizing death, which often took several minutes. Two methods were used. One would be to put a rope around a person neck and then pull him off the ground. The other was to pull something out from under the condemned and let them swing freely. Rarely, would either method lead to a broken neck and faster, less painful death.

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 be 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, as the letter we saw.

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 to 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 "Gallows' 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.