Picketing

By Crusader1307

The Picket, or to be ''Picketed'' (Picketing), was a form of Torture seen in Europe in the 18th Century. In practice, the Victim had their arms and hands tied above their heads, normally secured to a crossbeam. Similarly, the victim had their feet and legs secured by rope. Raised to a specific height and allowing them to feel their full weight (as in The Strappado Torture) – a sharpened wooden stake was next embedded into the ground just below their bare feet. The Victim was them slowly lowered onto the tip of the spike, so that the Victim experienced various degrees of pain, depending on the amount of their weight which was brought to bear. On more than one occasion, Victims had their feet impaled (only to be pulled free to undergo more torture. The term ''Picket' and it's original usage is actually a form of punishment for Soldiers who had violated some Law. It derives from ''Picket Duty'', which was the dangerous form of Guard Duty by which a Soldier stood between an encamped Army and a possible Enemy. Additionally, tent stakes used by The Armies were also known as Pickets. Picketing would also be used in many Caribbean Colonies as a means of punishing runaway slaves.