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Curious list of punishments in the early days of New England.  From “Salem Gazette,” May 4, 1784.

The following (taken from a Boston paper of last week) is a collection of a few of the many curious punishments, inflicted for a variety of offences, among the old records of this Commonwealth.

        Between 1630 and 1650.

    Sir Richard Saltonstale fined four bushels of malt for his
    absence from court.

    William Almy fined for taking away Mr. Glover’s canoe without
    leave.

Josias Plastoree shall (for stealing four baskets of corn from the Indians) return them eight baskets again, be fined 5l. and hereafter to be called by the name of Josias, and not Mr. as formerly he used to be.

    Joyce Bradwick shall give unto Alexander Beeks, 20s. for
    promising him marriage without her friends’ consent, and now
    refusing to perform the same.

    William James, for incontinency, was sentenced to be set in the
    bilboes at Boston and Salem, and bound in 20l.

    Thomas Petet, for suspicion of slander, idleness and
    stubbornness, is to be severely whipt and kept in hold.

    John Smith, of Medford, for swearing, being penitent, was set
    in bilboes.

    Richard Turner, for being notoriously drunk, was fined 2l.

    John Hoggs, for swearing God’s foot, cursing his servant,
    wishing “a pox of God take you,” was fined 5l.

    Richard Ibrook, for tempting two or more maids to uncleanness,
    was fined 5l. to the country, and 20s. a piece to the two maids.

    Thomas Makepeace, because of his novel disposition, was
    informed we were weary of him, unless he reformed.

    Edward Palmer, for his extortion, taking 33s. 7d. for the plank
    and woodwork of Boston stocks, is fined 5l. and censured to be
    set an hour in the stocks.

    John White is bound in 10l. to be of good behaviour, and not to
    come into the company of Bull’s wife alone.

    Thomas Lechford acknowledging he had overset himself and is
    sorry for it, promising to attend his calling, and not to meddle
    with controversies, was dismissed.

Sarah Hales was censured for her miscarriage to be carried to the gallows with a rope about her neck, and to sit upon the ladder, the rope end flung over the gallows, and after to be banished.

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Wholesale sentences of death in London, in 1820.

At the October session of the Old Bailey, London, sentence of death was passed on thirty-seven persons, four of whom were females.  Four were condemned for passing counterfeit notes, eleven for highway robberies, two for burglary, 11 for stealing in dwelling houses, 1 for horse-stealing, 2 for sacrilege, &c.

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From the “Salem Mercury,” July 28, 1788.