The Shipwreck So Gruesome It Changed Laws

In 1884, an incident occurred in the Atlantic Ocean that was so gruesome that it would eventually forever be written in English law, with the hope that something like it would never happen again. This is that horrifying story.
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Writing and research by Jay Adams
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[@palecrayon]

There is some irony about the judge saying there is NO acceptable case for murder and then sentencing them to death

[@butstough]

classic legal system logic lmao

[@user-tm9qs7jo9j]

Especially when they felt they had to do it. The judge was just doing it for funsies.

[@susiew2521]

I've always thought that if, as a society, we are saying it's wrong to take a life, then we should set an example by sticking to that philosophy like glue.

[@dubz2167]

@@susiew2521abortions have entered the chat

[@susiew2521]

@dubz2167 Oops. I was solely referring to the death penalty in the CJS. On the matter you raise, I am 100% pro choice.

[@eryqeryq]

And now I understand why the tiger in "Life of Pi" was named "Richard Parker"

[@SaanMigwell]

Good catch!!

[@georgeburchell296]

Thank you... I didn't even... Wow, that's a cool easter egg

[@panaderofilms]

Mmmmm..eggzs...​@georgeburchell296

[@Foxie770]

Wow!! So true!!

[@ElReyEnAmarillo]

I just made the same realization

[@kellikay8015]

That's truly a tough one. You never know what you would do till you're actually in this exact situation. Starvation and dehydration can make a person do anything to survive.

[@lawrencetalbot8346]

Eh it’s not that hard if you have what it takes to survive. A rational person would’ve gaged the severity of their situation and immediately dispose of the weak. Less mouths to feed means you can stretch your survival window, and if you can’t pull your own weight or rather contribute to group survival, you are just a detriment. The rules of safe, sheltered civilization due not apply to the rules of survival, be it open sea, wild jungle, etc

[@Grassgrassgras]

@@lawrencetalbot83462 sides to it depending on environment it’s hard to know what to do cox more people sometimes means higher chance of survival especially if your in an environment with predators more people means better security if it’s just you then sleeping ain’t much of an option in a jungle there’s always a predator that can get anywhere

[@sirmounted8499]

@@Grassgrassgras What he said still stands. He said a rational person would've gaged the severity of the situation, and that if you can’t pull your own weight or rather contribute to group survival, you are just a detriment. In your example, being out in the jungle with predators you say it is more wise to stay together for protection. Well then you as the rational person should recognize that and stay together because you're all contributing to group survival.

[@lawrencetalbot8346]

@@Grassgrassgras more people does not guarantee survival if predators are around. It _can_ if people work together to keep watch, fend off, etc. But I’m going to guess you have minimal survival wilderness training. If you have weak people who do not contribute, all they do is drag you down/make the group do more work to support the weak. If they are hurt and especially if they bleed, they will attract more predators than deter. This is also a law in many tribal cultures, both extinct and current. If you don’t contribute, you are banished. The exception being the elderly as they are seen as wise for surviving for so long. Depending on the culture, they may allow sick to remain, or they may exile them because A) they cannot pull their own weight and B) for fear of disease spreading to the rest of the tribe. This is also something people often overlook in survival situations. How many stories have we heard on this channel where someone gets sick, then it spreads to more and more until half the group is sick and succumbs.

[@slimfit767]

​​@@lawrencetalbot8346its not that hard if you're a murderous cannibal

[@tonyweaver2353]

Back then, sailing was probably like space exploration. Just the chance to be stranded out alone in the middle of nothing

[@MrHkballer1]

Plus, the stories of mermaids and krakens... that is a big no thank you from me lol

[@dredwick]

Except no astronaut has ever been stranded, because astronauts don't stray out of the close bounds of the Earth. But I get what you're saying.

[@MrHkballer1]

@@dredwick True, but Apollo 13 was damn near stranded if it wasn't for the ingenuity of the flight control team to help save the crew. Such a close call!

[@Kyle_Spivis]

@@MrHkballer1stories mixed in like legacy, gold, and glory and might help.

[@tideswrath]

@@MrHkballer1 more likely they were in olympic size swimming pool with cgi… to entertain the gullible sheep man has never gone past lower earth orbit.

[@goldfishmentality]

Its eerie to know that our minds only prevent themselves from being animalistic because we tend to always have what we need to survive.

[@seanrosenau2088]

I read somewhere that 'the complete collapse of civilized society is only nine missed meals away'.

[@funonvancouverisland]

That's right! Imagine how people will act when the power goes out and the food isn't coming. That animalistic behavior would quickly become the norm again

[@krs1297]

Cap​@@funonvancouverisland

[@funonvancouverisland]

@@krs1297 and gown 👨🏻‍🎓

[@Vassilinia]

We are animals, after all. This shouldn't be a surprise.

[@nolanstrife7350]

That defence laywer made a really valid point First, he disproved the procecutor's claim that "nothing justifies killing", since self-defence exists. Second, he pointed out how sacrificing yourself so others can survive is apparently a crime, yet if at the same time if you attack someone and get killed - suddenly it's all okay Imagine resorting to custom of the sea just to survive and then get immediately executed for murder. Where's the common sense in that?

[@Moros311]

That legal case was absurdly British.

[@youtubedeletedmynamewhybother]

@@Moros311 I literally can't imagine anything more British tbh.

[@ForeverDayGreen]

But no one sacrificed themselves in this case. From the description it clearly was murder and the question should have been if survival is a justification like self defense is.

[@ThisHandleIsRare]

The victim didn't agree. It was murder full stop

[@InMyFaceAndLovingIt]

The issue here is that Richard Parker didn't consent to his death. The others chose him because he was already on the verge of death. Literally, if they waited for him to die first it wouldn't have been an issue.

[@daerandir1459]

Me sitting here wanting to live a quiet life, never being the reason regulations were changed, laws were written, or a cave was dynamited shut.

[@suspicioustumbleweed4760]

Nerd

[@LieLo416]

just curious, where you referencing something when mentioning collapsing a cave with dynamite? is there an interesting story behind it?

[@fluffbuck3t]

@@LieLo416 They are referencing the many cave disasters shown on this channel where people get permanently stuck and the cave becomes a grave-site.

[@youtubedeletedmynamewhybother]

Just dont do stupid shit lol, people's worst enemies are often themselves.

[@lalehiandeity1649]

@@youtubedeletedmynamewhybotherFacts.

[@tjroelsma]

Strictly speaking they didn't hold to the "Law of the Sea": Richard wasn't asked for his opinion on the matter because he was already too far gone and therefore couldn't consent, which is a crucial point in that "Law of the Sea" (all involved must agree).

[@braidena1633]

Yea but he can't not consent either so

[@GrandDukeMushroom]

looks like meat is back on the menu boys

[@Nicole-kc1vx]

​@@braidena1633 but there was no rule that you can just eat the person who couldn't consent, so they still didn't keep the law of the sea

[@tjroelsma]

@@braidena1633 So not everybody consented ergo the Law couldn't apply.

[@SwamiAJCent]

Once the kid started drinking seawater he sealed his fate, only a matter of time.

[@bola5671]

I'm not well fed, my uber eats delivery driver is taking forever to get here. It's been up to 40 minutes and my roommate is lucky I haven't brought up the "custom of the sea". I'll give it another 5 minutes before I bring it up. Wish me luck

[@RealBee]

very real and terrifying moment

[@octavia.n]

………………….custom of the sea

[@bola5671]

@@octavia.n Yeah thanks

[@howieduwit2551]

Yo! It's been three weeks since this post! We need to know that outcome!

[@mahdiguelbi9661]

He pulled the short stick i think

[@spg77777]

It's easy to pass judgement while warm, dry, secure and well fed... Like so many other difficult situations if you weren't there you'll never understand.

[@mattmatt6572]

4 more days... they might had lived if they hadn't killed Richard. Maybe they could have just ate one arm.

[@-xxMelissaxx-]

Totally agree. Just replied with this sentiment to a comment judging the Rugby team's survival in the Andes. None of us know what we are really capable of until we're in the midst of a survival situation and it's not our place to judge.

[@Barrylocke]

​@@mattmatt6572 you're not going to survive long chopped off in a boat in the middle of the ocean when you're already very ill.

[@Leopard_211]

@@mattmatt6572 richard would've died anyways, and they could've ended up diying in these 4 days too, it seems like little but they were already almost diying.

[@Orome96]

@@mattmatt6572 He wouldn't have survived the "amputation". And you can only survive 3-6 days without water under optimal conditions, and they were not in optimal conditions, they were under scorching sun with no shade in open salty waters. It was either kill 1 or all die. Even if we knew every single detail about the story and knew for a fact they would have had survived without the killing, i say they should still have been judged "not guilty". Because while we know their future, they did not. For them it was kill or probably die, and it is every living beings nature to do anything to survive.

[@metoo7557]

There is no way to verify criteria #2. The survivors just have to say 'everyone agreed', but that doesn't make it so.

[@pocketmarcy6990]

I mean in this particular case Ed made it clear that he didn’t agree with murdering Richard

[@se7enthedge382]

Hence why in current law, consent doesn’t matter whatsoever: it’s simply illegal and forbidden.

[@brendanberry7403]

When it comes to extreme situations and survival, you aren’t going to be thinking about if it’s illegal or not. Arguably you’re going to not be totally there and your instincts will kick in and you’ll save yourself by any means needed regardless of how you think while safe from such events.

[@Dayvit78]

Or you can have integrity and say what actually happened like the people in this story.

[@metoo7557]

@@Dayvit78 Projecting your values on others is a childish and naive personal failure. You werent there, you can't pretend to know they told the truth, it's completely impossible to verify.

[@cainmathewson1857]

Its actually "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket." Oddly enough, Poe hated the story. Considered it childish... until the exact same thing really happened (and then he thought of it as chidish BUT apparently realistic)

[@profile2047]

That’s great.

[@dennisyoung4631]

“…TekeLi-Li! …” (from the story.)

[@QuietLi]

This story was my fav among his lesser knowns, when I first started reading Poe. I'm glad to see it get a little limelight.

[@troybolton14]

Poe wasn't alive in 1884 when this happened.

[@anotherfluffyhamster]

Suggestion: Flatters Expedition in the 1880s. 100 French & Algerian engineers and paramilitary personnel, along with several hundred camels went into the Sahara desert to survey the land for laying railroad. After marching weeks deep into the desert they were attacked by the native Tuareg people, and the survivors had to walk hundreds of miles back to safety, through the desert, with no camels, very little food and water, and under constant harassment from the Tuareg. On their trek back they were ambushed, poisoned, fought a pitched battle, were hit by a sandstorm, and eventually resorted to cannibalism. Less than 10 made it out of the Sahara after several months to tell the tale. No one on KZbin has covered this fascinating story AFAIK.

[@jodesdbomb9784]

That's a story I'd love to hear about.. Great suggestion 👍

[@Orome96]

Expeditions are my favorite stories. I second this.

[@stomper5432]

no one car3s

[@angelachouinard4581]

Wow I hope he takes your suggestion. It sounds like it should be a movie as well.

[@schrodingersdino]

Yes!

[@marfadog2945]

I'm a lawyer, and this video has a sophisticated legal analysis. Pleasantly surprised. 👍

[@Trollgernautt]

Sean is the GOAT

[@davidlarson7712]

I would love to hear your analysis from the laws perspective.

[@StevenG222]

This is a horror story..the thought of killing and eating a person for my own survival is disgusting and unfathomable,but i guess nobody knows what they'll do till theyre put in the situation!

[@40grams1990]

Facts 💯

[@user-adoyle123]

Well if you were stranded on a ship or deserted island and some people had died and you are starving beyond where your organs are starting to slow down. Are you saying you would rather starve to death rather than eat someone's cooked flesh.

[@wadewilson8011]

​@@user-adoyle123can you not read? Is comprehension difficult for you to understand? They literally said "you never know what you may do until you're put in that situation." The fact that they're comment made complete sense and was in fact wise, yet prompted such a dumb reply from you. Cannibalism is disgusting and unfathomable. No matter how you look at it. However, their entire point is, they wouldn't WANT to do it. But they can't say what they would or would not do unless they were placed into that situation. Now that it's been explained to you like a 6-year-old, you'll see just how redundant your insipid reply was.

[@StevenG222]

@@user-adoyle123 calm down cannibal, maybe reread what I wrote..it has nothing to do with your rant!

[@specialsause949]

​@@user-adoyle123in all fairness, there's a district difference between eating someone that has already died and killing someone so that you can eat them to survive.

[@Shadowfate93]

I have an ancestor who was nearly victim to the custom of the sea. He drew the short straw but they were rescued that very day before he was set to be killed

[@coryb8432]

I'll take "things that never happened" for 500 alex

[@Eshock-js6vz]

@@coryb8432hahaha if it’s an ancestor maybe it could be true 😭😭 that was funny asf tho

[@Blox117]

he prolly meant that his ancestor drew the short straw at mcdonalds

[@offsidev6059]

@Shadowfate93 Lol, sure buddy, you're very special! Or, much more likely, your grandpa just liked to tell you tall tales.

[@zachjollimore4339]

@@offsidev6059 odds are if he's white, then its very high. Plus if it was grandpa, he would of said grandpa. ancestor is a bit further than that.

[@LB-yv3wq]

He’s got a good point about the bread thief, A bread thief would get sent to Australia, but If someone commits murder and canebalism to stave off their starvation they only get 6 months.

[@lizzfrmhon]

It must have been so horrifying for Richard being gravelly ill and knowing what the people beside him were planning. Extreme situations will make humans do unspeakable things. RIP Richard.

[@Soniti1324]

This is the first time I've heard it described as "The Custom of the Sea"; what a fascinating piece of anthropology; the gentlemen sailors of the era trying to put a better face on something truly horrific, and thereby make the incomprehensible into the understandable, even in the minds of those not upon the seas. What a great piece of history; thank you for making this video!

[@icedo1013]

I have to imagine that those sacrificed were looked upon with great honor and respect. I wouldn't be surprised if some even felt proud knowing their demise meant the preservation of the rest of their crew. Such resolve and courageous moxie from those in the tales of yesterday.

[@neildutoit5177]

I studied this case in law school even though I live in South Africa (in Cape Town actually, the place they were sailing to), because we are a former colony and inherited a lot of English law. The case has had impacts on the law across the globe. It's not just about the custom of the sea but the defense of necessity in general. There are many defenses to a charge. There's self defense of course but there's also impossibility and then necessity, the two being quite similar. Anyway most people agree that this decision was pretty sus. I think the final question you ask actually reveals the same mistake that the judges made: thinking that you could possibly understand what you would do in that situation from the comfort of your home.

[@justbecause9049]

Self defense is one thing, but with eating the person as a motive, no way. I know law and ethics are two different things in court, but I live by morals and values that would not allow this. People are more than this one life.

[@vitkosbence3705]

I mean you also have to consider the position of the judges. There are lot's of crimes that have specific cases where committing it wasn't any sort of injustice or anything, but it's so hard to prove that it really was the "good" variant and not just the plain old bad variant that the law doesn't even entertain the possibility of the good one. Killing for survival at sea is exactly that kind of crime. Sure in this story, it made sense, Richard was sick, and by his own fault too so deciding to sacrifice him made sense, as would sacrificing someone after a fair custom of the sea. But how do we know that Richard was sick? Oh right, from the testimony of the men who killed him... I'd call that "sus" as well. Killing in order to save as many lives as possible at sea makes sense, killing to save your life at sea is a heinous crime. And there's no way to differentiate.

[@neildutoit5177]

@@vitkosbence3705 I'll preface this by saying that while I graduated law school I did not go into practice, so take this with a pinch of salt, but I do think I can clarify a few points. The first point you raise is how to handle cases where proving a something is very difficult. There are a lot of things that the law can do with the burden of proof in such cases. There may be an evidentiary burden on the defendant or there may be a rebuttable presumption which the defendant is required to disprove. I don't recall all the details. But the basic idea is "we're going to assume this was a bad case, unless you are able to prove otherwise". But the "unless you are able to prove otherwise" part is always there. The law won't just throw it's hands up and say "well this is too difficult so we refuse to consider it". Unless it's the sort of thing that is always the bad case, the door will be open to the defendant to provide evidence that it was a good case, but the burden is on them to do so. The second point you raise is on how to deal with cases where the only witnesses to a crime are the perpetrators. The short answer to this is that it happens a lot, with all types of crimes, and it's always a very difficult situation. But the courts have to look at the evidence anyway. And this is why you have things like cross examination. Because if someone is lying then their story at some point won't add. You might not get a confession out of them, but you will be able to show that they are an untruthful witness. It's also why things like autopsies and other forensic evidence can be very important. independent witnesses are not the only form of evidence. But yes, it's difficult. It's not unique to this type of problem though. All that said though the reason why this case was criticised is because of the reasoning that the judges gave. They didn't convict because they didn't believe them. If I recall correctly, they actually did believe the full story. The judges just said that, even though all that was true, basically something along the lines of "a proper upstanding English gentleman would have done the honourable thing and just starved". And that's why they're criticised for imposing unreasonable standards on someone in an extreme situation. Look, judging is hard. Sometimes there are rules and presumptions etc to make it easier. And sometimes you can say "this is excuse is never okay so we won't even entertain it". And there are definitely legal scholars who do argue that that should be the case for necessity defences. But sometimes you have to just try your best to fully undertand the situation and make a good call. And that's what the law currently is in South Africa. I found a 2015 case on necessity now and this is one of the things that the court had to say: "Whether a defence of necessity will lead to an acquittal will be dependent on the particular circumstances of the case at hand and a careful consideration of the entire factual matrix which must be examined and adjudicated upon with the utmost care. As the majority decision in Goliath demonstrates, a defence of necessity in criminal proceedings involves considerations of reasonableness, morality and ethics"

[@serafine666]

For the most part, the people who make laws and participate in the legal system have no personal experience with the matters they're considering. Moreover, few people with personal experience in the matters have the ability to participate in making the decision. Society could not function without the inexperienced being the ones sorting these issues out.

[@paweborkowski6959]

@neildutoit Why don't you practice law? Forgive me asking but my wife also doesn't practice law and feels bad about having spent so many years w/o actually practicing it and I thought maybe you could offer a new perspective. Also, nice to meet a fellow AoE enthusiast :)

[@fredanderson7728]

I seriously can't believe they survived being jammed in a tiny boat with no food, no water, the weather mercilessly beating at them, frequent bailing, difficulty with urination/defecation, and being forced to eat/drink a raw turtle and a raw person with no way to clean up what was left. The situation really does beg to ask the question: "Was it worth 'punishing' them after all they did and went through?" I'm willing to bet that being detained and eventually ending up in prison wasn't punishment at all compared to being on that tiny boat. I feel like bringing the law into this situation also brings a lot of hypocrisy, especially when there have been prior known cases of invoking the custom of the sea in which some of those cases were far less 'fair' than what happened in this case. That being said, a slap across the face in the form of 6 months prison is justifiable since Ed never consented to the custom and was, in a sense, forced to eat/drink the remains even if it was critical to his survival. It's hypocrisy, but less than what the law dragged into this situation.

[@steveelder5306]

there were dozens of cases. there isa book "Custom Of The Sea" I read twenty years ago that details this case and covers many of the others like it that were commonly not treated as a crime at all. it was really all about the attitudes of the time in Victorian England.

[@nawtygi]

@@steveelder5306yes! My dad is a retired navy veteran of 33 years in service and he had me read the same book as you possibly. He asked me the question, “What would you do to survive?” He asked me that question as in a general question. As an army veteran I can say that I would do whatever it takes for survival and no matter if it were to become animalistic in nature. Now, the 16 year old me waaaaay back when answering that question was probably prissy and I could not do something like that. Now, my friend, let me ask you, “What would you do to survive?” 😊

[@hopelessromantic3786]

I'd have been okay if they had just put it on their record and were allowed to take it into consideration for sentencing if any of them did a violent crime later on. It's unlikely any of them would ever be in that situation twice, so there wouldn't really be a point in rehabilitation. Especially since it was a survival situation. It was all just messy and tragic, but I agree that what they went through was punishment enough.

[@steveelder5306]

@@nawtygi ya gotta do what you gotta do. I have been stuck in a lot of situations as a commercial fisher and can definitely say that one can get very resourceful when you might die. time does slow down.

[@beakling1]

I really came in, listened to the first two minutes, and sat back fully expecting there to be a secret law that says no Richard Parker's allowed on ships. I'm glad I don't make laws.

[@KH-rt3ef]

Sort of a “don’t ask, don’t tell” precedent, eh what?

[@autonoob]

Imagine all the untold stories where there were no survivors.

[@sirseegull]

imagine surviving all that and the police give you the typical yeah your right but you can’t do that speech

[@steverice7546]

The guy who was the sickest and in the worst shape is NEVER the one to bring up cannibalism.

[@xxyes8879]

Pretty selfish of him. He has no use for his body, where he`s going.

[@mistir]

Knowing how much trouble my body has with "normal" food, I would volunteer. I'd probably already be the one least likely to survive.

[@littlebear274]

I take a handful of pills every day, several of which are pretty excruciating to stop cold turkey even before you have to consider the underlying conditions they're treating. Just put me out of my misery in that situation lol.

[@morticiaheisenberg9679]

Same!! Unfortunately for all of us 😕

[@SuperDave-vj9en]

@mistir Would you like to come to dinner tonight? I have the barbecue fired up and ready!

[@MeargleSchmeargle]

You may not be saying the same thing if you are actually in a situation like this.

[@Nylak-Otter]

​​​@@littlebear274 Same. I'm an organ transplant recipient, so if I don't have my anti-rejection meds every 12 hours I'd probably be beyond recovery in a couple weeks. I'd appreciate if everyone waited until I was clearly in the fatal throes of liver and kidney failure til they killed and ate me, though. Just on the off chance that we get saved at the last possible minute.

[@stephensmith3188]

Just wanna throw out there that out of everything I watch on KZbin this channel is def one of the few that I will look forward to new episodes of. Keep at it and good job!

[@MeargleSchmeargle]

As a saying may or may not go: "empty stomachs speak much louder than laws or moral codes". In their situation, unless something about their situation drastically changed, they would have all died had they not gone through with it. It royally sucks that this is what it had to come to, but sometimes you have no other choice if you value your life.

[@jayv231_]

This is truly horrifying. I felt sick just listening to this. I can't imagine being in a situation like that.

[@andyb.1026]

Then you would be first on the Menu ,, Long Pig 😅

[@ktswandering]

The custom of the sea has probably saved more lives than any of us know. In my opinion, the two men charged, should have been pardoned.

[@cockoffgewgle4993]

There was no “custom of the sea”. The guy they killed didn’t consent to participate, nor did the third guy. It was straight murder. You don’t have the right to kill someone to, supposedly, save yourself from dying. They were guilty and should have got a long sentence, ideally. 10 years would have been fair imo. But these were very different, more brutal, times.

[@conzmoleman]

@@diaperfang5293that hypothetical person you are mourning agreed to give up their life to save the others if they were picked. i would absolutely agree to participate in sharing equal risk so that the majority of my crew could survive, whichever side i wound up on. edit: furthermore the relatives of the victim in this case shook the hands of the surviving men. they understood completely.

[@Happyhappyclam]

Agreed. Their logic is sound.

[@user-ws3ce5bn6f]

@@diaperfang5293 “selfish animals” easy to say from someone who’s never been in that situation.

[@redshirt49]

What made this case different was the nature of Richard's death. In usual cases of the custom whoever croaks first of natural causes is eaten, other times a volunteer would offer themselves up or straws were drawn. Tom and Edwin murdered a defenseless Richard so they could eat him on the basis of considering themselves more important. The takeaway here is that these men absolutely sucked at fishing and hunting. There have been cases of men surviving for months in a tiny raft at sea by virtue of not being terrible fishermen.

[@smithyMcjoe]

My body is ready, and my fear of the sea grows ever stronger! 🤣

[@Justadonkey]

does it come in teriyaki flavor?

[@Thepotatothatchokedamber]

@@Justadonkey😂😂 my kind of sick humor

[@Visiopod]

Yet your pfp is one of the most captain looking pfp's I've seen in a long time 😂

[@laurieb3703]

​@@Visiopodif only you knew who the guy in his profile picture is lmao 😂

[@bola5671]

​@@laurieb3703You can't just say that and not tell us

[@paulbruney1072]

I really like and appreciate your work! It’s got a lot of background and depth!

[@bejitafangirl]

On the last video you explained that sub captains have to leave their humanity behind and do the best thing for survival. In this case, I think Tom and Edwin did the same thing. Had they drawn straws a healthy man may have been selected and Richard would have most likely died anyway. I do not think they had much of a choice.

[@alfredpeasant5980]

There is nothing in the ocean I need bad enough to risk it.

[@eliannafreely5725]

When I first understood what it meant to ride out a storm at sea - even when your boat stays intact and you don't have to resort to cannibalism - that was when I knew that I have no reason to ever set foot in a boat.

[@abdahorn21]

Ive survived 12 days without food and without water. Yes, I was not at sea which probably makes it harder but I will always choose my death before taking a life.

[@LadyCheshire95]

I think they should be commended for not lying. All 3 could have said he died after drinking the sea water and they just ate his body.

[@hannahanderson6037]

There’s a story from my high school history class years ago that I’m trying to remember the specifics of but I wanted to throw what I could remember your way as a fellow Canadian. During the early years of colonization and settlement in Canada there was an incredibly harsh winter that the European colonizers simply weren’t ready for. I don’t remember if it was a trading post or just a very large cabin where everyone gathered but when people were sent to check on the settlers after hearing no word they found the building littered with corpses and largely abandoned. Later, the sole survivor was found to be a boy somewhere between 14-17 who lived because an indigenous tribe came to provide assistance because they knew of the settlement and how horrid the winter had been. They took the boy in and treated him like one of their own. He learned the language, customs, and was all together now a part of their tribe. When the British found the boy and the tribe they believed him kidnapped at first and there was nearly a skirmish before he was able to explain the situation. He ended up instrumental in relations between early British settlers and that tribe specifically. I don’t remember what happened to him in the end though. Pretty sure this happened in the early 1800s to help find more about it. Was also either along the St. Lawrence Riverway or one of the Hudson Bay Company trapping trails

[@TheElusiveReality]

ive heard this same story but it wasn't in canada and it wasn't winter that killed them, it was a shiprwreck off one of the small pacific islands, and i'm pretty sure he covered it on this channel in the past

[@tomghzel]

Yeah sounds pretty similar to that story. It was posted not too long ago.

[@littlebear274]

@@TheElusiveReality I was thinking it sounded like similar circumstances, but honestly it's probably happened several times. Plenty of Native American tribes are documented to have absorbed groups of various sizes into their settlements, the most famous being Roanoke. In the story he covered the boy stayed with them for something like 17 years but in this one it sounds like he was found a lot sooner, maybe a few years for him to have time to integrate.

[@casewhite-954]

Its called Stockholm syndrom today.

[@JS-wp4gs]

@@littlebear274 There is no indication whatsoever that such a thing happened in regards to the roanoke colony

[@CHNOPS1000]

Was bingeing your channel and didn’t realized this was a new upload

[@missmiagi2147]

I LOVE your old school historic shipwreck videos! You could make a whole other channel dedicated to them, bc there are SO many 😊 Love your work as always Sean! 💙❤💜

[@MeredithMacArthur]

THis was fascinating and informative. Thank you. Possibly my favorite on this channel so far.

[@RedNightDragon1]

Poor Richard sealed his fate with the seawater-drinking, and was terminally ill. He wasn't going to make it out alive. So why draw straws? Richard was the obvious choice. Hardly an easy one. Even Richard's brother Daniel understood.

[@mikaross4671]

This is one of my favorite stories I've ever heard about a shipwreck. Incredible narration as usual. I cant imagine what those men felt to do anything to survive.

[@phoebe5114]

You make my work days so much easier, dude. Thank you for the videos!

[@derekmyers7880]

Not quite as gruesome as the Essex. That situation was unfathomable

[@jacobgreve802]

my take is simply that, had they waited a couple more days, Richard would have likely died on his own by that point, and there wouldn't have been any issue. It's the fact that he was still alive, and they killed him that is the source of this question. Custom of the sea aside.

[@HotRod12667]

I don't think they had a couple more days.

[@sagunsingh7415]

The half dead guy would have lived longer that the very sick guys? In what world? ​@HotRod12667

[@kylerook7003]

I actually had a whole class period debate back in college about this exact incident. The details in the textbook were not complete but the idea was there. The class was split almost 50/50 I think on if it was justified

[@finallyfree1973]

I know for a fact that I would’ve jumped overboard and accepted drowning as my fate.

[@minilea25]

My 16 yo daughter named our King Cobra guppy fish Richard Parker and I was just proud that she is such a history buff that she thought of it. It's an odd fact that not many would pick up on. I already knew the story but I watch all the Scary Interesting vids he tells the stories so well

[@RiderofGary]

i think the thing that made it easier for the judges to throw this as a murder too was that, it wasnt custom of the sea. As explained in the vid the custom of the sea MUST: Be unaminous (Ed was against it right until the very end) Be Necesarry, no other options etc. (There were no other bodies, and they had no food) Be Fair (they hadnt drawn lots) Now, after googling it too, i found out that if they had waited for him to die naturally, that does actually also count as Custom of the Sea, meaning they would be allowed to eat him without killing him, though they would still have needed unanimous agreement. Custom of the Sea in terms of drawing lots kicks in if there no other food options, it does however state, atleast according to the wiki, that the consumption of corpses is allowed before lots have to be drawn.

[@simonevans343]

Using the life boat as a storage container for your provisions for any journey across oceans makes more sense

[@AtJohnDoe-sLibraryRoom.]

There was an old Ghost story about a boat called the Pierrot with a situation exactly like this, with an 18 year old named Dick Tomlin being eaten. The second half of the story ("The Fiend in Bandages") involves a Bloodied bandaged phantom hunting down the other three and taking his revenge. It seems like a retelling of this event, with a very different conclusion.

[@erichobbs4042]

I think that if I was the captain, I'd have just said that, "Well Richard died from drinking sea water, and as we were dying ourselves, we decided to make use of his corpse for sustenance." It's not like Rich was going to make it anyway, so helping him along a little early is gruesome but understandable.

[@lolz6449]

Thank you Sean ❤ love these stories

[@Setsuraful]

Sounds like the "custom of the sea" should be "Do not let anyone named Richard Parker onto your boat."

[@stuart1liles371]

Been on a binge with this channel and just so happened caught this upload right when it went up!

[@drakusmero104]

I build cabinets for a living so i know full well that 1/4" flooring would be a nightmare to stand on. You can push a pencil through that thickness fairly easily depending on material

[@nunya___]

I'm calling BS on that 1/4" thick statement. I can't imagine anyone of that time to cut such thin wood for a boat but if so it would likely be solid Oak which is very tough.

[@briandbeaudin9166]

What the hell do you build your cabinets out of anyway, balsa???

[@drakusmero104]

@@briandbeaudin9166 the 1/4" material is used as the back of the cabinets and the bottoms of drawers. We obviously don't build it all that thin

[@nunya___]

@@briandbeaudin9166 In the US cabinets are typically made with 1/2" or 3/4" plywood with a thin veneer of oak, maple, birch, etc.. The doors are generally 1/2" solid wood. Other parts such as the back and internal divider panels can be 1/8" to 1/4". Additional framing and support is often Poplar or Sprues/Pine.

[@drakusmero104]

@@nunya___ another fellow of culture, I see

[@travis4617]

Drinking salt water is drawing the short straw. Terrible, terrible situation but I'd stand traumatised with Tom's descension

[@rustyhowe3907]

I'm reluctant to say I'd stand with Tom as well, sooner or later it would've happened and the kid had already sealed his fate with the seawater.

[@edwardrieck]

Love the channel, keep it up brother. Hope to see more videos with actual footage soon, love those the most!

[@geminiwhite430]

YEEAAAH!!!! I always get excited when I open for work because it's always the days these videos come out snd I get to listen to theeeemmm!!!!!

[@nyde7705]

This might genuinely be the first video I can’t finish from your channel

[@seban678]

Death sentence commuted to 6 months in prison... that's the legal system having its shit together lol

[@ileahtheawesome6105]

The entire topic of consent is brought up in the custom, but the judges make no mention of it. Isn't that all that matters?

[@user85937]

I read the story after this video, and this video got a lot of details wrong.

[@se7enthedge382]

Consent doesn’t weigh nearly as heavy as necessity in life or death: remember, if consent were mandated all of them would’ve died. We’ve also never been in that situation. Furthermore: currently law doesn’t care about consent, it simply outright forbids the practice. Meaning even if someone volunteered to be sacrificed, those who partook in the killing would still be liable for murder.

[@smoolz7818]

I imagine the prosecution used that heavily, but he kinda glossed over that so who knows

[@j-skullz]

@@se7enthedge382 The point is if he didn't consent, it is simply cold blooded murder whatever the circumstances

[@Jeffan-a]

Sean, I love your videos and analysis of every incident you cover. You should cover the Costa Concordia!

[@nick39]

Another great video. You have a great narrative voice! You’re a great storyteller!

[@S-North]

The British were not only Pioneers of global travel, trade and innovation, they were also Pioneers of Judicial precedents and procedures. Precedents and procedures that underpin most of the Laws in the modern world today.

[@marlene8344]

Fascism

[@littlebear274]

Only because the British took over so many places and enforced their legal system. Literally every society has its own laws, it's not like everything was complete chaos before they came along.

[@S-North]

@@littlebear274 Their Legal System was adopted by many many countries and territories.

[@icedo1013]

@@littlebear274 Pre-Draconian/Draconian era Athens and much of Roman history would tend to say the opposite. Even with legal structure, chaos has many foxholes and burrows from which to propagate.

[@Bigohno0]

Ahhh so this is why the tiger was named Richard Parker in Life of Pi

[@allursins]

I love these type of history stories being covered. Terrifying to realise how dangerous expeditions truly were

[@firstname8559]

Thank you for your videos. They are really well made. (And addicting)

[@jamesfloerke7519]

Years ago while I was in the Navy, we would have this discussion on watch whenever we got a new person. It let us kinda feel out the person, but was mainly to mess with them. Of course, we acted like it was actual naval doctrine and happened fairly regularly in the old days and still happened on occasion.

[@ayakotami3318]

Wow. I never heard of this horrifying sinking. 😳 Another famous incident, if you haven't covered it, is the Essex which sank in 1820. The sanking was caused by a Whale as they were out haunting Whales. They divided into three boats, one gun, a type of biscuit, and a barrel of some type of drink. Thry also had turtles and navigation. Unfortunate one boat got separated and each set of men ended up doing the same. Only a few survived and that included three men who stayed on an island. The incident inspired Mobby Dick and many other movies, books, etc.

[@joeyhxnxho887]

He talks about it like 9 and a half mins in

[@jamesking1033]

This was a very informative, and interesting video! Thanks!

[@alm5992]

10:25 Essentially: "It's better that the teenager die and not get to have a life then for us old folks to die and not get to see our kids." Wow, that sure that flipped 180 degrees. Now it's "The kid should live to have a good life and us old folk should die because we've lived one already." I understand the predicament they were in but man, that's brutal thinking. Also, not sure that the family of the deceased would ever understand justification of murdering their kid, eating and drinking their blood, and purging them into the sea. Coming back with a butchered body and bones for a "proper Christian burial" sounds so wrong.

[@Onora619]

Honestly, I don't judge them at all and from the story told, it looks like it was absolutely fair...just tragic. It's not like they were some band of psychos ambushing travelers so they could eat them. This is survival and it's something pretty much any animal will do to survive. Most don't seem too thrilled about it either. It's survival. Except for maybe fish...they seem to just do it to do it lmao. It's one thing to oppose canniablism as a general practice but it's heartless to oppose someone being forced to do it to survive. None of the people trying them for their "crime" had ever felt the degree of suffering they had to go through and yet felt fit to judge them. It's unfortunate, but they didn't do anything evil in this exact circumstance.

[@ceu160193]

One could argue, that they actually did good thing - Richard was goner either way, but at least he didn't have to suffer too long.

[@brendanberry7403]

That’s the part where I am mixed. Soon as he drank the sea water he basically forfeit his own life anyway. They arguably put him out of his suffering when the end was near anyway. Even if rescued he likely wouldn’t have made it by the time they finally killed him.

[@bubblyproduction9809]

Great timing! Best storyteller

[@user-of7gm4nm5h]

I'd be dead, too picky of an eater, I have to worry about dying of malnutrition with a fridge full of groceries.

[@rossknutson9169]

If you like folk music, The Avett Brothers have an album named after the boat in this story, the Mignonette. A few of the songs on the album are a nod to this story.

[@davymckeown4577]

Graham Chapman, John Cleese et al had a novel solution to this dilemma in "The Lifeboat" sketch from the TV series Flying Circus.

[@anthonytedesco4480]

Why does no one talk about how this channel has the hardest intro in the game

[@Aggiemayson]

The intro slaps

[@AllGoodOutside]

Because it's so hard that it goes without saying bro

[@williamboyd128]

To eat another human would be to forfeit your humanity, no matter the situation. Better to die than to become a monster.

[@ZoeCienkowski-zg7mn]

Can't believe i caught this video as it recently been released, i watch your videos every day absolutely love them

[@keel1376]

At first I thought the newly implemented law was going to be one that prohibits anyone named Richard Parker from becoming a crew mate on any ship. Lol

[@TheDeadofthedawn]

Land lubber gang ftw, full landpilled earthmaxxing over here

[@henotic.essence]

I can't breathe 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@Ironbattlemace]

Sea thots btfo.

[@lorainehawkins9772]

I love your videos! Keep them coming please!

[@StormxSparrow]

Richard Parker’s grave is just round the corner from my childhood home. Of course none of his remains inside, his mother is buried in his place.

[@patrickbateman3146]

I may have done the same. I can't say for sure that i wouldnt have.

[@user-rv2cy3rv4e]

Also could've avoided all charges by simply saying " Yep, the boy died, THEN we ate him." Like WTF? Right?

[@JennWatson]

It's scary but it's interesting! I love this channel! ❤

[@Ashwin-zg7rt]

Scary and interesting. As always

[@mackhomie6]

The suggestion to kill Richard was pretty despicable, but it's easy to imagine how the least virtuous guy on the boat would float the idea. If richard was so sick that he couldnt consent one way or the other, he wouldve been dead soon either way and thus the dilemma would've been avoidrd altogether

[@benitorico6071]

Truly horrifying what your inner survivor instinct will make you do; mesmerizing none the less, thank you for another wonderful upload

[@ChicagoFaucet.etc.]

I, personally, do not think I could ever bring myself to eat another person - let alone kill them for that purpose. But, then again, I've never been lost at sea, starving to death. I also think that a punishment like what they got was warranted. If they didn't die at sea, they would have died on land, making the whole thing pointless. But, for making a decision like that, yes, a short time in prison is probably warranted. So, I think their punishment was fair. But, having said all that, I do not think that they handled the situation very wisely. I am assuming that they used portions of their clothes to shield them from the sun. But, if they were truly good seamen, they would have ways to catch and feed on sealife in such a situation. For instance, the shark. They could have probably killed that shark and been able to eat some portion of it.

[@melissaharris3389]

Reminds me of Maurice and Maralyn Bailey. A Birtish couple lost at sea in the 1970s that survived over a hundred days adrit by catching fish, sea turtles and birds by hand and with safety pins fashioned into hooks.

[@abdulhassan3118]

Yes! Another video! Thanks 🎉🎉

[@masonstuart-hill4670]

Keep up the amazing content. So fact based yet feel like Im watching it in front of me.

[@_Giorgio_]

rare moment of me getting to the video right after it was posted today is a great day

[@kwakester]

This goes to show that people who wield power (ie: judges) cand and will completely disregard reason if it allows them to find out what it feels like to wield that power.

[@jusbus92]

That's why I hate them.

[@Shannob]

Fabulous timing.

[@cranetrucker1298]

Moral of the story NEVER GO SAILING WITH RICHARD PARKER

[@lorainehawkins9772]

I don’t think I could ever eat another human, but I definitely think they should have been pardoned.

[@TheCarlos3107]

Well I’ve heard enough of these stories to say that I will never be in this situation because I am never going to be out in the middle of ocean for any reason willingly

[@ceu160193]

You may end up in such situation on land as well. At least in one known case, where airplane crashed in mountains, survivors had to eat bodies of those who weren't so lucky, and that's how they survived long enough to be rescued.

[@baconsundae8704]

Don't worry, there's always cave exploration to try.

[@Carpirinha]

If I were in that situation, I would've waited until Richard eventually passed. Then again, I can only say that because I've never suffered from starvation.

[@user-dz6oy7bd1t]

I've been hungry. I've been so hungry that I've stolen food before. I've never been so hungry that I would be willing to 'who eats: me or you, lets leave it to fate', though. I want to give your channel the interaction, but honestly I don't know what I would be willing to do if I were that desperate, because I've never been that desperate. I hope I would be willing to decline, or maybe sacrifice myself, .... .. but who knows. This story was very well told. Thank you for doing so. Also, I admire how well you cover so many sensitive topics. You do so with so much dignity and grace to the subjects and general topic. Thank you.