Tarring and feathering is an ancient punishment that consists of stripping a malefactor, pouring hot pitch over him, and then rolling him in feathers. Instituted by Richard the Lionheart for thieves and felons, it was resurrected by angry American colonists and used against the vilest reprobates: tax collectors and friends of tyranny. In 1766, Captain William Smith, an informant of the British Customs service, was tarred and feathered in Norfolk, Virginia. Soon, Customs employees met the same fate and the practice soon spread to become a popular retribution employed by Patriots against enemies of liberty.
