# Public chaining of criminals on the old west

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-chaining-of-criminals-on-the-old-west/949257>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 21, 2021, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-chaining-of-criminals-on-the-old-west/949257 "2021-08-21T02:37:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\
**Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-chaining-of-criminals-on-the-old-west/949257/1 "2021-08-21T02:37:05Z")

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Watching the Audie Murphy movie “Showdown.” Prisoners are chained to a tall post with neck shackles in the town square. Was this ever a thing?

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**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\
**Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-chaining-of-criminals-on-the-old-west/949257/2 "2021-08-21T17:12:58Z")

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I wouldn’t be surprised if they were repurposed after the abolition of slavery in the 1860s.

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**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\
**Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-chaining-of-criminals-on-the-old-west/949257/3 "2021-08-21T21:14:50Z")

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If it was a recently-established town, they might not have gotten around to building a jail yet. Or the jail might be filled to capacity.

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**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\
**Post date:** [August 22, 2021, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-chaining-of-criminals-on-the-old-west/949257/4 "2021-08-22T14:15:28Z")

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This was covered in [_Support Your Local Sheriff_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uKlDRX3PQ8).