The Feathered Coyote

Tarring and feathering is a form of public torture where a victim is stripped naked (or to the waist), wood tar is either poured or painted onto them, and feathers are thrown on them or they are rolled around on a pile of feathers so that they stick to the tar. Used primarily as extrajudicial punishment or for revenge, it was used in medieval Europe and its colonies in the early modern period, as well as on the early American frontier, mostly as a form of vigilante justice. The image of a tarred-and-feathered outlaw remains a metaphor for severe public criticism. Tarring and feathering was a common punishment in the Thirteen Colonies during the American Revolution. The most famous instance of tarring and feathering in the colonies was that of John Malcolm, a Boston customs official who was tarred and feathered by Patriots.