You use two stacked boats to make a box sort of like a magician uses to saw a person in half, with head/arms/legs sticking out. You cover the culprit in honey and force him to drink honey and milk until he is ready to burst then you put him in a swamp. The critters then take care of it over a few days. Whoever came up with that one must have been really ticked at the first guy who got this treatment.
Of course, it is hard to horrify a multitude which views slaughter every night on TV or engages in it via video games. Without that, the deterrent falls victim to desensitization.
In the '50s, just the idea of a visit to ol' Sparky, or the gas chamber was enough to get many thinking. Not so any more.