When Pushkin was almost hung in the early 1800s as a Decembrist his last minute reprieve came in front of large crowds in Piter.

It's not like the executioner's block at the Tower of London was in a secluded place, either.

One can view it as glorifying gore and violence or people coming out to observe their version of "justice" carried out. Lynchings, beheadings, that sort of thing weren't the only time crowds came out to cheer on the enforcers or jeer at the guilty.

Ever notice that during high-profile or important trials when verdicts are due its SRO in the observers' area of the courtroom?

Even the Battle of Bull Run was fought (and horribly lost) in front of large crowds, all of which were there to watch the "bad guys" get their licking.