The case of Dudley and Stephens is one of murder over death, as in murdering someone in order to live longer. Dudley ultimately murdered a crew mate in order to eat him and survive longer. Long enough, as it turned out, to be rescued with his other surviving shipmates.
Is what he did defensible? Should he have done it? No. Not at all. I know I couldn’t have done that, I honestly would rather die than even countenance eating a human being. But then, I’m not anywhere near adventurous enough to likely ever be in that position. The whole case makes for interesting reading as there is the element of corruption amongst the law makers too. That is a whole other story for another time, but lends a more unusual slant on the case. Take some time to read it. It’s surprising.
