Talk:Miss Jane Bird/@comment-112206-20190109145934

Here's a question I've been wondering; why is it that a passenger, who is not part of the crew, be held accountable for "abandonment of crew and vessel". Was a mere passenger expected to act as a crewmember would in times of crisis? Shouldn't a mere passenger be free to abandon ship whenever they please without consequence?

What's even more odd; Henry Wallace and Davey James do NOT get fined for it despite actually being part of the crew, Wallace receives his outstanding salary and Davey gets nothing either way. Emily Jackson does get fined for it, but she also shot someone (in self defense, but the crown doesn't care). So why did Jane Bird, a mere passenger, get fined for abandonment of crew and vessel especially when the surgeon and a steward did not?

Someone on here was able to explain why Captain Robert forfeited his entire estate to the crown so I'm curious to see if there's any historical basis for the idea of passengers being fined for abandoning ship.