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riinii Slii.il Xol SnBcr 11 U il-liioI.it«*. htwllrt1. Cri».ins»l Trill-.[I'OMi.Hnnl/tou M tty'l. ]mentioned in court, but tin* accused milking no explanation, the jury no longer hesitated tncunvict. Tin* ix»«r unman being informed of tin* ii-e wliicli 11ml been made of her words. gave in n declaration In the court, tlmt tvln'ii shpsaiilllobbs •. When tin- Inst inquiry is . nud her daughter were of her com-made into the rircnmstnufce of ; pany, she meant no moro tlmn that such as may lie under the just i they were prisoners us well us her-Husnicion of witchcrafts, we could self, and ought Hot to be permitted wish that there may In' admitted ' t-. testify .igaiust their follow .US little as possible of such noise, prisoners, and Hint, being hard „f inni|ui)iy, and 0)Kiinesrt, as may hearing nud full of grief, she did too hastily expire them that are j not knmv what the foreman of the examined, and that there may le jury said, and therefore had no nothing need as a test for the trial opportunity to explain her meaii-of the suspected, the lawfulness . mg. The governor, it is said, saw whereof may bo doubted by the cause to grant u reprieve, but it people of god; but that the diroc- met with violent opposition, and tioiis given by such judicious was recalled. On the next com-writers hh Perkins and Dermml I mnnioa day, she was tnkou in may be observed. J chains to the meeting house, to be“lt;!. Presumptions whereupon j formally exeominnnicatelt;| by Mr, , Iciaone may be committed, ami, Noyes,' her minister, muf was i much more, convictions whereupon .; hanged with the rest on the 19th I persons may be condemned, as jof July. “But her life and conver- j guilty of witchcrafts, ought cer. sation hod been such, that the j tainlv to lie move considerable than | remombrnnce thereof, in a short • barely the accused person’s being time after, wiped oft' nil the re-represented by a spectre unto the 1 proach occasioned by the. civil or afflicted; inasmuch af it is an uu-1 ccclcsinstisal senteuco against doubted and n notorious thing, her.that a dtviiion may, by god's |or-, At tlio trial of Surah Good. it is mission, appear, even to ill pur- . said that one of the afflicted per-poses, in the shape of an innocent,; sons fell into a fit. and, after re-yea and a virtuous man. Nor can , covery, cried out “that the prisoner we esteem alterations made in the , had stabbed her nud broke her sufferers, by a look or touch of the | knife in doing it; and a piece of accused, to lie an infallible eyi- j the knife was found iqon the deuce of guilt, but. frequently lin- afflicted person; but u young man ?.!** to l*e abused ly the devil’s declared. that, the day lieforc, lio h-gerdomuin. j broke that very knife and threw“7. We know not whether some J nway the piece, this afflicted pev-remurknble ofiYonts given the j son being then piVeeiit. The court devils, by our disbelieving those j took so mush notice of this ns to testimonies whose whole force amj bid her tell no more lies, but went strength is from them nkuic, may ; ou to use her ns a witness agaiimi not put a i*eriod unto tlio progress . other prisoners. When Snvnharc five persons who have lately confessed themselves to he witches, nnd do accuse, some of us of lieiug along with them nl a .-neramcut. since we were committed intod .se prison,_ which we know to be lies. Two of the five an- Currier’s miiis; young men who would not con ms* any thing till they tied them neck a in I heels, till the'blood was ready ses. and i’l re|iortcd makingto come out of their u« is credibly believed, and occasion off the dreadful c alamity begun j Good came to be executed, Noyes, npun us, in the accusation of o; her minietor, urged her to confess, many persons, whreof some, we j and told her she was a witch, and hope, nre yet clear froiu the great lt;she knew she was a witch; hi which transgression laid to their charge, j she replied; “you nre a liar -1 am “8. Nevertheless, wo cannot but no more a witch thnu yon are a humbly recommend, unto the wizznrd, and if you tuko away my government, the speedy and vigor- lt;life, god will give you blood hi oils prosecutions, of such as have j drink. For many yours nftor-rendered themselves obnoxious, ( wards, tlio people of Salem Imd n according to the directions giveu tradition, that the curse of this in (lie laws of god. and tlio whole-1 poor woman was verified, Mr.this wax thethem confeaa that which they , never did, by reason they said one had beeu n witch a .mouth, and another five weeks, nnd that their mother Imil made them «lt;, who ban been I'Oiifiuty.l here tliis nine weeks. .My son, William Proctor,1 when he was examined. Imwaiisc lie i would not confess that he wn* guilty, when he was innocent, they j tieil him neck ami heels till the« blooil gushed out at his nose, and | would have kept him so twenty-' j four hours, if one more merciful j than the rest had not taken pity ' | on him, and caused him to be nn-lmniid. These actions are very-like the impish cruelties. They • have already undone us in our estates. and that will not serve their turns, without our innocent blood. • If it cannot lie granted that we enn have our trials at Boston, we humbly lieg that yon would endeavor to Imvo these m i gist m tee changed. and others in their room*;. begging also and bfts'-eohing you would be pleased to In* Imre, if not i all, some of yon at our trials, hoping thereby you may be the means of saving the shedding our innocent blood, desiring your prayers to the lord in our behalf, | wo rest vonr |nor afflicted servants.When Pmctur came to die, ho, pleaded hard for a little respite of time, saying he was not tit to die; ' but it was refusal. He had re. quested Noyce to pray with mid for him, but that was refused be-cause lie would not confess himself a witch. His wifo lieing pregnant • was reprieved.John Willard, who was executed with the rest, at this time, was formerly employed as an officer iu arresting those accused of witdi-souie statutes of the English ua- Noves having been choked to death craft; but I manning dissatisfied..lie tion, for the detection of witch- j with blood. (decliued the service, and was liiin-crnfts. At tho next adjournment of the ( self immediately after accrued ofMore attention was paid to the I court, on the fifth of August, six last article of this return than to I persons were brought to trial and nuy of the others. The oxquisite ! were condemned to be executed on caution proposed received but lit- the nineteenth of August, namely, tie attention; tho prosecutions j John Pioctor, Elizabeth, liis wife, were carried on with all possible i and John Willard, of hialem village, vigor. Accordingly, when tho j George Jacobs, of .Salem, Martha court again mot on tho thirtieth of Carrier, of Andover, mid George *..... ’-------’* Burroughs, of Wells,being a witch. He eeaqied as fai ns Nashua, about forty miles from Salem, but was taken and paid forJune, hve women were brought to trail, namely, Sarah Good and Reliecca Nurse, of Solemn village. Susannah Martin, of Amosbury, Klidioth How, of Ipswieb, and Snrnh Wildes, of TbneHeld. They wore condemned, and exocuted on tho nineteenth of July. There was no difficulty with any but Knhi'cca Nurse. Sim was a member of the church, and of a good character; as to her tho jury brought in n verdict of not guilty. Tho aeouscre made a great clamor, and tho court osprosHed much dis-satisfaction. Tlioy said the jury must have disregarded the words the jni oiici used, wlu-u two female witin-ssec, Mrs. Ilobks mid low daughter, appeared ngniosl her,inthewhich were; wl sons give in ovid iio» ‘ they Used us; wliicli. in tin court, refer.'- .1 I The jury again re not tell how to against her,” ttlo wards said this.)t' lt;1•lice to cI lies.- |H*r-agniust me •me among opinion . w:l* i in-1. “I lake lid foreman after •‘till she iiftd afurther opportunity, to put her H8US0 upon them, if she would take it;’* and the words wore againprovince of MaineA short time before their trial, l’roctor addressed a letter from the prison in Salem to the ministers of Boston, in which lie implored their intercession with tho governor in behalf of himself anil tho others who were Boon to bo tried for their lives. “The inno-cency of our cause,'' ho said, “with tlio ouiuity of our ttccusei-R, nnd our judges, nud jury, whom nothing but our innocent blood will servo their turn, having oondemnod us already liefore our trials, being so much incensed and enraged against us by the devil, makes us Imld to ln*g nnd implore your favorable assistance of this our liumbn petition to his excellency; that if it be our innocent blood may be* spared, which undoubtedly otlierwise will •f l lie ls shnd. if tlio lorn doth not mcroi-fulU sbqi in. The magiHtrab‘8,ministers, juries, nud all the people iingeueral. being soinueh en-ragoipand incenaed against us by the delusion of the devil, which wo can term no other, .by reason we know in our own conscience we nre all innocent persons. Heremeeting III co^iuthe forfeit of his disobedience and want of faith with his lifo.At the original examination of Martini Carrier, two of hoi children had been tortured into a confession against her; but Cotton Mather says this evidence was not pfodnoed against the prisoner, at the trial, inasmuch as there was evidence enough to proceed upon. At tho end of his report of her trial, this unhappy man makes the following memornndum. This rampant hag. Martha Carryer, was the person, of%Jioui tho confessions of the witches and of her own children, among the rest, agreed that the devil had promised her, she should Is* queen of hell.’” The confession of her daughter, n child of seven years old, is still preserved.I W/SU*/.
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