The Curse of Giles Corey
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The slide show on the left shows a portrait of Giles Corey and his tomb stone, which says "Pressed to Death", which basically means stones were thrown at him until he died. There is a picture of an arrest warrant, although it is his it shows what it would have looked like back in the day. If you scroll down you are able to get more information on Corey and why he is so important.
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What really happened to Giles Corey and who caused it?
Corey was eighty years old, uneducated, and a full member of the church. He was one of the accused "Wizards". In the blog History of Massachusetts: The Curse of Giles Corey, “Corey was a very “violent man after being charged with beating his farmhand to death with a stick”. Martha his wife was charged of witchcraft and arrested, Corey even testified against her in her trial, but that still didn’t stop people from accusing him of witchcraft. On “April 18, 1692, an arrest warrent was issued for Giles Corey after Ann Putnam, Jr., Mercy Lewis, Abigail Williams, Mary Walcott and Elizabeth Hubbard accused him of practicing witchcraft against him”. There were many who testified against Corey, but Sarah Bibber’s written testimony that you can still find today is the main source I’ll be focusing on.
“Sarah’s Bibber’s Testify in 1962” written oath was on September 9, 1692, stating that she was “afflicted by Giles Corey and also [saw] his appearance most grievously”. Meaning he forced her to do want he wanted, and that she saw him in his witch appearance. Sarah Bibber also admits that Corey “afflicted and tormented the body of Mary Walcott, Mercy Lewes, and Ann Putnam”. These were some of the “afflicted girls” who started this whole witchcraft crisis as well as being the main girls that accused Corey of this crime. Bibber stated that “[she] believed in [her] heart the Giles Corey was a wizard and that he often afflicted and tormented [her] and the others mentioned by his acts of witchcraft and [she] testified that on the fourteenth of August and ever since, at times Corey has afflicted [her] by whipping, pinging [her], beating [her] and urging [her] vehemently to read and write in his book”. As well as “coting [her] with his knife”.
The audience to this testimony was the Judges who lived in the same town, and knew most of the people they were convicting. Some would say that the Judges could have convicted some people of the crime because they didn’t like them, and plus when children were testifying, how could they say they were lying. The description these girls gave weren’t so pleasant and many wouldn’t question a child, because what little kid or teenage would be able to think of something like this and use it against innocent people. Corey and many others couldn’t prove themselves of being innocent because it’s their word against the “afflicted girls” word. Bibber’s testimony was proof of what was actually said back then against Corey and it got him killed. The reason this trial was so important is because Giles Corey didn’t get hung like the others, he was stoned to death because of his refusal to enter a plea for his trial.
“Sarah’s Bibber’s Testify in 1962” written oath was on September 9, 1692, stating that she was “afflicted by Giles Corey and also [saw] his appearance most grievously”. Meaning he forced her to do want he wanted, and that she saw him in his witch appearance. Sarah Bibber also admits that Corey “afflicted and tormented the body of Mary Walcott, Mercy Lewes, and Ann Putnam”. These were some of the “afflicted girls” who started this whole witchcraft crisis as well as being the main girls that accused Corey of this crime. Bibber stated that “[she] believed in [her] heart the Giles Corey was a wizard and that he often afflicted and tormented [her] and the others mentioned by his acts of witchcraft and [she] testified that on the fourteenth of August and ever since, at times Corey has afflicted [her] by whipping, pinging [her], beating [her] and urging [her] vehemently to read and write in his book”. As well as “coting [her] with his knife”.
The audience to this testimony was the Judges who lived in the same town, and knew most of the people they were convicting. Some would say that the Judges could have convicted some people of the crime because they didn’t like them, and plus when children were testifying, how could they say they were lying. The description these girls gave weren’t so pleasant and many wouldn’t question a child, because what little kid or teenage would be able to think of something like this and use it against innocent people. Corey and many others couldn’t prove themselves of being innocent because it’s their word against the “afflicted girls” word. Bibber’s testimony was proof of what was actually said back then against Corey and it got him killed. The reason this trial was so important is because Giles Corey didn’t get hung like the others, he was stoned to death because of his refusal to enter a plea for his trial.