Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1849-05-25

lnef, "DlSnOp Denied tnut sue knew lnlS
%deponent. Yet their Two orchards join
ed, and they had often had their little
quarrels for some years together" Two
masons who had removed the prisoners
cellar wall testified that they found in
holes of it several poppets made of rags
and hogs b~ristles, with headless pins,
sticking points outward, "whereof," says
the reporter, "lhe prisoner could now
give no account unto the court which was
reasonable or tolerable." One William
Stacy testified that the prisoner had ia
ken his cart wheels off, lifted him from
the ground without hands, threw him
against n wall, and he verify believed,
she was the instrument of his daughter
Priscilla's death.
The woman was of course convicted,
and %thcrcupon sentenced TO be hanged on
the 10Th of the same month. As she
was carried back 10 the prison TO await
her doom. the great and learned Cotton
Mather relates that "passing by the great
and spacious meeting house Of Salem,
she gave a look towards the house; and
Immediately a demon, invisibly entering
the meeting house, tore down Il part of it;
SO that though there were no person to
be seen there yet the people AT the noise
running in found a board, which was
strongly fastened with several nails, tram
sported unto another quarter of the
house."
She was executed on the tenth of June,
solcmnly protesting her innocence TO the
last. In our next number we shall give
the ripening of the great tragedy.
NUMBER FIVE.
Poor Bridget Bishops was u case east
ly disposed of. She had been accused
of witchcralt twenty years before, by
one Samuel Gray; and although Gray
upon his dealh.bed confessed his accu-
sa,ion was entirely false and malicious,
the evil reputation chung TO her, and the
public generally considered her as long
ago sold to Satan. On her, Justice, in the
shape OF this illegal and summary tribu-
nal, thought proper first to flesh her tai
ons. But this first sacrifice being offered
up, and not appcasing the afflicted, nor
drawing forth confessions from the obsli-
nate and unbclieving in prison, The minis
lers in and near Boston were consulted
as TO what was best 10 b. done.
The reverend divines protested them
selves greatly exercised with the deplo-
rable sulferings of The "aillicIed, and
deeply thankful TO the magistrates for
their energy in detecting the abominable
witchcra(ts, But they advised great eau
lion and circumspection in regard to evil
dence. and well they might. for says Cot
ton Mather. The quality of some of
the accused was such, as did bespeak bet
ter things, and things that accompany
salvation; pcarsons, whose blameless and
holy lives before did testify for them;
persons that had taken great pains TO
bring up their children in the nurture add
admonilion of the Lord, such rs we had
charity for as for our own souls" Ne
vcrtheless, they unanimously recommen.
del Il speedy and vigorous prosecution
Of such as had rendered themselves OBJ
noxious, and this latter advice was taken.
Those who confessed their guilt were by
a strange charity left 10 60 al large, or
with Il still stranger iniquily suffered 10
testify against those who would not con-
Tess.
AT the trial of Rabacca Nurse, n most
respectable member of the Church in
Salem, the Jury brought in n verdict Of
not guilty, but Inc accusers immediately
raised such u hideous oulcry that the
judges were frightened and made haste
u renew the onslaught upon STAINS
kingdom. Lest they should be guilty of
Suffering a witch 10 live, they expressed
their dissatisfaction with The verdict, and
the chief justice minated 10 the Jury
thar they could not have considered one
of the prisoners expressions which real
| y amounted to Il confession of witch
craft. Upon this they. went out and
brought in the omr gailly. Her words
however had no such meaning. When
one of the confcssing witches who hal
been confined in the same prison, was
brought in to te stify against her, she eX-
claimed. "Why doyou bringhor? She
is one Of us" This the walchlul judge
took TO mean that she was a witch, but
Rebecca Nurse afterwards, without effect,
explained her meaning TO be that she
thought those who had been fellow pris-
oners with her could not be legal wines
SEES. This was hanging a woman upon
an inference, with a vengeance.
In all other cases the jury seems to
have yielded itself the willing tool of The
populor delusion, or rathor of the ''af-
nicled.'
Owing probably TO her candid and sat
israclory explanation, the Governor gran
tod 10 Rebeccn Nurse a roprieve, but at
the instance Of some Salem gentlemen,
who seem 10 have acted as an anti. Satan
ic commiuee of vigilance, he was indu-
ced 10 withdraw his reprieve, and she
was first publicly accommodated from
the church and then hanged with four
others, viz: Sarah Good of Salem Vii
lage, Susanna Marun Of Amesbury. Eli