The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1850-09-28
A PEEP Ar THE PAST.

We present the following that our reader.
may gcta plimp.c at the dark DAY. of our own
country when ignorance aud bigolry were
twin sisters, and did deeds At the thought Of
which the mind Of man at this dn, rcyolts-
Now every man Is lco To worship his Creator
as to him seems the hcsl
The question has been several times ak.
ed, IN connection with the inniction of rapi-
ml punishment on Professor Webster. wbetI,-
rr any other graduate OF Harvard College
has oNcr been executed We believe that
bot one other instance ho, occurred, and that
was the ease Of Rev George Burroughs of
The class Of 1870, who suffered the penalty
OF death during the witchcrRfl dclusion in Sa.
lcm' Iic was hung in Salem on the 9Th OF
August Gold 'tylc) 1892, by adding clcy-
cn days in accordance with the new style
ihc date Is August 0oth, Go2, precisely one
hundred aud iilly-cigh ychr. 10 a DAY -prcYis
You, to the execution Of DIR Webster.
The late John Farmer speaking Of Mr.
burroughs, saws he became preacher with
in few years AFTER he lcn College, and as
early n 1873 or 1876, he was the minister
at Casco, in Maine, and when that town suf-
iorcd the loss ofso many lives nv an attack
Of the Indians The war Noon drove Mr. Bur
rough- from Maine and nc rrtururl 70 Nlas-
saghusctts. In November, 1880, he was cm-
nloyed TO preach at Salem vinugc, now sa-
lem He returned 10 Catco IN 1855 4
work entitled European Settlements in A.
mcricn,' in speaking Of Mr. Burroughs az a
victim Of the Salem Witchcraft says, 'that he
was n gentleman who has formerly been min
i,tcr Of Salem, but upon some of the religious
disputes which divided the country he differ
ed from his flock and lctt them Alnther in
his Wonders ofthc Invisible World, coun-
touances the idea saying, 'he had removed
from Salem Village i'll terms some years
/ before
Tho unhappy catastrophe which terminal.
| cd the life aud usefulness of Mr. Burrough,
] Of Mr. Burroughs has east 4 shade upon ma
ny facts relating to him which would be in,
tcresdng to us to know. There has nothing
SAYS Mr. Willis ia his story Of Portland
survived Mr. Burroughs either in his Ev
ing or dying that casts any rcproneh upor
his character; and although he died victim
ofa idnaticism a. wicked ard stnpid as an!
I which has been countcnanced IN ciyil socici,
and which for q tinIa- -,lgl ladie1a hlA n4e4llAlp
this character stands redeemed in mor
enlightened age from any blemish.
Mr. Burroughs was driven from Casco b,
the Indians in lGo0and went 10 Wells whcr
he resided when hc was accused Of witchcraft
The Indictment against him is given in tn
second volume Of Hutchinson. He was ex
omined Muy sth 1899, and committed t.
prison in Boston until his trial, which tool
place in August following lie was condem
ned on testimony which nothing but the mos
highly wrought infatuatiou could for mo
mcnt have endured. His great strength an,
activity, for which he had been remarkabl,
from his youth, were enlisted against him, n,
having been derived from the Prince of evil
It was in evidence that he had lifted n barre
OF. moTasses by putting tistfuFsr IN the bung
hole, and had carried IL round him. that he
held gun more than sevcrf feet long at armi
length with one hand, and performed other
surprising feats of dexterity above TN, power
Of humanity.
He was executed on gallows hill in Salem
I.A4his execution, he made solemn, pcrti.
nent, and affecting prayer, which drew the
remark from Cotton Mather, who was pres
cnt, that no man could have made such a
prayer unless the devil helped him. The vic
tim of this vile delusion concluded his dying
/ petition with the Lords Prayer, probably to
I C6nvinCr some of ttrr sp-etat,rA ahat he was
innocenr for it was the received opini9n, that
a true witch or wizard could not say the
Lords Prayer without blundering. Four
other persons, convicted Of the same charge,
were executed with him,
Calcf in his more Wonders Of the invisi-
/ bic World gives the following account ot