The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-11-16
JuIiana Cox. the witch.

"A friend in Glastonbury sends us the
following account which had been cut
out of the Times away back in 1928, and
pasted in all old scrap book. Juiana
Cox, we rejoice to believe, was the only
witch that ever was hanged in Connec-
ticut-and it is matter of regret that
even one such case of superstition and
shame can be brought up against the
good old state. The place ofthc cxccu-
ton, on "Gallows hill' in this city. is
now known as the commanding trap
rock ridge by the "stone pits" Here is
the account:
In the beautiful town of Glastonbury,
in Connecticut, the following rcmarka-
BILE event occurred in 1868. In March
of that year one Julian Perry went out
with his dogs TO hunt. In the depths OF
the forest he discovered Gas he alleged)
an old gray fox, and his dogs gave
chase. After chasing this fox upwards
of two miles, the animal was holed.
When Mr.. Perry came up he heard a
strange noise over the other side of the
hoic, and going tn tho npot, ho fhnra
found Juliana Cox lying and painting
for breath. Her left shoulder was
bleeding and had on it the marks of the
dogs teeth. This was just the spot on
the gray fox's shoulder where the dogs
had seized hold. Upon this testimony
Miss Cox, maiden lady of forty-four,
was brought TO trial for the capital Of
fense of being a witch. On her arraign-
ment she pleaded not guilty, and it was
determined that q committee of select
men should examine her person for
witch marks, in order to introduce con-
tlrmnfApV nnnnfc opros,ct Ia
therefore rcmanded to prison. The fol-
lowing persons were appointed on the
committee Eben Brewer, Alcxas
Jones and Samuel Cutworth. These
men proceeded at once to the prison,
and, stripping Miss Cox, they began
their examination. For q time exceed
ing an hour they could find no marks.
and Miss Cox submitted to their exam
ination with tears and sobs. Finally,
when they had prickcd many places on
her body without success, she confessed
to two marks-onc little below the
right hip and one on the left arm. The
committee now became satisfied that
these were true marks, as the flesh
was thereon discolorcd in slight de-
gree. They thercupon made their re-
port TO the court appointed to hear the
trial.
This evidence, confirming that of Mr..
Perry, was thought to be conclusive,
and April the trial took place. 1t was
thought unnecessary to resort to further
tests, and Miss Cox was found guilty of
witchcraft on the evidence already
quoted and sentenced to be hanged.
Strange noises and demons haunted the
Jail at Hartford up to the time that her
execution took place, which was April
Z, at five o'clock in the morning. There
was large concOurse of men and wo-
men attending her execution, and al
though she declared that she was un-
justly accused, and that she declared
that she confessed to the witch marks to
stop the pain of being prickcd so cruel
ly by the committee men, vet cvcry per-
SON present believed her to be true
witch and in league with the devil. She
further declared that Julius Perry ac-
cused her wrongfully. She said that
she was in the forest gathering herbs,
and that Julius Perry came along and
would have his will of her; that, she
constantly refusing, he set his dog upon
her, and the animal bit her shoulder,
and that he, fearing TO be detected in
this bad act, had laid the charge of
withcraft against her. This she said
under the gallows. Whereupon shout
was made among the people to "burn
the witch,' as hanging was too good a
death for SO foul strumpet of the devil.
While the people went to fetch wood to
burn her the sheriff hung her up, so that
she died on the gallows before the wood
could be brought.
This account of Juliana Cox's witch
craft and death is abridged from the
statement of Dinah Jones before a COM
mittee of delegates to revise the laws of
Connecticut.