Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1877-12-20

HGtfe I'd TDes


A friend 10 Glastonbury sends as the
following account, which had bern cut
eut of the Times away back In 1923,
and pasted Ia an old scrap book. .Ju.
Llama Cox, we rejoics to believe. wxs
the only witch that WIS., ever hanged
10 Connscticut-aud it 10 matter OF
Peg ret that even Que such case Of W.
lessti.i0n and shame can be brought
up against the good. OLD State. The
place OF the execution, on 'Gall0ws
Hill In this city, u now known a. the
commanding lrap-fGck ridge by the
stone pits.' Here. Is the account:
.''In the beautiful town OF Giaetou.
bury, In COnneciicut, the following re-
,nsrksble event ocvurred In 1853: In
March 0f that year one Julius PerrS
= ent out with his dogs to hunt. In
he depths Of the forest he dir
cuvered (xs he alleeed) an old
gray fox, and his dogs gave chase.
After chasing this fox upward Of
'wo miles, the animal was hoEed.
When Mr.. Perry caLie up he heard y
strange noise over the other side Of the
mole, and going TO the spot, found Ju
Llama Cox lying and painting for breath.
Her left shoulder wxs bleeding, and
had on it the marks Of dogs teeth.
This was just the spot ON the gray fOx's
shoulder where the dogs had seixed
hold. Upon this testimony Miss Cox,
a maiden lady of forty.four, WAS bro't
to trial for the capital ofense of being
y witch. On her srraignment she
pleaded not guilty, aud 1t was deter
mined that a committee Of Selectmen
should examine her person for witch
marks, In order to introduce cOnhrma
tory proofs against her. She was there
f,re renl.n ed to prison. The follow
ing persons were appointed on the
COMMITTEES: Eben Brewer, Alexas
Jones, and Cutworth. These men pro-
t'eeded at once to the prison, and strip
ping Miss Cox, they began their ex.
smi7ati0n. For time exceeding m
hOnr they could 6nd no marks, and
Miss Cox, submitted to their examina-
tion with tears and sobs. Finally,
when they had pricked many places
Ou her body without success, she con-
f-ssed to two marks-One little below
THE right nip, and one ON the right
arm. The c0,ninittee now became sat-
i-fied that these wese true marks, as
tn q 'rh was thereon distOl0red in q
slight degree. They thereupon made
their report to the court appointed to
hear the trial.
"This evidence, confirming that Of
Mr.. Perry. was thought to be conclu.
Sive. and on the 81 of April the trial
took place. Ii WAS Thought necessary
to resort to further tests, and Misa Cox
was found guilty of witchcraft on the
evidence already quoted AMI sentenced
to be hanged. Strange noises and de-
mons haunted the Jail at Hartford up
to the time that he execution tOok
place, which was on the 7th of April,
at 5 O'Clock in tne morning. There
was large e. ncpurse of men and wo.
men attending her execution, and. al
though she declared that she Was un.
justly accused, and th,.t she confessed
to the wi'ch-msrAs to stop the p,in Of
being pricked 50 cruelty by the c0m-
ni't q. yet every person present BE-
lies od hsF 70 be true witch and In
league with the devil. She further
declared that Julius Z rry accused her
wrOugfuily. She said she was In the
forest gathering herbs, and that Julius
Perry came along and would have hrs
will Of her;thst she constantly refusing,
he get bis dog upon her, and the ami
nal bit her sh0nl.ler, and that he, fear
ing to be- detected in this bad act, had
laid the charge of witchcraft against
her. This she said under the gallows.
Whereupon shout was made among
the peOI.le To burn the WITCH as
hanging was too easy death for 30
foul strunpet of the devil. While
the people went to fetch wood to burn
her the sheriff hung her up, 80 that
she died on the gailOws before the
wood rould be brought.
.sThis account of Juliana COx's witch
craft and death IL abridged from the
statement OF Dinah Jones before q
COMMITTEES of Delegates to revise the
laws of Connecticut"