The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1883-08-30
Rebekah Nurse.

OdI6m NllluRc u ouOIb tluC ubO, aU tuC vi
cient homestead of Rebekah Nurse, on
Pine street, in TapIeyville, Danvers.
Nearly 200 persons we're present to pay
tribute to the memory of the pious
Christian woman who yielded her life
q martyr to the jealous hate of her un-
scrupulous neighbors in the awful delu-
sion of 1892. Most of the company were
lineal descendants of Mrs. Nurse. They
embraced representatives of the Miles
family of Worcester, the Tapleys and
Putnams of Danvers, the Hayes family of
Pennington, N. H.. the Putnams of
Lynn, the Prince family of Danvers. the
Newhalls OF Peabody, the Browns of
Lynn, a branch of the Chase family of
Philadelphia, the Wiggin family
of Providence, the Needhams of
Peabody, the Maynards of Shrews.
bury, the Evans family of Springfield,
the Forbes family of Westboro, and
branches of the Nourse family of Ar
lington, Berlin, Bolton, Lexington, Leo
minister, Woonsocket. Il. l., and Salem.
The youngest representative was Ernest
Nourse, of Lexington, aged one year,
and the oldest, David Nourse OF West
boro, aged IS. Among outside friends
and connections were DIR. Henry Wheat
land of the Essex institute; VIM. P. Up
ham, Esq, son of the Rev. Charles Up
ham, the witch-historian, and the Rev.
G. b. Rice. The committee Of arrange
ments were Messrs. George Tapley, s.
Walter Nourse and Edward Hutchinson,
AID they executed their task we'll. AS
first reunion of the family. the affair
was very successful. The old homo.
stead is n two and q half stored mansion
with old fashioned lean-to and gabled.
roof. 1t stands today midway between
Pine and Collins streets, near the old
Tapley carpet factory. The timbers are
of oak and the rafters of hewn saplings.
The roof is boarded lengthwise, and q
mammoth chimney occupies the
center of the house. With the ex-
ception of a modern addition in the rear
the house is apparently unchanged in
appearance since the date of its cree
about the year 1880, and stands as it
stood in the dark days of 1902, when its
mistress, denounced as a witch by Ann
Putnam, Abigail Williams, Mercy
Lewis and other childish coadjutors
of the Oath Of March, of that year, and
lodged in the custody Of Lieutenant In
gersoll South of the house, and q short
distance from it. the body Of Goody
Nurse was laid in the little family bury
ing ground beneath an unmarked
mound. Tho precise spot is now un.
known, but within the enclosure
are the graves of her son-in-
law, John Tarbell, who died in 1715, at
the age OF 50, and Of his son Jonathan,
who died in 1715 at the age of 26.
There are other ancient, moss covered
stones whose inscriptions have become
wholly illegible. The Nurse farm orig
inally comprised over 800 acres Of land
in Salem village, which we're conveyed
to Francis Nurse, the husband of Re-
bekah, by Townsend Bishop, who re-
ceived them rs part of grant from the
town of Salem.
Mrs. Nurse was the daughter of
William Tonne, and is described as a
woman of lovely Christian character, q
pious and devout member of the First
church at Salem. She was the mother OF
eight children, four sons and four daugh-
t0s, and at the time Of her execution
had reached the allotted three score and
ten, and was in the full enjoyment Of
beautiful old age. Her case was pecu-
liarly cruel one, and her accusers and
judges apparently suffered many com.
Functions of conscience after their con.
domination Of her. The warrant against
her, charging her with witchcraft. WAS
issued March 23. 1892, and she was ar
rested and passed preliminary examina-
ton March "a, 1862. She firmly asserted
her innocence, saying, II can say before
my eternal Father I am innocent, and
God will clear my innocency;" which
pious exclamation moved the presiding
justice to say, Here is never . one In
the assembly but desires it, but il you
be guilty. pray God discover you" As
q sample Of tho ridiculous character Of
the evidence against her, Goodman Ken
ney is recorded o. testifying that since
he had been in the court room with the
prisoner "he had been seized twice with
An amazed condition" Being rcmanded
10 the Jail, she WAS again brought before
Judges HAthorn and Corwin, in the
court Of oyer and terminer, and, after
long trial, the evidence Of which was
taken down by the Rev. Samuel Paris.
ain characters, she was acquitted. This
unexpected verdict caused an immediate
clamor among the afflicted" The judges
charged the jury with having lot alp
portion OF the prisoners testimony whom