New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1885-09-23

VI
rounded by thrifty white pines on each
side OF the little square. It is a shaft
of Quincy granite, EIGHT and a halffeet
high, with a cap Of Rockport granite.
On the front are the lines:
Rebeca Nollrse,
Yarmouth, England,
1921.
Salem, Mass.
1892.
( Below it are John g. Whittier
lines:
"Oh, Christian martyr, who for truth could
die
When all about owned the hideous lie; VI,
The world redeemed from superstitious
sway
Is breathing freer for thy sake, to-day"
On the other side of the monument
the inscription runs:
"Accnsed of witchcraft, she declared, Il am
innocent, and God will clear my inn cency.
Once acquitted, yet falselyscondemned, she
suffered death, July 10, 1852. In loving
memory OF her Christian character, even
then fully attested by. forty Of her neigh
bors, this monument is erected, July,
1855"
Thesexact place Of her grave,is not
marked, but it is known Within.a few
feet. Near the monument are the
graves of John Tarbell, her son-in-law,
who died March 25, Ills, andaof his
son Jonathan. She was buried under
the gallows on Gallows Hill. at the
time Of her execut ion, but on that
nighteher friends stole away the body
and buried it in this lot. An ancient
writer makes this comment:
!tsRebecca Nurse of Salem Village, a
Lady OF great Worth, but5aged and in
poor Health, was drawn into the aw-
full Vortex in what would appear at
this Time, but from a knowledge OF
1the Existence of yFeuds which arose
from various causes, as q very strange
Occurrence. She was sacrificed in a
Manner too cruel for Belief. The Ju-
ry returneda verdict ofsNot Guilty,
but the court, blythe most barefaced
Perversion of her Answers, and being
determined on her ID Destruction, sent
the Jury out again and forced q Yer
dict Of Guilty from them! There lis
nothing more memorable or lament
able, in all the Trials and Convictions
than the Case OF this Poor Womanl
She was hanged with the five that suf-
fered on the 10th OF fully"
Her fate was not as cruel as that of
Miles Corey, an aged man of over 80
years, who refused to testify because
he knew that whatever he said would
be used against him. He was pressed
to death, and Just before he expired,
as his tongue was forced out, by-
stander thrust in back again with his
cane. The old ballad of Goody Corey
says:
They got them then a heavy Beam,
They layde it on his Breast,
They loaded it with heavy stones,
And hard upon him prest.
''More weight" now sayd this wretched
Man,
''More weight, again he cryed,
And he did not confession make
But wickedlie he Dyed.
The feuds which are alluded to in the
extract abovewere probably the hard
feeling aroused against EsGoody Nurse"
by her reproval of some Tightly young
women. She was Il years OF age, and
most OF her accusers were young women
of less than2O The indictmentsc charge
her with Stcertaine detestable arts call
ed Witchcraft and Sorceries wickedly
and ffeloniously used, practiced and
exercised" by which her victims were
hurt, tortured afflicted consumed
Pined wasted and tormented agt the
Peace OF our said Sovereigne Lord and
Lady the King &. Queen and agt the
forme Of the statute in that case
made and provided" She was ar
rested and examined, and record of
the questions and answers were kept.
1t ends thus:
This is a true account of the sumo
of hir examination, but by reason Of
great noyses, by the afflicted and many
speakers, many things are pretermit-
ted memorandum =
Nurse held her neck on one side and
Eliz Hubbard Zone Of the sufferers)
had her neck set in that posture, where
upon another patient. Abigail Will
Hams, cried out, Set Up Goody Nurses
head, the maids neck will be broke!'
And when some set up Nurses head,
Aaron Wey observed, vt Betty Hub
bard was Immediately righted."
Dispositions of four young women
were taken charging Mrs. Nurses zap
perishion' with ssgrievously" biting,
pinching, choking and tormenting
them. She was tried and acquitted,
but was subsequently convicted and;
hanged, as stated in the extract
above. She protested against the
great injustice, and sent a petition to
the court, which ends thus:
= 4 For my Life Lyes now
in your Hand, under God: And Be
ing conscious Of my owne Innocency.
| humbly begg that ] may haveliberty
to manifest it to the wourld partly by
the Meanes above said: And yor
Poore pettissioner shall Evermore
pray as in duty bound &c.
REBEcCA NURSE;
hir Marke e.
The original records the witchcraft
trials are horrible reading. It seems
as if men lost their senses, or their
belief IN hobgob lins and witches must.
have been phenomenally strong.
"Goody" Nourse was acquitted, and
the sole reason for reversal of the