New Ulm weekly review., 1885-09-23
G00DY NURSE. THE WITCH.


delusion began it's fatal epidemic
Collins street station is quite near
the monument. It stands in the
family burial lot on the farm, sur
rounded by thrifty white pines on each
side OF the little square. It is shaft
Of Quincy granite, eight and halffeet
high, with cap Of Rockport granite.
On the front are the lines:
Rebeca \ curse,
Yarmouth, England,
1921.
Salem, Mass.
1892.
Below it are John G. Whittier's
lines:
"Oh, Christian martyr, who for truth could
die,
When all about owned the hideous lie;
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, 4 am
innocent, and God will clear my innocencv.' )
Once acquitted, yet falsely condemned, 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,
/ 1885,"
The exact place OF her graveis not
marked, but it is known within few
feet. Near the monument are the
graves of John Tarbell, her son-in-law,
who died March 25, l7l5, and of his
son Jonathan. She was buried under
the gallows on Gallows Hill at the
time Of her execution, but on that
night her friends stole away the body
and buried it in this lot An ancient
writer makes this comment:
"Rebecca Nurse of Salem Village, a
Lady of great Worth, but aged and in
poor Health, was drawn into the aw-
full Vortex in what would appear at
this Time, but from knowledge Of
the Existence of Feuds which arose
from various causes, ,as a very strange
Occurrence. She was sacrificed in a
Manner too cruel for Belief. The Ju-
ny returneda verdict of Not Guilty,
but the court, blythe most barefaced
Perversion Of her Answers, and being
determined on her Destruction, sent
the Jury out again and forced a YER
dict Of Guilty from them There is
nothing more memorable or lament
able, in all the Trials and Convictions,
than the Case OF this Poor Woman.
She was hanged with the five that suf-
fered on the 10th ofJuly"
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,
sN1ore weight" again he cryed,
And he did not confession make
But wickedlie he Dyed.
The feuds which are alluded to in the
extract above were probably the hard
feeling aroused against "Goody Nurse"
by her reproval Of some highty young
women. She was II years OF age, and
most of her accusers were young women
OF less than 20. Theindictmentsc charge
her with "certaine detestablearts 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
fforme of the statute in that case
made and provided" She was ar
rested and examined, and a record of
! the questions'and answers were kept.
It 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 lone of the sufferers)
had her neck set in that posture, where
upon another patient. Abigail Will
liams, 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's was Immediately righted."
Dispositions OF four young women
were taken charging Mrs. Nurses zap
perishion' with 'grievously" 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:
= For my Life Lyes now
in your Hand, under God: And Be-
ing conscious of my owne Innocency.
humb!y begg that l 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 x.
The original records Of the witchcraft
trials are horrible reading. It seems