The Trial of Rebecca Nurse Posted Nov. 5, 2012 by Rebecca Beatrice Brooks

The Trial of Rebecca Nurse Posted Nov. 5, 2012 by Rebecca Beatrice Brooks historyofmassachusetts.org
Rebecca Nurse was a 71-year-old grandmother and wife of a local artisan when she was accused of witchcraft during theSalem Witch Trials.Born in Yarmouth, England in 1621 to William Towne, her entire family immigrated to theMassachusetts Bay Colonyin 1640. Rebecca married Francis Nurse that same year and raised a family of eight children on a farm in Salem Village.

Rebecca Nurse’s arrest on March 24, 1692 came as a complete surprise to the citizens of Salem because she was considered such a pious and upstanding citizen.Nurse was accused of witchcraft byAnn Putnam, Jr., Ann Putnam, Sr., andAbigail Williamsof Salem village, as well as several others, including Reverend Deodat Lawson of Boston, who claimed to have seen Nurse’s spirit tormenting Ann Putnam, Sr., at her home that March.
Many historians believe that the Putnam family was behind the accusations against Nurse.Nurse and her husband, Francis, had a long-standing dispute with their neighbors, the Putnam family, in Salem village about the boundary of their adjoining land, and it is believed that the Putnams spurred accusations against Rebecca Nurse as retaliation.All of Rebecca Nurses’ accusers, includingAbigail Williams,Ann Putnam, Jr., Ann Putnam, Sr., Edward Putnam,Thomas Putnam, Henry Kenney, Mary Walcott, and Elizabeth Hubbard were either Putnam family members or friends of the family.
“1692, July 3 – After sacrament, the elders propounded to the church, and it was, by unanimous vote, consented to, – that our sister Nurse, being a convicted witch by the court, and condemned to die, should be excommunicated; which was accordingly done in the afternoon, she being present.”
Nurse’s conviction and execution marked the beginning of the end of the Salem Witch Trials. The citizens of Salem doubted that such a pious woman could be guilty of witchcraft. This made them wonder if any of the other accused witches were possibly innocent.The accusations continued throughout the spring and into the summer but opposition to the trials began to grow. By the autumn, the court banned the use of spectral evidence in trial, rendering most of the accusations baseless and eventually brought the trials to an end in 1693.

“The Dead”
Nineteen accused witches were hanged on Gallows Hill in 1692:
June 10
Bridget Bishop
July 19
Rebecca Nurse
Sarah Good
Susannah Martin
Elizabeth Howe
Sarah Wildes
August 19
George Burroughs
Martha Carrier
John Willard
George Jacobs, Sr.
John Proctor
September 22
Martha Corey
Mary Eastey
Ann Pudeator
Alice Parker
Mary Parker
Wilmott Redd
Margaret Scott
Samuel Wardwell

One accusedwizard, as male witches were often called, was pressed to death on September 19 when he failed to plead guilty or not guilty:Giles Corey (see note below)

Other accused witches died in prison:
Sarah Osborn Ann Foster
Roger Toothaker Lyndia Dustin

Massachusetts Legends: Procedures, Courts & Aftermath of the Salem Witch Trials
(2003- Present) Legends of America legendsofamerica.com

Evidence:

Spectral Evidence- Used by the "afflicted girls" and several others in their accusation against suspected witches, spectral evidence is a form of evidence based upon dreams and visions. During the trials, the accuser would give testimony that an accused witch's spirit (specter) appeared to the witness in a dream or vision. In many instances, the spirit might appear as an animal, such as a black cat or a wolf. The dream or vision was then admitted as evidence. Even though the accused was nowhere near the "afflicted" person at the time, testimony was often given that the "witch" had bit, pinched, choked or otherwise harmed the "afflicted" accuser.

As basis for the use of spectral evidence, a 60-page booklet entitled“A Tryal of Witches”written by Gilbert Geis and Ivan Bunn, was utilized when the Salem magistrates were looking for a precedent in allowing so-called "spectral evidence".

Touch Test- Utilized inAndover,Massachusettsin September, 1692, this evidentiary practice appears to have been exclusive toAndover. If the accused witch touched the victim while the victim was having a fit, and the fit then stopped, it meant the accused was the person who had afflicted the victim. On September 7, 1692, the Reverend Barnard ordered all those accused of witchcraft to come together at theAndovermeeting house, where theSalem Village"afflicted girls" were being kept. Once the accused had all been gathered, he conducted the "Touch Test," one of the most diabolical schemes of the witch trials. At that time, it was believed that if the hand of a witch touched the body of the person whom they had bewitched, that person would immediately become well and could identify the witch. After reciting a prayer, Barnard then blindfolded the accused who were then forced to go near the "afflicted girls," who would fall into fits and cry out claiming they were under the curse of a witch when the accuseddrew closer. However, when the accused touched the girls, they would immediately come out of their fit and identify the person touching them of being the one who afflicted them. This evidence was enough to cause the arrest of the accused as witches. After this event, warrants were issued for 18 men and women who had been accused in the touch test.

Witch Mark- A practice that came from England in the witch trials of the 16th and 17th centuries, looking for witch marks, or devil's marks was also utilized during the Salem witch trials. The common belief was that a "witch teat," or extra nipple on a witch’s body, permitted a familiar or imp to suckle human blood. It was also believed that these "witches" who bore these marks would not feel pain or bleed when the mark was pricked. In the minds of the Puritans, these marks might be disguised in birthmarks, warts, moles, or any outstanding swelling or discoloration of the skin was suspect as being a witch’s mark. Even red spots, bumps under the tongue, or in private parts might be a witch mark.

After an accused witch had been arrested, his or her body would be searched for any peculiarities. Doctors and midwives were employed for these searches, which were frequently done before the judge, jury and an audience. The examining tool was usually a sharp instrument such as a pin or needle and if an insensitive portion of the body did not bleed, it was designated a witch’s mark. It was later found that some of these so-called sharp objects were actually blunt or dull. Out of fear people sometimes cut off their warts, moles, and other bumps in order not to be suspect as a witch.

Other Evidence- This included confessions of the accused, the testimony of a person who confessed to being a witch identifying others as witches, the discovery of poppets, books of palmistry and horoscopes, pots of ointments in the possession or home of the accused, and the existence of so-called witch's teats on the body of the accused.

Examinations- In the 1692 witch trial era, when someone was "examined," this usually meant is they were brought in for an investigation, separately from any others examined the same day. The first part of the examination generally included the accusers, who would demonstrate the effect that the accused, or their specters, were having on them at the moment or had in the past. Early on in the examinations and trials, spectral evidence, based on dreams and visions was allowed and used as evidence of guilt.

The examinations often included a doctor or midwives to see if the accused had a "witch's teat," which were birth marks, moles, or other markings on the body that were thought to be marks of a witch or a devil's mark. The accused were stripped of their clothing and if unusual marks were found, the spots were pricked, and if no pain was felt or they didn't bleed, it was surely the mark of the Devil. The accused were then questioned by the magistrates, who generally assumed a presumption of guilt.

Other tests and torture were also utilized against accused witches in the examinations and at trial. Sometimes the accused were asked to recite the Lord's Prayer. Puritans believed that the Devil would never allow his subjects to recite the Lord's words in full. Another test, called the sink or swim test, the suspect would be curled up in a non-breathable position with rocks tied to their ankles. If the victim sunk, it would obviously die, and the midwives would know it was not a witch, yet if the victim floated, there would be a trial held.