The New World Times

     Some called him a visionary, others a scoundrel, a madman, a murderer, a rebel, a leader. Now, he is bereft of life.

    Giles Corey, born in England in 1611, moved to Salem Farms in 1659 when he was 48 years old. Once he moved to Salem Farms, located just south of Salem Village, Corey bought a rather large piece of land and set up a prosperous farm.

    Corey did not come into the spotlight until 1675 when, at 64 years old, he violently beat one of his farm workers. Ten days later Corey brought the worker to the hospital, claiming that the worker had fallen off a horse. The worker died in the hospital. When several people testified against Corey, and it became evident that the worker had not simply fallen off a horse as Corey had claimed, Corey was charged with murdering his worker and was forced to pay a substantial fine.

    Corey came into the spotlight again when his wife, Martha Corey, was arrested for witchcraft  on March 19, 1692. Corey was a bitter old man, and during the trials he testified against his own wife. Corey himself was accused of witchcraft on April 19, 1692, just one month after his wife was arrested. Exekiell Chevers and John Putnam Jr. filed accusations against Corey on behalf of Ann Putnam, Marcy Lewis, Abigail Williams, Mary Walcott, and Elizabeth Hubbard. Corey knew that on September 9, 1692, the Court of Oyer and Terminer accepted testimony of those same accusers against another. After Corey was accused of witchcraft, he attempted to recant the deposition on witchcraft that he gave at his wife’s trial and said that witchcraft was not real. Corey also refused to allow himself to be tried for witchcraft, known at the time as putting himself on the country, by standing mute and not pleading guilty or innocent. Corey did this because he believed that if he himself to be tried, he would be putting himself in front of a jury that had already decided his fate.  Corey thought this because in every previous trial, when accused individuals had pleaded innocent, they were never cleared. Another factor that played into Corey’s reluctance to plead was that if he pleaded innocent and was found guilty, the Sheriff of Essex would illegally seize Corey’s land. However, if  Corey pleaded guilty he would be unable to have his relatives inherit his land. Corey was tried for witchcraft on September 16, 1692. When Corey continued to stand mute he was given the sentence of peine forte et dure, a cruel torture which involved putting someone between two boards and piling rocks on top of them until they either gave in, or died.

     Peine forte et dure was illegal because it violated the Puritan provisions of the Body of Liberties regarding the end of barbarous punishment. Corey was pressed to death in a field outside of the jail on September 18, 1692. As Corey was dying, the Sheriff of Essex pressed Corey’s tongue back into his mouth with his cane. Legend says that Corey’s last words were, “more weight.” Showing his defiance of the court and belief in his own values. Later that same day, Corey was excommunicated from the church so that he would not be buried as a member of the church.

     The publicity of Giles Corey’s death helped to build public opposition of the witch trials. Corey was the only person in the history of the United States of America to be pressed to death by order of a court. This, coupled with his flamboyant character, and belief in his own values, means that Corey will forever find his place in history and literature.