There’s nothing like a little hysteria to get one’s heart pumping. Lately, we’ve seen people in our country who’ve been whipped into frenzies by the following things: the belief that Sharia law could be instituted in the United States, the proposed building of a Muslim cultural center not far from Ground Zero, and stories about Americans being beheaded in the Arizona desert. All this modern-day hysteria got me to thinking about the Salem witch trials, which took place here in my state more than three hundred years ago. It gave me the idea to write about Giles Corey. Corey was an elderly Massachusetts man who was accused of being a witch in March of 1692.
Here’s a poem by an unknown author that summarizes the story of Giles Corey:
THE MAN OF IRON
Giles Corey was a wizard strong, a stubborn wretch was he;
And fit was he to hang on high upon the locust tree.
So, when before the Magistrates for trial he did come,
He would no true confession make, but was completely dumb.
“Giles Corey,” said the Magistrate, “What hast thou here to plead
To those who now accuse thy sould of crime and horrid deed?”
Giles Corey he said not a word, no single word spoke he.
“Giles Corey,” said the Magistrate, “We’ll press it out of thee.”
They got them then a heavy beam, then laid it on his breast;
They loaded it with heavy stones, and hard upon him pressed.
“More weight,” now said this wretched man. “More weight!” again he cried;
And he did no confession make, but wickedly he died.
Giles Corey refused to stand trial. He believed there was no possibility that he would be found not guilty. Corey was not hanged. His punishment was different from the punishment of those found guilty in their witchcraft trials. “Because Giles stood mute, he was given the dreaded sentence of peine forte et dure even though this procedure had been determined to be illegal by the government of Massachusetts.” In September of 1692, Corey was crushed to death under the weight of heavy stones—while his neighbors watched. “Robert Calef, in his report of the event, added a gruesome detail: Giles’s ‘tongue being prest out of his mouth, the Sheriff with his cane forced it in again, when he was dying.’”
You can read more about Giles Corey in the sources I linked to below.
I’m hoping that calmer heads will prevail in our country in the 21st century.
Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger
Sources:
rcampbell
Are you saying the evil done by Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot, and Mao were religiously inspired? That’s news.
IF during the last century more evil was done in the name of man rather than in the name of the various gods out there–and I contend that’s quite a hyperbolic assertion–it would be the first century in the history of man where than occurred.
And IF the world’s biggest problem isn’t religion, then the problem must the specific religions that currently infect the world. Perhaps one day there will be one that isn’t hateful or destructive, but I doubt it.
rcampbell
The first amendment is for the federal congress (not the states legislatures which are free to establish or not). Several of the states at the time of our founding had state established religions. And they would not have ratified the Constitution if they thought it meant they had to disestablish them. That was the reason for the wall of separation letter (Jefferson assured the recipient that the feds would not encroach).
The founders took certain powers and decisions from the general government because they knew a centralized power had no business making judgments about it.
I”m sorry idiot leftists have gotten this wrong for nearly a century, but that is one of the problems with being a leftist: the idiocy, the lies, the scams. Please forgive them.
You have to serve somebody (I think Bob Dylan said that). You will serve yourself or you will serve God.
Last century proved that the most evil ever done in the name of mankind was worse than all the evil ever done in the name of God.
The problem is not religion. The problem is error and repeating the same error century after century.
The Witch Trials were a tragedy and the people who conducted them realized this eventually realized they were wrong.
People often kill thinking they are doing right. And they often kill “legally” as was done in the Witch Trials (the majority of the accused went free).
From time to time, people kill thinking they are doing right. Take abortion for example. Americans (the godless, the heathens, the pagans, and the atheists together) have denied life to over 45 MILLION innocent unborn human creatures just a short time before they took their first breathes. Everyone with a fair mind knows those little human creatures (with human DNA) are in their earliest human form growing to be a baby human.
Even an eagle egg gets more attention from a leftist than a fertilized human egg. Leftists think Christians are stupid about science, but when it is convenient for leftists, they ignore science which clearly proves that from the embryo stage on, a human life has been created and a human being will soon be presented to the outside world.
45 million plus unborn lives have been snuffed out intentionally and “legally” by the those who think they are superior in moral judgment to Christians.
Even the Muslims know abortion is wrong.
Mohammad led a 30,000 some-odd army that rampaged across the Arabian peninsula attacking, killing the innocent, and conquering territory along the way. Christ and his Disciples never did. The first several centuries of Islam was spent in Imperial conquest and subjugation (getting as far as Spain). The first several centuries of Christianity were spent in running for cover and hiding.
The reason why Islam as a religion is violent and always will be is because violence is inherent in the conduct of its founder. Muslims are supposed to emulate their founder, including imperial conquest.
I am never surprised when the same leftists, who get holier-than-thou about the Witch Trials, end up defending a religion whose founder had sex with a little girl, traded in sex-slaves, attacked the innocent, believed and practice imperialism.
That sort of stuff is right up their alley.
I think it’s important to remember that the Founders were educated men who knew their English and American history quite well. They were certainly well-read enough to be aware of the reign of Henry VIII and the bloody Protestant vs Catholic wars fought over the British crown for generations. They saw the destructive influence of these religious wars. It was as contemporary for them in their time as the signing of the Declaration of Independence to us today.
The insane and murderous actions of the religious fanatics in Salem occurred just 150 years before the signing (roughly the same time distance between our Civil War and today).
Given the above, it is impossible to conclude that the First Amendment was anything but a deliberate effort to avoid any of the inevitable fireworks that comes from mixxing the two explosive elements of church and state.
The Salem witch trials were an early version of propaganda. You believe because you are afraid not to believe.
Proof is anathema to belief.
The spirit of the Salem Witch “Trials” thingy is alive and well doncha know?
Brook Buchan,
Not to worry about typos.
Thank you for the thoughtful post. I have 2 good friends who are Wiccan and you represented them very well.
Sorry about the typos. I thought I checked; and here I pride myself on trying to use proper punctuation! 😉
Maybe a good time to discuss current issues in modern witchcraft or Wicca (anthropologists insist upon calling us “neo-pagans,” as they claim there is no direct lineage to celtic religious beliefs. Some of us bend over backwards to accomodate them by researching ancient beliefs and trying to accurately reproduce them. Others, like myself, take it on faith that the old Gods hear us. Since we are a minority religions (some of us refer to ourselves as Wiccans as “witch” has so many negative conotations). The debacle with Christine O’Donnell has been saddening and scary, as left leaning commentators gleefully made fun of our religion on Countdown w/ Olberman just to paint her as a loon. I was hurt by his derision of witchcraft, but angered and incensed when he refered to Wicca specifically. He held up a mock bumper sticker with O’Donnel’s likeness and the slogan ” Yes Wiccan (a play on Yes We Can). Obviously we don’t worship satan as he is in the Bible and not in our pantheon. We don’t do animal sacrice and would never use blood during a circle prayer time. My point being that the Salem trials did not convict any actual witches. Not that this fact makes what happened in Salem any less horrifying or angering. Modern day pagans have run into many problems currently (luckily not being put to death). Children have been taken from their Wiccan homes by social services for no reason other than their beliefs, a local woman in our areawho owned a new age store was burgled and was told by police that she deserved it. children and adults have been prevented from wearing religius symbols to school, and I have to constantly remind my children not to discuss their religion at school because they could lose friends ( we live in the bible belt) or even upset teachers. Keith Olberman’s comments made me feel sad, ashamed, and worried for my kids. Dems should stand up for peoles of minority religions instead of gleefully using us as a hammer against the tea party. It took us nine years to get the Pentagon to approve of our religious symbol for marking the graves of fallen Wiccan soldiers who are being buried in cemetaries like Aelington, despite numerou obscure religions which got approval in rouly three to six months. My point being that its hard out here for us, and thanks for the reminder of this atrcity fromThe U.S.’s past.
Merry Meet, Merry Part and Merry Meet Again!
Brook Buchan
… That is why I have saved up $5.00 and intend to visit Buddha’s stand as soon as he gets it up and running.
Witch killing was a religious overreaction throughout the entire Western World during this time. The early settlers in the New World brought this religious disease with them along with small pox and their shipborne, plague-ridden rats.
Today’s expressions of hatred based on fear of anything or anyone who appears “different” is just another outbreak of the witch hunting illness. There seems to be no vaccine to eradicate this particular human borne infection.
Yes ’em Ms. EM, that ’bout says hit all…
Note: Ray Price is one of my alltime favorite country/honkytonk singers.
FF Leo,
Just git a load a them git-ups those fellers are dressed in.
With all this talk ’bout ‘Whiches’ and people inexplicably (and agin’ their own best interests) returning the same corrupt politicians back into public office , I guess the ‘elite’ have just got all the voters ‘Under their Spell Again’…
PS. I am likely an old dinosaur, but somehow I juss don’t think this song should be sang as a duet by 2 men—‘specially cuntree sangers—with one a’ puttin’ hisn hand on the other’s shoulder whilst a’sangin’ “And way down deep inside I know it’s true, but no one else can make me feel the way you do” with sly glances a’flittin’ here n’ thar–and this is from 1960.
“He’s a winner on anybody’s ticket”
For a compelling overview of how and why the Salem Village witch-hunt of 1692 happened and why this is still relevant, you might like to read my award-winning dramatic novel of Salem, THE AFFLICTED GIRLS (ISBN: 978-0-615-32313-8).
eniobob,
Thanks for the link to that C-Span program.
Buddha applauds as he sets up his torch, large rock and fire-proof hand basket stand. All items $1. Sold as is. All sales final. Purchaser agrees that items are inherently dangerous and will hold seller not liable for any damages due to either their use in normal course of operation or by operator misuse in the field.
Remember: when in doubt to whether someone is a witch, you can also try to build a bridge out of them. It is a test, unlike immolation, easily reversible and usually not fatal.
This the link that should have appeared:
http://www.c-span.org/Watch/Media/2010/10/02/AHTV/A/39859/Witch+Hunt+Mysteries+of+the+Salem+Witch+Trials.aspx
Still having problems with posting.
Witch Hunt: Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials
Today
In 1692, in colonial Massachusetts, nineteen people were convicted and hanged for witchcraft. Another person was crushed to death for refusing to stand trial on charges of witchcraft. Several others died in prison awaiting trial. These incidents in American History are collectively known as the Salem Witch Trials. Marc Aronson talks about his book, “Witch-Hunt: Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials.
http://jonathanturley.org/2010/10/30/giles-corey-an-iron-man-who-was-a-victim-of-the-salem-witch-hysteria/#comments
Sad story Elaine, but instructive.
Dementia of that sort proliferates in a meme complex and can infect the entire nation, even in our culture.
Corporations were found guilty of crushing our clean energy electric rail roads to death, our Iron Horses, just like the Iron Man was crushed.
The difference is that now many suffer, not just one person.
Thanks for the good history lesson.
http://blogdredd.blogspot.com/2010/10/corp-germ-corp-seed-corp-monster-3.html