Chapter 1755 Queen of Hell (twenty-six)

Although the news from Massachusetts could not reach England, it could still reach New York. The Anglicans found this a bit funny. Unexpectedly, Cotton Mather's statement two years ago that Satan was deliberately trying to subvert the colonies occupied by the Puritans actually came true.

The witch hunt did decimate the population of Massachusetts. Many people fled New England with their families and settled elsewhere. According to New York newspaper reports, more than a hundred suspects were imprisoned, most of whom were members of the church.

Among the members, one pastor died in prison, another pastor's daughter also died, and another pastor's wife was accused of being a witch. In total, more than 700 people were involved.

The news was obviously distorted, but it was understandable given the speed of traffic and information flow at the time. People were shocked by this. Although the former Governor Ingersoll was annoying, he did not go so far as to let the population flee. The performance of the new government made

People think that those who oppose him are very problematic, and 53-year-old Nathaniel Saltonstall is one of them. He spent 15 days in jail for this.

Saltonstall was a native of Ipswich, the grandson of an early Bay Colonial leader, and a resident judge in Massachusetts. He lobbied for New England with Incris Mather and was a

Very popular militia captain who served on the Maine frontier.

He left the courtroom the day after Bridget Bishop's hanging, and soon after rumors began to spread that his ghost was up to no good and, according to the Gospel of Luke, "anyone who is not in harmony with Jesus and His work will

"It's against him". Prior to this, Cotton Mather had been nervous about rumors about when the devil would take over his body and pretend to be him.

The eight pastors who met in the Harvard library discussed this issue, and it was not true, but there are always people in the world who like to spread scandals and sow discord. In the end, the arrest warrant for Saltonstall was issued, and an Andor

The Sheriff hesitated in carrying out the execution because he was dubious about the crime committed by the judge, which led to the Sheriff himself being jailed.

Samuel Willard's help in Philip English's escape and his participation in organizing a fast for John Alden also caused him trouble, but for him, a clergyman with the same name as Ingersolls Mather, in

Without definite evidence, the court would not dare to do anything to him.

A witch hunt held as a boring pastime has now become a kind of torture. The judges spend their time on daily witchcraft trials and postpone other less urgent matters. Exhaustion is everywhere from top to bottom.

, only when "harvesting" can people feel a little joy. George Corwin is Judge Corwin's nephew. After the prisoner is convicted, he has the right to empty those homes.

Not only did he sell the Proctor family's cattle, but he also looted the Jacobs' family's property by the river, including the gold wedding ring on Margaret's mother's hand. Margaret could not do anything about these things.

Asking for it back.

Although the English couple escaped safely, their mansion was not spared. Sheriff Corwin opened the door of his house and looted it unscrupulously, then let people in and looted everything from furniture, household items, and portraits.

There was nothing left. After an old farm woman was hanged in September, an assistant sheriff rode to her home in central Andover and seized the family's cattle, grain and hay. Her son tried to protect them.

When he bought the property, the Assistant Sheriff told him that he could talk to Herrick to prevent the remaining property from being sold. During that conversation, Herrick kindly gave him the opportunity to "redeem" the property, but asked them to pay 10

After negotiation, the price was settled at 6 pounds, as long as the bribe could be cashed in that month.

The fences are crumbling, the crops are neglected, the orchards are unattended, the firewood is exhausted, and depression is everywhere.

Civilians lived in fear, families were torn apart, and bandits disguised as Indians or Frenchmen were wreaking havoc in Massachusetts.

Just looking at this situation makes people feel depressed.

Judges actually have little to gain in this matter. They cannot accept bribes, nor can they "empty" people's houses like the Sheriff, and they don't even get paid.

What they wanted to do first was to clear out the wizards, restore order to Massachusetts, solve the witchcraft problem once and for all, and then solve troubles such as the French and Indians.

Stoughton told the jury that only the intention to practice witchcraft was enough to convict, which led to more women being tried and more people being hanged. People seemed to be trapped in the dark, and they hurt each other in the dark. If

If it is a dark tunnel, then it at least has an end. But at this moment, people cannot see the light. The only light is what the pastors standing on the pulpit call the light. It once made people feel that listening to the weak sermon now also has many people.

After hearing this, people relied on what the priests said to identify devils, angels, ghosts, and spirits living in the invisible world, and they believed in it.

This may sound foolish, but when people use science to explain haunting phenomena, don’t they also apply their known knowledge and make some plausible explanations to make themselves and the audience feel that they sound reasonable?

Order is fragile. The universe is full of disorder. It is not easy to find order in chaos and disorder. Man created God and threw to it all the problems that he cannot solve. People have to understand it.

It is also a process of exploration, just like every time you take a little wealth from a safe, if you know too much, you will be crushed to death by the gold mountain.

Nothing is too much, even pursuit of knowledge and bravery. The scholastics discuss how many angels can stand on the tip of a needle and cannot solve the problem of the spread of the Black Death. People who are too brave will be foolhardy.

Giles Corey has always boasted that he has never been afraid of anyone in his life, and even refused to say the words "God and my country."

Judge Stoughton warned him that if he did not repent he would be subjected to the medieval peine forte et dure, which meant stones or lead were piled on top of the suspect until he begged for mercy or died.

This punishment was mentioned but never used in New England. The last time it was used to threaten a prisoner was in 1638, when a woman accused of murdering a three-year-old child chose to hang herself.

Although Giles Corey has similarities with Philip English, they are not the same people. He may not be able to make the same correct judgment as that young man at critical moments.

If he could be as receptive as Barred, or as different from other husbands as he is to draw a line with his accused wife, then he would not be implicated.

He and John Proctor were neighbors. The two had accused each other about the wood problem, and later they shook hands and drank together. Years later, in order to get himself out, Proctor accused Giles Corey on the dock.

He used the devil's hand to set fire to his roof, but he did not expect that he would become the first man to be convicted of witchcraft, and he would also be hanged.

Proctor wrote a will before his death, and Giles Corey also wrote a will. He left the farm to his two sons-in-law, although the two sons-in-law accused him of cursing the orchards to bear fruit.

Whether it was because of greed or to save their lives, they kept Corey's daughters out of the equation. After writing the will, he had nothing to worry about. His wife Martha was excommunicated by the church and would be hanged soon, like

What else is there to fear about an old bachelor like him?

He had no intention of pleading guilty or pandering to the judge, and he appeared in court several times without accusing anyone. He knew very well that anyone who stepped into the court would suffer property damage even if he did not die.

After the threats were in vain, Stoughton sentenced Giles to death. He was the first person in New England to be executed on September 17, because the punishment was too cruel and was not used in other countries.

It was held in a public place, but in a deserted field.

Corey took off his shoes and clothes and lay almost naked on the cool ground, arms spread out like the Vitruvian Man.

The wheat should be ripe at that season, but because no one was harvesting it, it was left in the fields, making a rustling sound when the wind blew.

The golden ears of grain and the blue sky should be beautiful together, until the guard's face blocked his view.

"What else do you want to say?" the guard asked.

The stubborn old man looked at Sheriff Corwin, who was holding a cane not far away.

"Let's do it." Corey said, looking to the sky again. The guard placed a wooden board on his chest, and then piled stones on the board.

It was nothing at first, but as more and more stones piled up, breathing became more and more difficult, and onlookers gathered at the edge of the wheat field that no one had ever passed before, including Corey's friend, a wealthy but fierce Nan.

Captain Tackett, who was born in Salem and once served as an executive committee member, can't do anything now. His brother-in-law is also on the run because of his sister's involvement.

"Surrender." His friend said bitterly, "Charge Martha, and don't go against the judge!"

Giles Corey ignored him, or was unable to speak.

But if he had it to do over again, he would still be so stubborn.

Many people cannot understand that although Giles Corey has a bad reputation, has been married three times, and is 70 years old, how could a wealthy farmer like him not find a woman and insist on marrying Martha Corey?

The woman with a "stain" in it.

But if he had it to do over again, he would still be so stubborn.

The painful torture lasted for a while, probably from noon to evening, when Giles Corey finally breathed his last. His tongue protruded from his mouth, and Sheriff Corwin stuffed it back with his cane.

When Giles Corey was a young man forty-three years ago, his first court appearance was for stealing wheat, tobacco, bacon, and other items from the Sheriff's house.

On September 19th, George Corwin came forward to confiscate Giles' property. One of his sons-in-law agreed to pay a huge fine, preventing Corwin from continuing to confiscate the property and redeeming the pile of stones where Giles Corwin was buried.

body inside.

Martha Corey arrived at Hanging Hill on September 22. The sky was a little gray and the weather was a little hot. There were seven other people who went with her that day. This time it was no longer just a car of men or a car of women, but a car of men and women.

It's a mix of men and women.

As the bullock cart pulled them forward slowly, one of the wheels got stuck, and it took a while for the people to get it to move forward.

"The devil stopped it!" the girls explained.

It was hard to say how many people paid attention to their boring explanations. The road outside the town was already rough, and the car was overloaded. In addition to "Gospel Woman" Martha Corey and "Prophet" Wardwell, on board,

He was an old man who read people's faces and loved to talk nonsense. There was also Mary Edith, Rebecca's sister, and her husband, children and friends came to say goodbye to her.

The person who executed them was a professional executioner. He covered the faces of the wizards with masks, and then pushed them off the gallows one by one.

Gravity accelerated death, and their brains lost consciousness due to lack of oxygen before they felt pain, but they may still hear sounds.

"Look at these eight traitors from hell." The fat Pastor Noyes laughed at the corpses hanging on the gallows. "What a sad thing."

Martha Cory was still standing on the ladder praying before she died. When Wardwell began to speak to the crowd, the smoke from the executioner's pipe floated to his face like a cloud, causing Wardwell who was speaking to begin.

Coughing violently, his accusers sneered that it was the devil who interrupted him.

Smoking is a bad habit. Maybe Martha Corey persuaded the stubborn old man to stop smoking.

He heard it, but never followed it, so that every night when Martha closed her eyes, she would fall asleep smelling the smell of Giles' cigarette smoke.

Perhaps the only thing that worried her before "going to sleep" was her mixed-race son. He was still a child. Where would he go in the future?

According to the law, if his mother is a free person, then he is also free.

He can run, run through fields full of golden wheat ears during the autumn harvest, and then go wherever he wants to go.

May God bless you, child.

One day you will find someone like Giles Corey who will accept you and let you into his family.

He may not be as rich as Corey, but wealth is not the only criterion for measuring a person's goodness, let alone judging a person's kindness by just his clothes.
Chapter completed!