The Crevice, ca 1920s
George Jacobs
Falsely accused and hanged as a wizard in Salem, August 19, 1692.
Text excerpted and edited from The History
of Salem, Massachusetts, Vol. III by Sidney Perley, 1924.
(continued from George Jacobs, 1612-1692)
Sarah Churchill gave positive evidence against Mr. Jacobs, and subsequently Sarah Ingersoll deposed that Sarah Churchill came to her, crying and wringing her hands, seemingly much troubled in spirit. She asked her what the matter was. She answered that she had undone herself. Miss Ingersoll asked what was it about, and she answered, that it was in belying herself and others in saying that she believed that she had set her hand to the book. She answered, and said, "No, no, no; I never did." She was asked then what made her say she did. She answered that it was because they threatened her, and told her they would put her into the dungeon along ,with Mr. Burroughs, and thus at several times she followed Miss Ingersoll, telling her that she had undone herself. Miss Ingersoll asked her why she did not deny she wrote it, and she said it was because she had stood so long in it that now she did not dare to. She said, also, that if she told Mr. Noyes but once she had set her hand to the book, he would believe her, but if she told the truth and said she had not set her hand to the book a hundred times he would not believe her.
May 14th, warrants were issued for the arrest of George Jacobs, Jr., and his wife Rebecca. Mr. Jacobs escaped, but his wife was arrested, and as she was taken away by the officers, her four little children followed her, but they could not go far, as the youngest was but two years old. They were left behind, and were cared for by neighbors. She was kept in irons eight months, then indicted, and set to trial Jan. 3, 1692/93, being promptly acquitted. Many features of the witchcraft regime equaled in cruelty and a spirit of persecution similar to that shown to the Quakers.
Burroughs, Procter, George Jacobs, Sr., Willard and Carrier, were executed on Friday, August 19th. A procession formed at the jail on St. Peter's Street on that day, and with the victims in a cart, proceeded to the place of the former hangings. All of them protested their innocence; but Cotton Mather, who was there told them that they all died by a righteous sentence. When Mr. Burroughs was upon the ladder, he made a statement of his innocence so solemnly and seriously that the people, who were present in large numbers, admired him for it; and it seemed to some that the spectators would hinder the execution. He closed his prayer by repeating the Lord's prayer so composedly and fervently that it was very affecting and drew tears from many. The accusers, who were there to see the culmination of their work, said .that the "black man" stood and dictated to him. It seemed to make no difference whether the accused could repeat the Lord's prayer or not, to them it was evidence of guilt of witchcraft either way, as they pleased. As soon as the hangings ceased, Cotton Mather, who was on horseback, spoke to the people, and declared that Mr. Burroughs was not an ordained minister and that Devil was often transformed into an angel of light. This somewhat appeased the people. When Mr. Burroughs was cut down, he was dragged by the halter to a hole or grave between the rocks, about two feet deep, his shirt and breeches being pulled off, and an old pair of trousers of one of the other men who was executed, put on. He was put into the hole with the bodies of Willard and Mrs. Carrier. One of his hands and his chin and a foot of one of the others were left uncovered. After dark, Mr. Buffum went to the crevice and covered the exposed parts of their bodies.
The Crevice, ca 1920s
Some of the bodies of the executed were carried away, at least, that is true of the Salem victims. Under the ridge where the execution occurred was the North River, between which and the ridge was the ancient highway. It was easy to pass the bodies to a boat in the stream, and from 'thence up North and Danvers rivers to the Great Cove, near George Jacob's home, up North River to John Procter's home, and up North, Danvers, and Crane rivers to the home of Mrs. Nurse. Those bodies which had not been taken away were buried near the line of the fence, northwesterly from the crevice. About 1750, some locust trees were set out to mark the place of their burial. One tree stood in the crevice and another about forty feet northwesterly on the line of the present fence. About 1850, the crevice was cleared of the loam and dirt within it by scraping it down to improve the garden of Mr. Stephens. The writer has a piece of the stump of one of tile trees which were dug up at that time.
Margaret Jacobs, daughter of George Jr., and Rebecca Jacobs also testified against her grandfather, and the day following his execution, she wrote from Salem jail a letter to her father, as follows:
Honored father--After my humble duty remembered to you, hoping in the Lord of your good health, as blessed be God I enjoy, though in abundance of affliction being close confined here in a loathsome dungeon, the Lord look down in mercy upon me, not knowing how soon I shall be put to death, by means of the afflicted persons. My grandfather having suffered already and all his estate seized for the king. The reason of my confinement is this, I having, through the magistrates threatenings, and my own vile and wretched heart, confessed several things contrary to my own conscience and knowledge, though to the wounding of my own soul, the Lord pardon me for it. But O, the terrors of a wounded conscience, who can bear ? But blessed be the Lord, he would not let me go on in my sins, but in mercy, I hope, to my soul, would not suffer me to keep it in any longer, but t was forced to confess the truth of all before the magistrates who would not believe me, but 'tis their pleasure to put me here, and God knows how soon I shall be put to death. Dear father, let me beg your prayers to the Lord on my behalf, and send me a joyful and happy meeting in Heaven. My mother, poor woman, is very crazy, and remembers her kind love to you and to uncle, viz. d--A--, so leaving you to the protection of the Lord, I rest your dutiful daughter.
MARGARET JACOBS
From the dungeon
in Salem prison,
Aug. 20, 1692
Margaret Jacobs was then only sixteen. At the next session of the court, she confessed that she had done wrong, as follows:
"The Lord above knows I know nothing in the least measure, how or who afflicted them, they told me without doubt I did, or else they would not fall down at me, they told me if I would not confess I should be put down into the dungeon and would be hanged, but if I would confess I should have my life. The which did so affright me with my own vile heart, to save my life made me make the like confession I did, which confession, may it please the honored court is altogether false and untrue . . . Whatever I said was altogether false against my grandfather and Mr. Burroughs, which I did to save my life and to have my liberty, but the Lord, charging it to my conscience, made me in so much horror that I could not contain myself before I had denied the confession; which I did, though I saw nothing but death before me, choosing rather death with a quiet conscience than to live in such horror, which I could not suffer. Whereupon my denying my confession I was committed to close prison."
When she was brought to trial, she was troubled with "a disorder in her head," and her case was continued. She remained in confinement after the jail delivery because she could not pay the fees and charges of the jailer.
One hundred and twenty-five persons were accused in all. In 1703, the general court repaid to the heirs of persons executed and condemned and not executed the pecuniary damages they severally sustained. In Salem, on account of George Jacobs, seventy-nine pounds, George Burroughs, fifty pounds, Giles Corey and his wife, twenty-one pounds, Rebecca Nurse, twenty-five pounds, John Willard, twenty pounds, Sarah Good, thirty pounds, John Procter and his wife, one hundred and fifty pounds. Some six hundred pounds were thus paid out to the estates of the several persons.
Several of the executed were members of the church, and were excommunicated as they were about to suffer. This made the executions doubly terrible, as many believed that the church membership was almost the very key to heaven.
Of the after life of the accusing girls, nothing is known. Ann Putnam is said to have died in 1716, at the age of thirty-seven. They seemed to have vanished.
MORE
Salem and Witches: GO HERE FIRST:
http://etext.virginia.edu/salem/witchcraft/
Others
http://www.salemweb.com/
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/97/salem/
http://www.mayflowerfamilies.com/enquirer/salem_witch_trials.htm
http://www.salemwitchmuseum.com/learn2.html
http://www.salemwitchmuseum.com/
www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/salem.htm
etext.lib.virginia.edu/salem/witchcraft/neh/NehSale.html
Rebecca Nurse, the famous (accused) witch
http://www.mayflowerfamilies.com/enquirer/witch.htm
http://www.wizard.net/~aldonna/rn.htm
Arthur Miller and The Crucible
http://www.ogram.org/17thc/crucible.shtml
http://www.english.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/crucible.html
http://www.english.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/miller-intro.html
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/cruc/cructg.html
http://www.curriculumunits.com/crucible/
http://www.teachwithmovies.org/guides/crucible.html
http://www.thecrucibleonbroadway.com/
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/crucible/