The Third Verdict: Giles Corey's Rebellious Death

 

As I have learned about the Salem witch trials, it has appeared that if you were falsely accused of witchcraft, you had only two options: One, to deny the charges and be hanged, or two, to falsely confess and condemn your eternal soul by lying. But Giles Corey found a third option. After being accused of witchcraft, Corey stood silently in his trial and refused to plead either innocent or guilty. But his avoidance did not save him from a gruesome fate. He was crushed to death by stones in an effort to coerce him to cooperate. Once anyone was accused of witchcraft, their fate was sealed, and though Corey was no exception to this, his unique approach was admirably defiant of the unjust trials and failing judicial procedure.

In the situation of Giles Corey, one month after his wife was accused of witchcraft, he himself was accused by Abigail Hobbs, Ann Putnam, Marcy Lewis, Abigail Williams, Mary Walcott and Elizabeth Hubbard. The weight of these multiple accusations, from such prominent accusers, would have been almost insurmountable in the fear-ridden climate of the trials. His silence, his refusal to engage in the sham of a legal process, was likely seen not as defiance, but as further confirmation of his guilt in the eyes of the court. But his stubborn refusal to plead, to either admit to a crime he didn’t commit or deny one he couldn't prove, was a silent act of protest, a final stand against the injustice of the system. So I for one am incredibly impressed with the bravery this took to distance himself from the two options he knows would ultimately condemn him in one way or another. 

However, his stand was in vain because his protest was met with a brutal response. The accusers employed peine forte et dure, a French punishment from the 13th century which was employed upon those accused of a felony who refused to plead, with the intended effect being coercive participation. One thing I learned that might have influenced Corey’s decision is that if one was convicted, then their assets would be assumed by the government, but death by peine forte et dure would be treated the same as a regular death and the person’s assets would go to their family. 

Some would say that by refusing to plead, Corey was choosing a punishment worse than either hanging or false confession. The agonizing pressure of the stones, slowly crushing his body, would have been more painful than hanging. But I believe that Corey chose the best option he could’ve in the face of being accused. If he had already decided to keep his soul unstained and refuse to provide a false confession, then at least he was able to keep his home and assets out of the hands of the corrupt government that served him this impossible choice. As I was doing my research, I discovered lore that his final words were “more weight!”. I don’t believe that there is concrete evidence to prove this quote’s authenticity, but if we’re assuming it’s true, it frames his refusal to participate as a passionate statement of defiance, rather than a personal choice. I far prefer this narrative.

To me, this story is a pretty magnificent symbol of resistance against the weaponized chaos and hysteria. This story, of being left with no options out, reads to me as a powerful warning to remember the importance of justice, fairness, and due process in our legal system.