The Trial of Rebecca Nurse

The trial of Rebecca Nurse is one of several trials which comprised the Salem Witch Trials. It is also one of the most interesting.

During the start of the Salem Witch Trials, when fingers were being pointed in every direction, the wife and daughter of Reverend Parris claimed that Rebecca Nurse was also a witch. Rebecca Nurse and her sisters, Mary Esty and Sarah Cloyce, were arrested along with many other people. Even though they were reportedly devout Christians and well educated, they were still accused of being a witch.

At Rebecca Nurse's first trial, she was found not guilty due to a petition from thirty-nine of her supporters. There were eleven witnesses in her favor and the testimony against her was not very effective. Among those who signed Rebecca's petition were the uncle and aunt of Ann Putnam. These supporters recognized her for her good character.

After she was found not guilty, the accusers began shrieking, throwing fits, and said that Rebecca Nurse's spirit was killing them. Because of their wailing, Justice Stoughton asked the jury if they if they had considered what Rebecca Nurse had said when Elizabeth Hobbs and her daughter testified. It is recorded that Rebecca had said "What, do these give in evidence against me now? They used to come among us." The judge thought that Rebecca might have meant that she was among the witches of the coven.

A juror had asked what Rebecca had meant by "They used to come among us. Rebecca did not answer. Because of her silence, she was found guilty and was hung on July 19 along with Sarah Good, Elizabeth How, Susannah Martin, and Sarah Wilds.

After Rebecca Nurse was hung, a letter from her was found. This letter was an explanation to the court about how she had poor hearing and that she did not hear the juror ask the question. She also explained that what she meant by "They used to come among us" was that Elizabeth Hobbs and her daughter used to share the same prison cell along with others. Unfortunately, this letter arrived after Rebecca was hung.

The morning after the hangings, the body of Rebecca Nurse was missing. Rebecca's relatives had taken her body from the gallows, known today as "Gallows Hill" in Salem, and brought her to an unknown place to give Rebecca a proper Christian funeral. To this day, no one knows where Rebecca Nurse's body is buried.