On September 19, 1692, Giles Corey, age 81, became a footnote in the history of America by becoming the first and only man to be “pressed” to death during legal proceedings. Caught up in the infamous Salem Witch Trials, Corey and his wife, Martha, were accused of witchcraft when one of the other accused witches, Abigail Hobbs, named the old couple as warlock and witch.
Digging Deeper
As you may already know, witches convicted during the Salem Witch trials were put to death by hanging, as was Martha Corey, and not by burning as the popular myth holds. What you may not know is that under English Common Law a person that refused to plead guilty or not guilty could not be tried. Obviously, the court would not just throw in the towel at that point, and a procedure known “peine forte et dure” was implemented, a form of torture continued until either the accused entered a plea or died.
