Biography on Giles Corey
Giles Corey was a successful farmer and an active member of the Salem church. Born in England in 1611. Giles was one of the six men to be executed during the Salem witch trials. He moved from England to Salem . There he owned an many acres of land, which resulted in the appearance of his being a rich farmer. In 1675, Giles pummeled and killed a farm worker named Jacob Goodale. He was found guilty of the murder and ordered to pay a substantial fine.
This model citizen was not looked lightly upon when the word “witch” started floating around. In April of 1692, Ann Putnam, Jr., Mercy Lewis, and Abigail Williams all accused Giles of witch craft. Ann said that Corey supposedly came to her on the 13th of April and asked her to write in “the devil’s book.” She later said that a ghost came to her, asking to be avenged against his killer, Giles Corey.
When the trials first began Giles Corey was already 80, and was married to Martha. On March 19, 1692, Martha was arrested for witchcraft. Giles decided to testify against his wife ,no one knows why, but later tried to take back what he had said. Giles Was arrested after being accused of witchcraft and remained there in jail with his wife until his trial on September 16, 1692.
Giles went to the trial and pleaded not guilty, but refused to put himself on the court because of his contempt for the court. Because the court had believed and accepted the others testimony, Giles understood that there was a slim chance of being found not guilty. Because Giles refused, he was given the sentence of peine forte et dure even though this sentence had been deemed illegal by the government of Massachusetts. In the entire history of the United States, Giles Corey is the only person ever to be pressed to death by order of a court.
In my opinion Giles was the most brave and courageous person in the book. They tried so