Giles Corey Was Crushed to Death During the Salem Witch Trials

Few stories of the period are happy, but this one is a testament to the awesomeness of one farmer’s resentment to the Salem Witch Trials.

Giles Corey was born in August 1611, an American farmer born in England.

In 1692 Corey was accused of witchcraft and sentenced to die by a gruesome form of torture known as pressing.

The torturing lasted three days upon which Corey died as a result of the punishment.

It’s believed Giles said “more weight!”.

They obliged him in fulfilling his request which would lead to his death.

But his death would come after three days of excruciating pain under the weight of the rocks resting on the boards supporting them which had been placed on his whole body.

Pressing to Death

The law of Salem did not allow someone accused of witchcraft to be tried with a full confession.

Thus torture instruments were used to persuade the accused to confess.

Those forces into being pressed were given a diet of bread and water until they either pled guilty or died.

Salem’s sheriff George Corwin asked Giles Corey to plead guilty repeatedly and his response was “more weight!”.

Because Corey refused to plead his sons inherited his estate, had he been coerced into a confessions lawfully the estate would become property of the state.

Giles Corey stuck it to the sheriff and stuck to his guns, bravo.

His wife Martha unfortunately was also accused and hanged days after her husband’s death.