State Trials, Political and Social. Volume 1 (of 2)
History
State Trials, Political and Social. Volume 1 (of 2)
Trials -- Great Britain
The elder child said she saw a mouse, and crept under the table to look
for it, and she found something, the witness did not see what it was,
which she threw into the fire, when it flashed like gunpowder. At a time
when she was speechless, but otherwise in good health, she appeared to
chase something round the house, catch it, put it in her apron, and made
as if she threw it in the fire, but the witness saw nothing. The child
afterwards being restored to her speech said it was a duck. The younger
child said that in her fits Amy Duny tempted her to drown herself, and
to cut her throat, or otherwise destroy herself. For these reasons the
witness believed that the children were bewitched, though she had not
believed it at first.
_Edmund Durent_, the father of Ann Durent, swore that Rose Cullender
came to his house in the previous November to buy some herrings of his
wife, but being denied by her, returned in a discontented manner. On the
first of December his daughter felt a great pain in her stomach, fell
into swooning fits, and on her recovery declared that she had seen the
apparition of Rose Cullender, who threatened to torment her. She had
also vomited up pins, which were produced in court.
The maid was present in court, but could not speak to declare
her knowledge, but fell into the most violent fit when she was
brought before Rose Cullender.
_Ann Baldwin_ corroborated the last witness, and added that Jane Bocking
was so weak that she could not be brought to the Assizes.
_Diana Bocking_, the mother of Jane Bocking, swore that her daughter had
formerly suffered from fits, but had recovered from them. On the first
of February last, however, she had been attacked with fits which lasted
till the witnesses came to the Assizes, vomiting pins daily, seven last
Sunday. In her fits she would frequently complain of Rose Cullender and
Amy Duny, saying that she saw them standing about the bed. At last she
was stricken dumb for some days, and said when she recovered that Amy
Duny would not suffer her to speak.
_Mary Chandler_, the mother of Susan Chandler, swore that she had
examined the prisoners after they had been examined before Sir Edmund
Bacon, on a charge of having bewitched Mr. Pacy's daughters, and that
she had found certain monstrous growths on the body of Rose Cullender.
She also said that Rose Cullender had appeared to her daughter, who was
in service, one morning while she was washing, whereupon she was
frightened and came at once and told her mother; and soon afterwards was
attacked by fits, vomiting pins, like the others. She was at times dumb,
and at times blind, and when she was brought into court, she was
attacked anew, although she recovered her speech outside.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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