History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

magistrates, was desired by the General Court to go down to Fairfield to officiate at the trial, and to " exe- cute .justice" there as cause luight require. The Mr. Ludlow named in this order was the distinguished Roger Ludhiw, who served at different times as Dep- uty Governor of Massachusetts an<l tVinnecticut, and whose name is still held in respect in flic hitter State as the first resident member of the legal profession, and the framer of its earliest code of laws. His home was in Fairfield, so that he was well acquainted with all the actors in this melancholy tragedy, and it is in part to events growing out of it that his sulise(ivu'nt removal to Virginia maybe attributed. A full ac<'ount of the affair is afforded by a number of dejiositions which are given at length in the New Ilavcu Colonial Records. From these we gather that the trial of the accused, who is designated simply as Kna]>]i's wife, or Goodwife Knapp, took place in the autumn of Km)!, l)e- fore a jury and several "godly magistrates," jirobably the same named in the order of tlie General Court. The trial histed several days, and there were nuuiy witnesses, but the most convincing evidence against the accused was given by Mrs. Lucy Pell and (Joody Odell, the midwife, who, by direction of the court, had examined the body of the pri.soner, and testified to finding upon it certain witclunarks which were re- garded as proof positive of diabolical dealings. Piesent also at this examination was Mrs. Jones, wife of the Fairfield minister, though whether as one of the com- mittee or as a simple spectator is not clearly stated. ' The result of the trial was a verdict of guilty of witt'hcraft against Goodwife Knajip, and sentence of death was passed upon her. In the interval between lier condemnation and execution she was visited by numbers of the townspeople, some of whom pressed her to own herself a witch and to reveal the names of her supposed accomplices, considerately reminding her tluit, while there might have been some reason for her silence during her trial, since a confession then would have prejudiced her case, there could now be none, as she was sure to die in any event. The pains of j)erdition were held up as her certain portion in case of refusal. Upon one of these occasions, the minister and a num- ber of the town folks being present, the jioor woman replied to her tormentors that she " must not say anything that was not true, she must not wrong any- body," but that in case she had anything to say be- fore going out of the world she wi>uld reveal it to the minister, or to Mr. Ludlow, at the gallows. IClizabeth Brewster, a bystander, roughly answered, " If you keep it till vou come to the ladder the devil will have you quick, if you reveal it not till then." "Take care," was the indignant reply of the pris- oner, " that the devil have not you, for you cannot tell how soon you may be my comitanion. The truth is," added she, "you would have me say that Good- wife Staples is a witch, but I have sins enough to answer for alrendy, and I hope I shall not add to my condemnation. I know nothing against Goodwife Staples, and I hope she is an honest woman." On being rebuked for these words by Richard Lyon, one of her keepers, on the ground that their tendency was to create discord between neigliliors after she was gone, she replied, " Goodman Lyon, hold your tongue! You know not what I know : I have heoi fished wif/ial ill private more than i/mi an- itirare of. I apprehend that Goodwife Staples hath done me some wrong in her testimony, but I must not return evil for evil." When further urged and reminded that she was "now to die, and therefore should deal truly," this convicted witch burst into tears and implored her persecutors to cease, saying, in words that lingered long in the memory of those who stood by, and can hardly be read even now without emotion, "A'ecfc, never poor creature was tempted as I am tempted ; praij, pray for vie .'" Under such a pressure it is not sur- prising that her fortitude sometinu's wavered, and that a frivolous confession, afterwards recanted, was made by her, implicating Mrs. Staples. A clue to the spot where Goody Knapp was exe- cuted is furnished by a renmrk of one of the witnesses in the depositions already alluded to, who describes it as being between the house of one Michael Fry and the mill. Fry's property was near the eastern border of the settlement, hence the locality referred to must have been between the present sites of liridgcport and Fairfield. On the way thither the Rev. Mr. .Ione<, who walked by the prisoner's side in the procession, again exliorted her to confess her guilt, but was rejiroved liy her com- panion, Mrs. Staples, who criecl, " Wliy bid her con- fess what she is not? I make no doul)t but that if she were a witch she would confess," ami also intimated that for her own part she had been troubled with doubts as to whether there really was any such crea- ture as a witch. Beneath the gibbet the heart of Goody Knajq) again failed her, and after all was in readiness she was al- lowed to descend the ladder and repeat a confession in the ear of Mr. Ludlow, similar to that already re- ferred to. If her expectation was to obtain a reprieve she was disappointed, for the executioner shortly did his work, and her body hung suspen<led until life was extinct. It was then cut down and laid upon the green turf beside the open grave, while a number of her own sex cliLstered around, sonic waiting to take a last look at the face of their unfortunate neighl)or, but the greater part intent only upon satisfying their base curiosity respecting the witchmarks of which the witnesses had spoken. Kneeling beside the corpse was Mrs. Staples, who, to borrow the langutige of one who was present, " wringing her hands, and taking y" Lord's name in her mouth," called upon all within hearing to listen to her solemn protestation of the innocence of the murdere<l woman. Pointing to the supposed witchmarks, she declared that thev were naui;lit but >uc!i a^ >be licrself or a:iy 286 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. woman might have. " Ay, and be hanged for them, too," was the rejoinder of one of the older women present. The question of the guilt or innocence of the de- ceased continued to be discussed with acrimony for a long time. Jlr. Ludlow saw fit to repeat the story told him by tlic dyinf; woman, and to add, upon his own responsibility, tliat Thomas Staples' wife was not only in all probability a witch, but also " made a trade of lying." On this Staples brought suit against Ludlow for defamation of his wife's character, and after listening to the evidence a New Haven court bad the good sense to allow the plaintiff damages in the sum of fifteen pounds. Had similar spirit been shown at a later period in Massachusetts, much suffering miglit have been averted. The last pereon condemned to death for witchcraft in Connecticut was a woman named Mercy Disbrow, who was tried in Fairfield in 1692, Governor Robert Treat, Sccretarj' Allyn, and other eminent person- ages being i)resent and assisting in the proceedings. With her were indicted three others, — the widow- Elizabeth Staples and Goodwives Miller and Clawson. In the indictment of Mercy Disbrow she was charged with " familiarity with Satan, the grand enemy of God and man," and with "conspiring to injure in a preternatural way the bodies and estates of divers of his majesty's subjects." From the testimony it appears that all tlic sickness and every accident occurring in the neighborhood for months previous were laid to the charge of these unfor- tunate women. They were believed to have the power of the evil eye, to torment their victims, whether by throwing them into convulsions and by pricking them with pins, or by appearing to them at midnight and dancing in fantastic guise at the foot of their bed. Their power was also thought to extend to animals. In the end all were accpiitted excei)t Mercy Disbrow, who wiis sentenced to death by tlie Governor. A petition for her pardon was, however, extensively signed, and must have been granted, since a number of years afterwards she was still living in Westport. Tlic real rea-son for her escape was doubtless the gen- eral revulsion of feeling following the Salem tragedies, which occurred about the same time. "AUNT NAB," THE VVITCII.* When a small boy, the writer has often had pointed out to him a small building a few miles north of Green- field Hill, where it was said that " Aunt Nab," a noted old witch, once resided. She had such a reputation for practicing tlie " lilack art" that the community for miles around was afraid of offending her. It w:is said tliat there would some casualty surely happen to any jiersou so unfortunate jis to make her angry. All sorts of incredible stories were told of her revengeful acts towards her enemies, and all mysterious happenings • Cuntiibutvd l.y A. B. Hull. in the neighborhood were ascribed to her wonderful powers. Tradition relates that she at one time, for some un- accountable reason, did not exercise the diabolical power attributed to her. A number of persons with carts loaded with hay were going from Redding to the seaboard and stopped at the brook near her hou.se to water their oxen. When leaving, one wheel of Uncle John II. 's cart came off, and the bay had to be thrown oft' and loaded again. While thus engaged " Aunt Nab" came out and ridiculed them. Uncle J(din told her to go into the hou.se, but she continued the derision and laughed all the more. At last, the patience of Uncle John being completely exhausted, he gave her a severe cart-whipping. The neighbors looked on with amazement at what they conceived to be an act which would lead to a fearful retribution, and told the old man that something terrible would befall him before his return; but he, with an oath, declared that if he had any I'urtlier trouble about it he would surely kill the old witch. As nothing un- usual happened to him, .she was either unable or afraid to do him an injury.