Art Review: ‘The Salem Witch Trials, 1692’ at Peabody Essex Museum

I’m a descendant of Giles Corey, the only American to be legally pressed to death. Not a great pick-up line, I know, and not cocktail-party chatter, but it does brighten a genealogy heavy on farmers, ministers, mechanics, and school teachers. Corey (1611–1692), a farmer, was accused of wizardry in Salem, Mass., in 1692.

Refusing to plead either guilty or not guilty, he was placed flat while heavy stones were piled on him, while his captors, the prosecutor, and cops in Salem expected him to say something responsive to the charge so a trial could follow. This was, at the time, a legal practice. Corey wouldn’t oblige. He insistently cried “more weight” over and over until, after two days of torture, he died.

About the Author

Brian T. Allen

Brian T. Allen is National Review’s art critic.

I’m a descendant of Giles Corey, the only American to be legally pressed to death. Not a great pick-up line, I know, and not cocktail-party chatter, but it does brighten a genealogy heavy on farmers, ministers, mechanics, and school teachers. Corey (1611–1692), a farmer, was accused of wizardry in Salem, Mass., in 1692.

Refusing to plead either guilty or not guilty, he was placed flat while heavy stones were piled on him, while his captors, the prosecutor, and cops in Salem expected him to say something responsive to the charge so a trial could follow. This was, at the time, a legal practice. Corey wouldn’t oblige. He insistently cried “more weight” over and over until, after two days of torture, he died.