Long before anyone understood that toxic rye was behind the strange hallucinations and violent convulsions afflicting certain residents, the town of Salem had already descended into chaos. Hysterical teenagers and malicious gossip fueled a wave of panic that swept through the community. When ergotism lurking in rye crops triggered "devil-like" convulsions among teenage girls, the townspeople believed Satan had taken hold of them — and the girls, in turn, pointed fingers at older women in town, branding them as witches.
Here's the cruel irony of 1692: simply denying that witches existed was enough to get you accused of being one. The Salem witch trials bore no resemblance to the due process we associate with American courtrooms today. Those who confessed to practicing witchcraft or wizardry typically had their lives spared, while people who maintained their innocence faced slow, agonizing deaths — a system that turned justice completely on its head.
Over the course of the trials, 19 individuals met their end by hanging, and another five perished while held in custody. The final chapter of this grim saga unfolded on September 22, 1692, when the last eight people convicted of witchcraft were sent to the gallows: Mary Eastey, Ann Pudeator, Margaret Scott, Mary Parker, Samuel Wardwell, Alice Parker, Willmott Redd and Martha Corey.
Martha Corey's husband, Giles, sealed his own fate by stepping forward to defend his wife. The townsfolk branded him a "dreadful wizard," yet Giles Corey steadfastly proclaimed his innocence — a decision that cost him everything. His punishment was uniquely barbaric: execution by pressing, crushed beneath an ever-growing pile of stones. It's reported that each time another layer of stones was added to his body and his captors demanded a confession, his only response was to shout, "More weight!" For two excruciating days, Giles endured this slow torment before death finally claimed him.
Once this final wave of executions had passed, the people of Salem came to recognize that the trials lacked any genuine legitimacy and chose to bring them to an end once and for all.