Between a Rock and a Hard Place — The Pressing of Giles Corey, Salem Witch Trials, 1692Until a

Between a Rock and a Hard Place — The Pressing of Giles Corey, Salem Witch Trials, 1692Until around the 1700’s many common law systems in European courts had no jurisdiction over defendants until the defendant entered a plea.  In essence a court could only try an accused person if they voluntarily allowed themselves to be tried in court.  Naturally very few criminals would volunteer to be tried in a court of law when there was a good chance of being found guilty and it was not uncommon for people to neither plead “guilty” or “innocent” in hope of escaping prosecution.Thus the courts began to impose a very brutal method to coerce the accused into entering a plea.  Called peine forte et dure (hard and forceful punishment) or “pressing”, the accused would be seized and placed under a large flat board or platform.  Then weights or large stones would slowly be placed on top of the platform until he or she entered a plea.  The accused was left with the choice of either entering a plea or being crushed to death.  Most entered a plea.The most famous case of pressing in America occurred in Massachusetts in 1692.  There in the town of Salem hysteria was rampant as many of the townspeople were accused, tried, and hanged for witchcraft.  One colonist named Giles Corey was accused of being a warlock and was ordered to stand trial in Essex.  Like many before him Corey refused to enter a plea.  On September 17th, 1692 the pressing of Corey began under the supervision of Sheriff George Corwin.  Corey was stripped naked and laid in a small ditch with large wooden planks placed on his body.  Then several large rocks were placed on his stomach and chest.  Corey neither cried out or entered a plea, but only replied “more weight” with each round of stones.  He endured this torture for two days until he took his last labored breath on Sept. 19th 1692.  According to legend his last words were, “more weight”.Today in a court of law not entering a plea is legally considered the same a pleading “not guilty”. -- source link

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