what they should do with her? he told them he was not concerned, they
might do what they pleased with her. They took encouragement from
this to fall upon the poor woman, those of the minister's family
going along with them, as I hear; they fell upon the poor creature
immediately, and beat her unmercifully, tying her so hard with a
rope, that she was almost strangled; they dragged her through the
streets, and alongst the shore, by the heels. A baillie, hearing of a
rabble near his stair, came out upon them, which made them
immediately disappear. But the magistrates, though met together, not
taking care to put her into close custody for her safety, the rabble
gathered again immediately, and stretched a rope betwixt a ship and
the shore, to a great height, to which they tied her fast; after
which they swinged her to and fro, from one side to another, in the
mean time throwing stones at her from all corners, until they were
weary; then they loosed her, and with a mighty swing threw her upon
the hard sands, all about being ready in the mean time to receive
her with stones and staves, with which they beat her most cruelly.
Her daughter, in the time of her mother's agony, though she knew of
it, durst not adventure to appear, lest the rabble had used her after
the same manner, being in a house, in great concern and terror, out
of natural affection for her mother, (about which the author was
misinformed in the first edition.) They laid a heavy door upon her,
with which they prest her so sore, that she cried out, to let her up
for Christ's sake, and she would tell the truth. But when they did
let her up, what she said could not satisfy them, and therefore, they
again laid on the door, and with a heavy weight of stones on it,
prest her to death; and to be sure it was so, they called a man with
a horse and a sledge, and made him drive over her corpse backward and
forward several times. When they were sure she was killed outright,
they dragged her miserable carcase to Nicolas Lawson's house, where
they first found her.
There was a motion made to treat Nicolas Lawson after the same manner
immediately; but some of them being wearied with three hours sport,
as they called it, said it would be better to delay her for another
day's divertisement; and so they all went off.
It is said that Mr Cowper, in a letter to Mr Gordon, gave some rise
to all this; and Mr Cowper, to vindicate himself, wrote to Mr Gordon,
whose return says, if he were not going to Edinburgh, he would give
him a double of his letter. It's strange he sent him not the
principal. In the postscript, he assures him, he shall conceal it to
meeting.
'Tis certain, that Mr Cowper, preaching the Lord's day immediately
after, in Pittenweem, took no notice of the murder, which at least
makes him guilty of sinful silence. Neither did Mr Gordon, in his
letter to Mr Cowper, make any regret for it; and this some construe
to be a justifying of the horrid wickedness in both.
We are perswaded the government will examine this affair to the
bottom, and lay little stress upon what the magistrates or minister
of Pittenweem will say to smooth over the matter, seeing it's very
well known, that either of them could have quashed the rabble, and
prevented that murder, if they had appeared zealous against it.
I am sorry I have no better news to tell you, God deliver us from
those principles that tend to such practices.
I am,
SIR,
Your humble servant.
A
JUST REPROOF
TO THE
FALSE REPORTS and UNJUST CALUMNIES,
IN THE
_FOREGOING LETTERS._
About the month of March last year, one Beatrix Laing, a woman of
very bad fame, who had formerly been under process for using charms,
and refusing to be reconciled to her neighbours, was debarred from
the Lord's table, came to one Patrick Morton, a blacksmith, desiring
him to make some nails, which he refused to do, because otherwise
employed at that time. Upon which she went off muttering some
threatening expressions. A little after, the said Patrick Morton,
with another person in company, carrying some fish by the said
Beatrix Laing's door, they saw a vessel with water placed at the
door, with a burning coal in it. Upon which he was presently strucken
with an impression that it was a charm designed against him, and upon
this a little after he sickened. In this sickness he languished for a
long time; physicians that saw him, could not understand his
distemper, yet tried various medicines, till at length his trouble
increased, and he began to be seized with some unusual fits, which
made them give over. He forbore all this while any accusation of the
person whom he all along suspected for his trouble, at least he made
no mention of it to the minister, who frequently visited him while
under it. But his trouble still increasing, he at length began to
drop some apprehensions of the cause of it. Upon which Beatrix Laing
was called, and by the magistrates, in the said Patrick Morton's
father's house, examined in presence of a great multitude of people,
and owned, that she had placed that vessel with water, and the coal
in it, there; but at that time would give no account of the reason of
it. Being dismissed by the magistrates, she went home, and that same
night, when she was challenged by Katharine Marshal, in her own
house, before Nicolas Lawson, about the lad's trouble, she answered,
that he might blame his own ill tongue for what had befallen him, and
that it was an evil spirit that was troubling him; which was in her
face maintained by the said persons next day, in presence of the
magistrates. Then the boy began to complain of her tormenting him,
and fell into grievous fits of trouble upon her entering the house.
Upon all which she being imprisoned, after some time did acknowledge
to magistrates and minister, in presence of many witnesses, without
threat or torture, (of which we shall speak more afterwards) that she
was displeased with Patrick Morton for his refusing to make some
nails; that she designed to be avenged upon him for it; and that she
used that charm of the coal in the water against him; and that she
renounced her baptism, entered into a compact with the devil some
twelve years before; condescending upon time, place, and her
inducements to engage in his service; and that she, with Nicholas
Lawson, had made a wax picture to torment him, and put pins in it;
which the said Nicolas likewise confessed afterwards, and so
justified the boy's account of the rise of his trouble.
After this the boy's trouble daily increased, in which there were
many strange things; first his belly, for some time, then his breast,
frequently heaved up to a prodigious height, and instantly went off
again, by a blowing at the mouth like a bellows; frequently he cried
out that such persons as he named were pinching him in his arms,
breast, or some other places of his body, his hands lying all the
while above the clothes, at a distance from one another, in the view
of many of the spectators; and when they looked the places of which
he complained, they saw distinctly the print of nails. Again, he was
frequently cast into swooning fits, became insensible, which was
tried by exquisite pinching the more sensible parts of his body, of
which he complained afterwards when he came out of the fits, though
he took no notice of them, nor felt them, in the time while he was in
these fits. The strongest who essayed to lift his head from the
pillow, were not able to move it, though both his feet and head were
perfectly free of the bed, which was exactly tried: Yea, sometimes
while the trunk of his body and his head were thus rigid and could
not be raised from the pillow, his legs were loose, and any might
move them as they pleased. Sometimes these fits were not so great as
at other times, and then, or when he was falling in, or coming out of
them, several persons lifted him with little difficulty; but when he
was in the depth of the fit, the strongest that essayed it could not
raise him up. Again, when any of the women whom he accused touched
him, and sometimes on their coming into the room he fell into
grievous fits of trouble, and cried out, that such a person was
tormenting him, condescending on their names; and this he did very
frequently, before multitudes of people of different ranks, ready to
attest the same. And commonly such care was taken to prevent his
having any notice, either of the womens' entry, or which of them was
there, that there was no place left for any rational suspicion of
trick or cheat in the matter. He was carefully hoodwinked with
several plies of cloth--the women were brought in with the utmost
secrecy--innocent persons present in the room laid their hands on
him, but yet he never shewed the least concern, save when the accused
persons touched him. Several times gentlemen that seemed jealous that
there was somewhat of an imposture in the case, were allowed and
invited to make the nicest trial, and found it hold. Several pitiful
cavils have been used about this, and other instances of the boy's
trouble, which proceed either from ignorance of the circumstances of
matter of fact, or gross inadvertency in not observing the several
variations of the boy's case; which, had they been considered, they
would have been so far from giving any countenance to the conclusion
aimed at by these objectors, that they would strongly have enforced a
conviction of something preter-natural in the case.
The author then proceeds to give an account of Janet Corphat, the
woman who was murdered. She was a person of very bad fame, who of a
long time was reputed a witch, frequently used charms, and was wont
commonly to threaten persons who disobliged her, and such
consequences sometimes followed, as made her the terror of many, both
of the town and country, which might be verified by particular
instances, if it were necessary. She was not at first delated by
Patrick Morton, though afterwards he complained of her as one of his
tormentors; but she, with several others, being in company with the
devil, whereof Isabel Adam was one, in pursuance of a quarrel which
Beatrix Laing, formerly mentioned, had with one Alexander M'Grigor, a
fisher in the town, made an attempt to murder the said M'Grigor in
bed; which was prevented by his awakening and wrestling against them.
This attempt was acknowledged by Isabel Adam, of whose confession a
more full account shall be given afterwards, who had been taken up on
that man's delation, and some other informations against her, and not
on the lad's. As likewise, the said Janet was accused by Nicolas
Lawson, another person present at that attempt; and Nicolas accused
her of being at another meeting in the Loan of Pittenweem; at both
which meetings they confessed the devil was present.--All which she
herself afterwards freely confessed.
The manner of this woman's confession was very remarkable.--After she
had obstinately some while denied, and with a subtility beyond what
might be expected from one of her education, shifted all questions
put to her, she, with Isobel Adam aforesaid, being brought to the
house where the tormented lad lay, and he discovering her at her
entry into the room, notwithstanding the utmost precaution was used
to conceal it from him, and he falling into grievous fits of trouble,
did cry out of her as one of his tormentors; at which she was so
stunned, that instantly she fell a trembling. The magistrates and
minister observing her in such a confusion, asked if she was willing
to commune with them, in reference to the matters whereof she had
been accused; she declaring herself willing, went with them to
another place, and when desired to be ingenuous, she again fell a
trembling, and said she would confess all, but was afraid the devil
would tear the soul out of her body if she did, and said, if you will
pray, and cause all good folk pray for me, I will confess, and she
then desired the minister to pray; and, after prayer, confessed she
was bodily present at both the meetings aforesaid with the devil and
the witches, and gave a circumstantiat account of the renounciation
of her baptism, naming time, place, and inducements which led her to
it, and the shape the devil appeared to her in.--She likewise told
the reason of their attempt to murder M'Grigor was, that he did not
hire a house which belonged to Beatrix Laing.
Again, on a Thursday, after she had been hearing sermon, she desired
to speak with the minister, and sent one to acquaint him with this
desire; on which he went to her, and she, before several witnesses,
renewed her former confession, and condescended on all the persons
the other confessing witches had accused, as being present at the two
foresaid meetings; adding withal, that there were others present whom
she knew not. This confession she renewed before the presbytery, in
presence of a great many country gentleman, and other spectators; as
likewise in the face of a numerous congregation on the Lord's day.
It is owned, that when Beatrix Laing and Nicolas Lawson were first
imprisoned, they were ill used by some of the guard, without the
knowledge of magistrates or minister, of which the women made
complaint to the minister, whereof he presently acquainted the
magistrates, who, with the minister, went to the prison, and
threatened the guard if they offered the least disturbance to persons
in custody. And the minister, on the Lord's day thereafter, took
occasion in sermon to discover the wickedness of that practice, as
being against the light of nature, Scripture, and the just laws of
the land. After this, we heard of no more disturbances they met with.
Now, it was not till after this precaution used to prevent their
trouble, that Janet Corphat was imprisoned; and, from the time of her
imprisonment, till the time that she confessed, which was some ten
or twelve days, she was not in company with the rest, nor with the
guard, save one or two days, but was alone in a separate prison, and
nothing to disturb her.
Now, it is remarkable, that neither of these persons who were ill
used, of which Janet Corphat was none, did ever make any
acknowledgement to these persons who used them ill, nor till some
days after they were quite freed of this trouble. And when they did
confess, it was to magistrates and minister, whom they owned to be
careful to preserve them from such abuses; nor did magistrates or
minister ever use any threatening to extort a confession, or any
other argument, but what the gospel requires to be made use of to
bring impenitent sinners to a confession of their sins.[8]
[8] We should like to know what threatenings the gospel requires
ministers to make use of to such impenitent sinners as will not
confess sins they could not commit. ED.
The author of the letter tells us, 'she was put in a low prison, out
of which it was obvious that any body could make an escape, and
accordingly she made her escape that night.' Here are but two
assertions, and both of them false, for the prison was the second
story, and her escape was by breaking an old iron grate in the
window; nor was it that night after that she broke the prison, for it
was on Friday these gentlemen discoursed her, and on the Lord's day
at night she broke the prison.[9]
[9] This just reprover begins very fairly by wilfully perverting his
opponent's language, 'a prison with a low window,' he makes 'a low
prison.' We very much suspect the minister himself had a hand in this
pamphlet.
Here follows the author of the 'Just Reproofs' way of telling the
story of the barbarous and cruel murder of Janet Corphat. She came to
town under cloud of night with two men, and went straight to an inn
where her daughter was serving. After some stay there, the two men
brought her to the minister's house, who was visiting a sick child of
one James Cook, a present bailie, where his servant came to him with
Mr Gordon's letter; and, as soon as he had perused it, he bid his
servant go tell them, he would have nothing to do with her, but since
they had brought her to the town, let them take her to the
magistrates; which answer, two men then present, have attested under
their hands. On this, the men brought her to Bailie Cook's house,
where the minister was, and the men meeting him coming down stairs,
pressed him to take her off their hands, which he refused to do, but
called the two next magistrates, and advised them instantly to set
her off safe out of the town. On which the two bailies sent for their
officer immediately, and the minister went off straight to his own
house, and saw no appearance of a rabble, nor did hear of it, till
the rabble had gone a considerable length; and after a little, he
heard that the woman was got safe out of their hands, and the rabble
dissipate, and he knew nothing of her death till the next morning.
When the officer came to the magistrates, they, on deliberation among
themselves, resolved to imprison her till the next morning; and
accordingly ordered their officer to do it. And as the officer was
executing the magistrates' orders, the rabble gathered upon them,
attacked the officer, and took the woman from him, with which, it is
said, he did not acquaint the magistrates, that they might have taken
other measures for the woman's safety.
This rabble did not flow from the inclinations of the people of the
place, which is evident from the peaceable and safe residence two
confessing witches had for two months time in the place since they
were set at liberty, but from an unhappy occasional concourse of a
great many strangers, some Englishmen, some from Orkney, and other
parts, who were forward in it, and have since taken guilt on them by
their flight.
As to the assertion with regard to those of Mr Cowper's family going
along with the rabble, Mr Cowper urged to have his servants examined
among the first, and they have declared before the magistrates, that
they stole out in a clandestine way, that their master might not know
of it, and he indeed knew nothing of it, and they returned very
quickly and made no stay; nor do any of the witnesses examined
insinuate any accusation of their having the least accession to any
injury she met with, nor were they any other way concerned, than by
looking on a short while with some hundreds of other spectators.
Again, it is said, 'that they first found her at Nicolas Lawson's
house, and that she was killed out-right when they dragged her there
again,' is as ill grounded as the rest of our author's assertions;
for they found her not at Nicolas Lawson's house, and some of the
persons examined have declared, that after she was brought to that
door, she arose and put on head cloaths, and called to Nicolas Lawson
to let her in; which, if she had done, she in all appearance had met
with no more disturbance; but after this, we hear _that some few of
the rabble stole up secretly and murdered her_.
The author of the Second Letter accuses the minister of encouraging
Patrick Morton in carrying on the cheat, by reading to him the case
of Bargarran's daughter. In answer to which, we shall give a short,
but candid, account of matter of fact. In the month of May last, the
minister, with a preacher, and a great many other people, attending
all night in the room where Patrick Morton lay, and he lying
meanwhile in a swooning fit, which was then tried by exquisite
pinching, the minister and probationer falling into some discourse
about Bargarran's daughter, took out the book, and for their own
satisfaction, read only two sentences, and stopt. Several weeks
after, when the minister was again attending in the night time, the
lad being insensible, the minister, for his own diversion, read the
preface, and some part of the process, against the witches, but had
no reason to think he heard any thing, but on the contrary. And it is
to be observed, when the committee of the privy council did
accurately examine the boy in reference to this story, he still
declared he never heard any thing of Bargarran's daughter's case
read.
What he says of 'their obliging them to pay eight pound Scots to the
town-officer,' is in many ways false. It is false that they were
ordered by the magistrates to pay such a sum. It is false that they
paid all alike. It is also untruth that any of them gave what they
had provided for their winding sheets. Nicolas Lawson, one of the
confessing witches, her husband voluntarily gave a small piece of
unbleached linen to the officer for his fees; and this is all the
ground for the story of their winding-sheets.
The author of the Just Reproof then proceeds to give an account of
Mrs White and Isobel Adam. The woman brought from Anstruther was a
Mrs White, an inhabitant of Pittenweem, who, through fear of being
apprehended, fled thither to her daughter's house. This woman, whose
cause is now warmly espoused by some, with no advantage to their
reputation, and who is now insisting against the magistrates in a
process for wrongous imprisonment, has been for many years a person
of very bad fame. Some eighteen years ago, she pursued a woman before
the session, in Mr Bruce the late Episcopal incumbents time, for
calling her a witch, and succumbing in the probation. Mr Bruce urged
her to be reconciled with the woman,--she obstinately refused,--using
most Unchristian and revengeful expressions, which are to be seen in
the session-register. Since the revolution, she desired admission to
the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, which was then denied her,
because she still refused to be reconciled to that woman. Her
scandalous carriage in refusing to cohabit with her husband to this
day, who is a sober honest man, is generally known. This woman being
accused by the boy as one of his tormentors, and delated by two
confessing witches, and other presumptions of her guilt, the
magistrates one morning sent their officer to the magistrates of
Anstruther, desiring them on these grounds to send Mrs White to them,
and the grounds of her imprisonment were sent in write to her, in her
daughter Mrs Lindsay's house; and she being brought to Pittenweem,
the two women which delated her, were confronted with her, in
presence of the magistrates, a great many gentlemen and ministers,
where they did accuse her to her face, and charged her particularly
with being at a meeting in the Loan with the devil and the witches,
and gave some binding tokens to convince her. By all which it
appears, how little ground there is to accuse the magistrates for
invading their neighbours jurisdiction, or load the minister with any
concernment in the matter.
As to the other instance of one brought to Pittenweem at six miles
distance, this was the young woman Isobel Adam. About the middle of
May, one Alexander M'Grigor delated her for an attempt to murder him
in his own house in the night-time, with several others whom he knew
not; and there being some surmises of other presumptions of
witchcraft against her, the minister hearing she was occasionally in
the town, called for her, and advised her, before her father, if
innocent, to take proper measures for her own vindication, which she
undertook to do, and promised to return for that end on
advertisement, which her father engaged to give. The noise about her
still increasing, her father was desired, according to promise, to
call her to the place, which he declined, growing jealous of her
guilt; on which the minister advertised her, but in case she refused,
a letter was sent to be delivered to the gentleman on whose ground
she lived, desiring him to send her. So soon as the advertisement was
given, she came voluntarily to her father's house in Pittenweem, and
so there was no occasion for force.
When she came, she confessed her converse with the devil at Thomas
Adamson's house, on the first day of January 1704; she was confronted
with M'Grigor, and he accused her of the above mentioned attempt on
him, which she then refused; on which she was imprisoned, and the two
following days, she did with tears, and more than ordinary concern,
make a free and large confession.
She said Beatrix Laing aforesaid, a confessing witch, had been
dealing with her to engage in her service, which she refused; and
that some time thereafter, this Beatrix came for her, and desired her
to go along to her house; when she came there, they sat down at the
fire, and she saw a man in black cloaths, with a hat on his head,
sitting at the table; and Beatrix said to her, since you will not
engage with me, here is a gentleman that will see you; whereupon he
told her, he knew she was discontented with her lot, and if she would
serve him, he promised she should want for nothing; to which she
yielded to serve him, and he came forward and kissed her; and she
said, he was fearsome like, and his eyes sparkled like candles, on
which she knew he was the devil.
Again, she told, that being employed to spin in Thomas Adamson's
house in Pittenweem, while she was lying awake in her bed in the
night time, the devil appearing to her, where she did expressly
renounce her baptism to the devil, by putting her hand on her head,
and the other to her feet, the other maid lying in the bed with her
being at the time asleep, as the maid declared before the session.
About a fortnight after this, Beatrix Laing came to visit her, and
asked her, if she had met with the gentleman? She answered she had,
and also engaged with him, on which Beatrix said, I have then got my
work wrought, and went away. And she confessed, she came to that
meeting at M'Grigor's with the devil and several witches, viz.
Beatrix Laing, Nicolas Lawson, Janet Corphat, Thomas Brown, and
several others she knew not, designing to murder M'Grigor; but since
the man awakened and prayed to God for himself, they could not do it.
She confessed also converse with the devil at other times. All which
is in her two confessions, signed by the magistrates, and transmitted
to Edinburgh. Now, we desire to know what the author of this letter
can quarrel in the magistrates or minister's conduct in this matter.