A. M Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. 885 



" Before the Grant Inquest afores'd." 



" Thomas Cobsone sworne, saytli that at the same tyme he saw a thing in the 

 likenes of a ratt, after the said Janet Hopkins had wished that God might show 

 some signe, and saith further that before the appearance there was a noyse 

 which made him afearde." 



Another female Jury of 10 women was empannelled to search 

 Jane Hopkins. The MS. has here partly perished, but the words 

 " search the body " can be read. (Ten names follow.) Lefroy. 



"Who doe all joyntly affirin that Jane Hopkins hath in her mouth a suspi- 

 tious rnarke and under her arme she hath a dugge or Teat, And upon her 

 shoulder a wart, and upon her necke another wart . . . And they all declare that 

 all these were insensible when they were prickt and tried." 



"The Jury for the Commonwealth of England doth present Jane Hopkins, 

 one of the passengers in the Mayflower, for that she not having before her eyes 

 (sic) hath felonously and wickedly consulted and covenanted with the Devil & 

 hirn hath suckled and fedd contrary to nature & the law of God and man, as 

 doth appeare by markes & signes upon her body and contrary to the peace of 

 the comonwealth of England & the dignity thereof." 



" To which Indictment Jane Hopkins pleaded not Guilty and for her triall &c. 

 She was found guiltie and for her sentence was condemmed to be caiTied to the 

 place of execution and there be hanged by the neck until she was dead, dead, 

 wch was done accordingly, as appeareth by his warrant dated the 5 January 

 1655." 



So far as the records show, this was the last execution for witch- 

 craft in Bermuda. 



From 1655 to 1672, several other persons were tried for witchcraft 

 and were mostly acquitted, in some cases merely because no moles 

 were found on the body. 



On June 12, 16*71, Susan Cole was tried, convicted, and sentenced 

 to be hanged. But on June 21st she was reprieved by Gov. Sir 

 John Ebrydon : " Uppon waighty considerations," and returned to 

 prison, " untill you shall receive further Order." What her final fate 

 may have been is not recorded. Two women were prosecuted for 

 witchcraft in 1684, but the records are incomplete and the result is 

 not stated, though their bodies were searched for "signs." 



The last record of a person prosecuted for witchcraft is that of 

 Sarah Spencer, in 1696, but there is no record of her trial or sentence. 

 So that these trials ceased here, about the time they began at Salem. 



An old negro woman, called Sarah [or Sally] Bassett was con- 

 victed, in June, 1*730, of trying to poison her master's family, and 

 was legally sentenced to be burned at the stake. But this was not 

 connected with the witchcraft delusion. (See Lefroy, Memorials, ii, 

 p. 633.) 



