880 A, FE. Verrill— The Bermuda Islands. 
searche accordinge to our oathes we cannot find any outwards or innwards mark 
soe far as wee can p.ceave whereby wee can in conscience find them or either of 
them guilty of witchcraft, onely in the mouth of Goody Gardiner there is a 
blewe spott which being prickt did not bleed and the place was insensible, but 
being prickt close by it, it bled the which wee leave to the judgment of Phisi- 
tians. Mr Hooper and the chirurgions being appointed to viewe that spott, the 
daye that she was come to her triall, and it was fallen away and flatt, and being 
prickt it bled and it was knowne to be there 18 yeares, and for further triall she 
was tried and throwne twice in the sea. She did swyme like a corke and could 
not sinke. These signes and other strong evidences in Court condemme her, yet 
neverthelesse shee would confesse noething att her death. She was demanded in 
Court if she could give a reason why she did not sinke. She answered that she 
did open her mouth and breathe but could not sinke.” 
2. Trial of John Middleton, 1653. 
*°(10) The examination of Robert Priestly, taken before Mr. Stephen Paynter 
and Mr. Wilkinson, Councell, April the 17, 1653.” 
‘“Who saith that on Fryday last, being the 15th of this instant, he being 
removeing Mr Tucker’s cattell in the evening in a peece of ground near to the 
house of John Midleton, he saw right oppositt agt the house, a Black creatuer 
lye soe upon the ground (sic) in the shape of a catt but farre Bigger, with eyes 
like fier, and a tayle near as long as a mans arme, And this examynate being 
some whitt daunted at the first sight, yet tooke courage & went upp close to yt 
to look on yt. he only saw it move the head, and drawne his knife with a resolu- 
tion to stabb yt: as he lift up his hand and knife to strike at yt with all his 
force, he being a strong man, he found he had no power to strike it. Att which 
this examinate was so amazed and affrighted that his hayre stood up right on 
his head, and he departeing from yt looked backe, & sawe the said creature 
turne the head and look wishfully after this examt, but he ran away & left yt: 
reporting the same to the servant in his house, with much feare.* And further 
saith not. (Signed), ROBERT PRIESTLY. 
**(5) Upon these and many clear grounds of suspition of John Midleton being 
guilty of witchcraft, Captain Josias Fforster, Govnor, appoynted the severall 
men to search Midleton which follow:” (names of 6 men are partly legible). 
‘‘who made report as ff’th, And do affirm that upon the search of Midleton’s body 
they stretched out his body upon achest And thereupon discovered first one 
teate or dugge about the biggness of a catt’s or bigger, which teate or dugge was 
moyste & they say that Midleton confest that the moystuer yssued from that 
Teate. They affirm further that right over against that said Teat or dugg, they 
found another yet not altogether so bigg or great as the other, which had no 
sign of moystuer at present. They further affirm that they found on his body 
divers suspitious markes & spots, Blew in culler. They say further that because 
they desired to be better satisfied amongst themselfes they concluded to search 
each other, to see whether there might appear any such markes upon any of 
themselves, which they did accordingly, but they affirm that they found not any, 
nor the likelyhood of any.” 
* Apparitions of the devil in human form are not mentioned here, and ‘‘ spec- 
tral apparitions ” of the ‘‘ witches,” so prominent in the Salem trials, were more 
seldom asserted here. But the ‘‘ black-cat” superstition was believed in. 
