"Oh Lord, help me! It is false.
I am clear. For my life now lies in your hands...."

Nurse, the 8th child of William Towne of Topsfield, was married to Francis Nurse. At the time of the charges, Rebecca Nurse was already 71 years old and hard of hearing. A citizen of oustanding reputation, she was originally found not guilty, but the "afflicted girls" who had started the whole fiasco protested. Nurse was convicted the second time around for because of her failure to respond to the question and her poor hearing. Her trial was the turning point of the Witch Trials when people finally realized how the entire situation was getting out of hand. She was hanged on July 19, 1962 along with Sarah Wildes, Susannah Martin, Elizabeth Howe, and Sarah Good.




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