Nurse was one of the first "unlikely" witches to be accused. At the
time of her trial she was 71 years old, and had "acquired a
reputation for exemplary piety that was virtually unchallenged in
the community." It was written of Nurse: "This venerable lady, whose
conversation and bearing were so truly saint-like, was an invalid of
extremely delicate condition and appearance, the mother of a large
family, embracing sons, daughters, grandchildren, and one or more
great-grand children. She was a woman of piety, and simplicity of heart."

That her reputation was virtually unblemished was evidenced by the fact
that several of the most active accusers were more hesitant in their
accusations of Nurse, and many who had kept silent during the
proceedings against others, came forward and spoke out on behalf of
Nurse, despite the dangers of doing so. Thirty-nine of the most
prominent members of the community signed a petition on Nurse's behalf,
and several others wrote individual petitions vouching for her innocence.
One of the signers of the petition, Jonathan Putnam, had originally sworn
out the complaint against Nurse, but apparently had later changed his
mind on the matter of her guilt.

Unlike many of the other accused, during the
questioning of Nurse, the magistrate showed signs
of doubting her guilt, because of her age,
character, appearance, and professions of innocence.
However, each time he would begin to waiver on the
issue, someone else in the crowd would either heatedly
accuse her
or one of the afflicted girls would break
into fits and claim Nurse was tormenting her. Upon
realizing that the magistrate and the audience had
sided with the afflicted girls Nurse could only reply,
" I have got nobody to look to but God." She then
tried to raise her hands, but the afflicted girls fell
into dreadful fits at the motion.

At Nurse's trial on June 30, the jury came back
with a verdict of "Not Guilty." When this was
announced there was a large and hideous outcry from
both the afflicted girls and the spectators. The
magistrates urged reconsideration. Chief Justice
Stoughton asked the jury if they had considered
the implications of something Nurse had said. When
Hobbs had accused Nurse, Nurse had said "What do
you bring her? She is one of us." Nurse had only
meant that Hobbs was a fellow prisoner. Nurse,
however, was old, partially hard of hearing, and
exhausted from the day in court. When Nurse was
asked to explain her words "she is one of us," she
did not hear the question. The jury took her
silence as an indication of guilt. The jury
deliberated a second time and came back with a
verdict of guilty. Shocking as it seems today, it
was not uncommon in the seventeenth century for a
magistrate to ask the jury to reconsider its
verdict. Her family immediately did what they
could to rectify the mistake that had caused her
to be condemned, but it was no use. Nurse was
granted a reprieve by Governor Phips, however no
sooner had it been issued, than the accusers began
having renewed fits. The community saw these fits
as conclusive proof of Nurse's guilt.

On July 3, this pious, God fearing woman was
excommunicated from her church in Salem Town,
without a single dissenting vote, because of her
conviction of witchcraft. Nurse was sentenced to
death on June 30. She was executed on July 19.
Public outrage at her conviction and execution have
been credited with generating the first vocal
opposition to the trials. On the gallows Nurse was
"a model of Christian behavior," which must have
been a sharp contrast to Sarah Good, another
convicted witch with whom

Nurse was executed, who used the gallows as a
platform from which to call downcurses on those
who would heckle her in her final hour. It was not
until 1699that members of the Nurse family were
welcomed back to communion in the church,and it was
fifteen years later before the excommunication of
Nurse was revoked.In 1711, Nurse's family was
compensated by the government for her wrongful death.

This data regarding Rebecca (Towne) Nurse

came to us from http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SAL_BNUR.HTM