Samuel and Ruth Perley
the first of iune 1692 the deposition of Samuel Perley and his wife aged about 52 and his wife 46 years of age we hauing a dafter about ten years of age being in a sorrowful condition this being sone after a faling out thai had bene betwen ieams how and his wife and miself our daughter told us that it was ieams hows wife that afflicted her both night and day sometimes complaining of being Pricked with Pins and sometimes faling down into dredful fits and often sai i could neuer aflict a dog as goode how aflicts me mi wife and i did often chide her for naming goode how being loth her name shold be defamed but our daughter would tel us that though we would not beleue her now yet you wil know it one day we went to several docters and thai tould us that she was under an evil hand our daughter tould us that when she came nere the fire or water this witch Puls me in and was often soreli burnt and she would tel us what cloaths she wore and would sai there she goes and there she goes and now she is gone into the oven and at these sights faling down into dredful fits and thus our daughter continuing about two or three years constantli afirming to the last that this goode how that is now seised was the cause of her sorrows and pined awai to Skin and bone and ended her sorrowful life and this we can atest upon oath ruth Perley’s mark.
Sam’l Pearly & his wife declare ye above written to be the truth upon oath. After this the aboue said goode how had a mind to ioin ipswich church thai being unsatisfied sent to us to bring in what we had against her and when we had declared to them what we knew thei see cause to Put a stop to her coming into the Church within a few dais after I had a cow wel in the morning as far as we knew this cow was taken straingli running about like a mad thing a litle while and then run into a great Pon and drowned herself and as sone as she was dead mi sons and miself towed her to the shore and she stunk so that we had much a doe to flea her.
As for the time daughters being taken ill it was in the yere of our Lord 1682.
Testified to before the Jury of Inquest
June 30 ’92