carly

Judgement of Elizabeth


Comes before us one Elizabeth Emerson, a single woman of determined age 28 years to be judged and delivered of punishment by this jury of men selected to do so. The setforth charges against this person of little virtue and low morals is of murder of her two male infants, delivered by her own hands with no midwife or other persons accountable at the time.
Further, let it be well noted that Mz Emerson, an unmarried woman, hath been known to have born a daughter several years before by the same man, and continued fornication with this man though he be married.

It will be revealed that on the date May 7, 1691, being with child and being alone at her Father's home, where she did reside, she did labour and deliver into the world two male living infants of like contenance. She will denounce this and tell the jury that one infant was born dead and lifeless, the skin dark and the breath not forthcoming from its mouth. In a state of remorse as to the death of one babe, she wrapped them both into a large cloth, believing that the other lad shall soon follow his brother into Death's grasp. Stitching the shroud around the infants, she sewed them up soundly and tightly and hid them in a trunk in the same room where she too, slept at the foot of her parents' bed since childhood and to this day.

Two days later, being once again alone at the home of her Father, and it being the Sabbath, Eliz. Emerson did bury sd. murdered infants in a shallow grave dug by her own will and strength.

Elizabeth Emerson, daughter of Michael Emerson and Hannah Froe, his wife, was baptised early and attended Sabbath services as required by law and moral conviction. She did fall beneath the spell of the Devil Himself, fornicating at a young age and being an unmarried woman delivering three bastard children to one man, already married and having six children with his legal and faithful wife. This felinious fornication produced three bastard children and an embarrassment upon her upstanding Father's domicile, forcing him to carry and support his daughter and her offspring.

These being the facts, the court will await decision on the fate of Mz Emerson for three full days and prays a timely judgement.

This jury had no recourse but to judge Mz. Emerson for the willful murder and disposal of her children and has done so with haste. It is the agreement of the jury of this court and the Judge before whom they sat, that Elizabeth Emerson did willfully commit felinious fornication with Samuel Ladd. That the aforementioned birthed three bastards and murdered the final two infants born to her. She shall be held in goal for the remainder of her living days and until the time shall arrive that she be hanged to her death.



Elizabeth was held in "goal" for two years, being visited by Cotton Mather several times. He did his best, to be sure, to gain her God's forgiveness for her evil deeds during her short life. She recanted her not guilty plea whle in goal and admitted to the murder of only one infant, proclaiming the first born to be stillborn. She claimed she did not know the second infant was living at birth, but buried it with its twin. There is a long written confession that is supposedly hers, but there are doubts as to its authenticity. Elizabeth Emerson was hanged for the murder of her two newborn sons on June 8, 1693 in Haverhill, Massachusetts.

Samuel Ladd was not charged and continued his life.


Elizabeth Emerson is the sister to Hannah Emerson Duston, the Indian captive who freed herself and two others by scalping her sleeping captors and escaping to freedom and home.

Elizabeth is also an ancestor of mine.

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Spring comes, the grass grows by itself.

Chris Miller

I enjoyed this story. I liked the tone and the narrative and the helplessness of the woman. I liked its informative and authentic feel. I like that it made me mad.

But I did not like this (last) sentence for some reason, even if true. It is irrelevant to the story and it pulls the entire narrative retroactively into the first person, making for a real splat ending. The piece would be stronger without it.

But what do I know? I will be interested in hearing other's opinions.

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the fairwriting blogs

Barcelona Review story: http://www.barcelonareview.com/64/e_cm.html

gohn67

Hey Carly,
You definitly got a consistent tone voice through out. But I felt like I was reading a newspaper article in the 1690's. I think it is too impersonal, the POV of the story, for me.

I wasn't sure how to connect this paragraph to the rest of the story, other than the fact that you mention various other family memember related to Elizebeth.

Is this for real?
I'm not sure what to think about this ending.
I guess this connects with how you connect everyone that's related to her, throughout the story.

Are you implying that one of the son's did not die or both? Interesting.

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The Frowning Dog Blog

carly

Hi guys--

Again, thanks fdor the compliment and the comments.

First, I must explain that both Hannah Duston and her sister Elizabeth Emerson were <many greats ago> aunts of mine. They were raised by a rather well to do and very religious family and the times were difficult for women as I am sure you all know. Both women were "different"---Hannah, that she was taken captive and Elizabeth that she was probably a very loose woman......or just in love with Samuel Ladd; whatever.

I did write the stories the same week and did mean to gently tie them together, as an entertaining but factual way of preserving family history, hence the statement that they were both ancestors of mine.

As far as a newspaper article, well, in the late 1600's court documents were written this way and preserved in scrolls or in heavy books and stored away. So I intended this to be a document of the court and therefore it does read like a newspaper article, and therefore factual and impersonal.......

Yes, both the babies died that day as Eliz. saw the one was blue and stillborn and the other she thought would follow soon. She disposed of them inthe yard of the home and , to continue to the story, she was arrested 3 days later and the bodies found......

The last sentence does take away from the story and you are all correct: it does muck up the ending.

Thanks for the great advice.......
I am entering a competition <for $> in a month and am trying to decide what to submit.....I have 3 longer pieces I am working on and one is promising to become long and good.......
Again, thanks and keep the remarks coming...love it!
Carly

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Spring comes, the grass grows by itself.