Rebecca exuded a saint-like presence over the dark days of the witch-hunt. After her accusation, thirty-nine of the most prominent leaders of the community signed a petition attesting to Rebecca's goodness of heart. Even one of her original accusers, Jonathan Putnam, put his name to the appeal. .
During her trial, Sarah Holton testified that Goody Nurse killed her husband, Benjamin, because she found his pigs in her field. In actuality, Benjamin Holton died of a heart attack three years after the pig incident. In further evidence against Nurse, Ann Putnam, Sr., whom we have already established as being unfairly biased, testified before the court. She claimed that apparitions of Goody Nurse came to her and choked her in the night while the spirit proclaimed all of the people she had killed (the list incidentally included Benjamin Holton).
Fortunately, the speculative evidence against Rebecca Nurse was not substantial enough to convict her; on June 30, the jury came back with a verdict of not guilty. The afflicted children broke out in tantrums and hideous screaming fits and Chief Justice Stoughton urged the jury to reconsider. They came back with a decision of guilty. As if this was not punishment enough, Nurse was excommunicated from her church on July 3. This proved to be most devastating to a God-fearing, pious woman. Goody Nurse, at age 71, was executed on July 19, 1692.
Sarah Good Sarah Good fit the ultimate stereotype of a witch: the lonely beggar, fed up with society, arguing with anyone that would not give his or her charity. She was destined to be accused; it was only a matter of time before an accused witch, Tituba, would sacrifice her soul for her life. Tituba confessed to being a witch and named Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne as fellow witches.
During her trial, as can be imagined many people came forward to testify against Good. Seven people testified against her general attitude; however, the most detrimental to Good was the examination of her own daughter, who confessed herself and mother as being witches.