We all know that the legal system can take what seems like eons to grind through it's laborious processes. Trials and hearings are routinely continued and delayed, and even when they do proceed on schedule, they can often take what seems like three hundred years.
In the case of Grace Sherwood, this is exactly how long her vindication took.
Virginia's only convicted witch has finally been pardoned. State Gov. Timothy M. Kaine was asked to exonerate Grace Sherwood, who was tried by water and accused of using her powers to cause a woman to miscarry. On Monday, the 300th anniversary of Sherwood's "ducking" trial, Kaine obliged.
On July 10, 1706, Sherwood's thumbs were tied to her toes and she was dropped into a river. She floated, proof that she was guilty because the pure water cast out her evil spirit, according to the belief system of the time.BREITBART.COM - Woman Accused of Witchcraft in 1706 Cleared
Sherwood lived in what today is the rural Pungo neighborhood and she is known as "The Witch of Pungo." She went to court a dozen times, either to fight witchcraft charges or to sue her accusers for slander. In her final case, she was tried for using witchcraft to cause a woman to miscarry.
technorati tags:Witchcraft, Witch, Grace+Sherwood, Virginia, law, justice
