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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3054 FILED ON: 1/16/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1927 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | Steven Owens |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act exonerating certain individuals accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Steven Owens29th Middlesex1/16/2025Sally P. Kerans13th Essex2/18/2025William C. Galvin6th Norfolk2/26/2025 1 of 2 |
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| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3054 FILED ON: 1/16/2025 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1927 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Representative Owens of Watertown, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1927) of |
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| 19 | 19 | | Steven Owens, Sally P. Kerans and William C. Galvin relative to exonerating certain individuals |
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| 20 | 20 | | accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts. The Judiciary. |
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| 21 | 21 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 22 | 22 | | _______________ |
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| 23 | 23 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 24 | 24 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 25 | 25 | | _______________ |
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| 26 | 26 | | An Act exonerating certain individuals accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts. |
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| 27 | 27 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 28 | 28 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 29 | 29 | | 1 SECTION 1. Chapter 145 of the resolves of 1957, as amended by section 105 of chapter |
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| 30 | 30 | | 2126 of the acts of 2022, is hereby further amended by inserting after the words “Elizabeth |
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| 31 | 31 | | 3Johnson, Jr.” the first time they appear, the following words:- , “Margaret Jones, Alice Lake, |
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| 32 | 32 | | 4Elizabeth Kendall, Anne Hibbens, Goody Glover,” |
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| 33 | 33 | | 5 SECTION 2. Said Chapter 145 is hereby further amended by striking the words “in the |
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| 34 | 34 | | 6year sixteen hundred and ninety-two” in the first paragraph. |
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| 35 | 35 | | 7 SECTION 3. Said chapter 145 is hereby further amended by inserting after the words |
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| 36 | 36 | | 8“The above named”, the following words:- “and other”. |
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| 37 | 37 | | 9 SECTION 4. Said Chapter 145 is hereby further amended by inserting after the first |
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| 38 | 38 | | 10paragraph the following paragraph :- “Whereas, Hugh Parsons, Eunice Cole, and Elizabeth |
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| 39 | 39 | | 11Morse were indicted, tried, and found guilty of “Witchcraft”; and” 2 of 2 |
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| 40 | 40 | | 12 SECTION 5. Said Chapter 145 is hereby further amended by inserting after the second |
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| 41 | 41 | | 13paragraph :- “Whereas, numerous others were named, accused, arrested, questioned, imprisoned, |
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| 42 | 42 | | 14arraigned, presented, indicted and/or tried for witchcraft or familiarity with the devil, though not |
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| 43 | 43 | | 15found guilty; and” |
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| 44 | 44 | | 16 SECTION 6. Said Chapter 145 is hereby further amended by inserting after the words |
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| 45 | 45 | | 17“Elizabeth Johnson, Jr.” the second time they appear, the following words:- , “Margaret Jones, |
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| 46 | 46 | | 18Alice Lake, Elizabeth Kendall, Anne Hibbens, Goody Glover, Hugh Parsons, Eunice Cole, |
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| 47 | 47 | | 19Elizabeth Morse”. |
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