What was the name of the accused farmer who was pressed to death?

The accused farmer who was pressed to death was Giles Corey. During the Salem witch trials, Corey refused to enter a plea when charged with witchcraft, and the court subjected him to peine forte et dure, a punishment intended to force a defendant to plead.

On September 19, 1692, Corey was placed on the floor beneath boards while stones were gradually piled on top of him. He continued refusing to plead and died under the weight after roughly two days. His wife, Martha Corey, was separately convicted and hanged three days later.

Corey’s refusal had an important legal consequence. Because he never entered a plea, he was not formally tried or convicted. His property therefore avoided the usual forfeiture that followed a conviction and passed to his heirs.

Popular accounts often quote Corey’s final words as “More weight,” but the exact wording is uncertain. The phrase became especially famous after Arthur Miller dramatized the Salem events in The Crucible. Corey was one of the 20 people who died directly because of the trials: 19 were hanged and he was crushed.