Friday, August 29, 2008

Woman accused of Witchcraft Exonerated more than 200 years after her "judicial murder"

Approximatley 200 years ago in Glarus Switzerland, a woman lived in the house of a local magistrate, Jakob Tschudi. Her name was Anna Goeldi. She was a maidservant for the household and had the misfortune of falling in love with her employer, who fired her when she threatened to go public with their affair. As adultary was a crime, and he was a public figure who couldn't take the humiliation, he decided to silence Anna for good by accusing her of witchcraft.

Tortured for days until she confessed not once, but twice, Goeldi was publically beheaded in the town square two weeks later.

Just days ago this month, a verdict in this case was handed down from a non-legal trial and held that Anna Goeldi was the victim of judicial murder. An interesting note that the last woman accused of witchcraft in Europe and her exoneration comes some 200 years after her death...and even this was initially blocked by local authorities and the Protestant Church!

Shall we say too little too late? Your thoughts?

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