New Milford State Rep Says Witch Apology: Is Important to Some People

According to CNN, the CT Senate approved a resolution last week that exonerates individuals convicted of witchcraft in the state.

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The resolution passed in a 33-1-2 vote.

We spoke about this with New Milford State Representative Bill "Mo" Buckbee and asked him all about the exoneration effort. Below is a transcript of some of our chat.

We think this is a wasteful activity, what are your thoughts?

"It's important to some people and that is the important part of what we do, right? If it's important to somebody, it's something we have to pay attention to, that's our job. I support it and I get it and one of the things you do in this job is you learn a ton of things about things you never thought you'd know. You have to learn about them very quickly if they come up for a vote. But I have to say, I don't think this is our exoneration, we weren't CT yet. So, let's get a hold of King Charles he should be the one with some apologies here."

Right, and I know that that point was made several times by several different people from reading these articles. How much consideration was that given? It's not our apology to give.

"It's not ours to give but it's all we can do right? So, that's the hard part but there were some people who voted no just for that purpose."

Who voted no?

"I have to look at the list, I know a couple of names but I don't want to call people out. But Rob Sampson voted no, the Senator. I know some people who just said no, that is not our place to vote no and it wasn't for any lack of heart for the families, it was just more of, it's not our place to give that apology." 

Listen to our entire witch exoneration discussion below. We also asked Buckbee about the families and the lead witch trials expert in CT.

The Connecticut witch trials and executions are not as notorious as the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts but the Nutmeg State was first in all categories. Alse Young of Windsor, CT was the first person in America to be executed for witchcraft in 1647.

Alse has also been written about and referred to as Acsah and Alice. Young was killed four decades before the Salem Witch Trials began. Alse was a resident of Windsor, CT but was executed by hanging in Hartford in May of 1647 just months after being publicly accused of witchcraft.

Not much is known about the circumstances that led to the accusations but it's said that Alce's daughter Alice was also accused of being a witch, 30 years later in Springfield, MA. Witchcraft became a crime in 1642, and prior to that, there is not much of a record or mention of it.

There is a video on Youtube that features a woman named Beth Caruso. Beth is an author, who literally wrote the book about Alce Young, and she says that Alce had the misfortune of having her daughter survive, when four other children around the same age, did not.

Meaning, a cluster of young people died but since Alse's daughter did not, she's a witch and must be killed. There was also the possibility that the flu epidemic, that had ravaged New England was responsible for the deaths but, best not think too deeply on this one when you have the opportunity to hang someone.

This was our discussion about the witch exoneration from earlier that morning.

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