During the witch trials in Salem during the 17th century, no one was burned at the stake. Executions were performed by hanging, and one male prisoner was pressed to death by heavy stones. However, this 'pressing to death' of Giles Cory was not a punishment. It was an effort to get him to plead innocent or guilty. It is from this method of getting information that we get the modern term of "pressing a person for information."
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