Giles Corey

[Sir Edward]

In light of it being Halloween week, I thought I'd share this wikipedia article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giles_Corey

Giles Corey was one of the people accused in the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. He was the only one to refuse to enter a plea in court, which under the law of the time meant that he could not be tried, however the law permitted the use of torture via crushing with rocks until the person either made the plea, or died from the weight. By refusing to cooperate, his property remained his and would naturally flow to his heirs.

He continued to refuse to cooperate, right up to the last, only speaking to say "more weight". He died after enduring the crushing weight for two days. He remained committed to his principles in the face of imminent death.

Perhaps there's a knightly lesson here.