It was hard living in New England during colonial times for several different reasons.

You obviously had harsh weather conditions, especially in the winter.

Food and supplies were also an issue.

The English settlers were used to purchasing whatever they needed.

Now they would have to import it from England, make or grow it themselves, or do without.

You had to work hard just to survive.

With all of that being said, the laws were also extremely tough.

In this episode, we take a look at the law that sent Port Smith New Hampshire's Ruth

Blay to the gallows.

On June 14, 1768, some children who were playing in a barn some 20 miles from Port Smith

made a grisly discovery.

Under the floorboards of that barn was a deceased baby.

Authorities soon discovered the mother to be 31-year-old Ruth Blay.

Ruth was a seamstress and a teacher.

More important to this case, she was unmarried.

She was promptly arrested and taken to jail in Port Smith to await trial.

Her crime?

Concealment.

By colonial law, given birth to an illegitimate child and secret was called concealment,

and it was punishable by death if the baby did not survive.

Since there were no witnesses that it concealed birth, the dead infant was considered to have

been murdered and the mother was guilty unless she proved her innocence.

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