Hello, new readers! Welcome to Salem, and thanks for jumping in. To those who’ve been here for a while, thanks for following along. Now that we’re entering Act Two of the story, this high-level recap should help all of us catch our breath and make sense of where we are.
Notes:
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- You can always find historical context, biographical sketches, and an archive of posts at www.TodayInSalem.com.
ACT ONE has concluded.
In Act I, three young girls began suffering from torments they’ve attributed to witchcraft. Soon several teenage girls joined them (see “The Afflicted Girls”). The girls’ mysterious “fits” began at home, and evolved into disruptions at church and shocking histrionics in the courtroom. Now, with the full-throated support of several judges (see “VIPs”), 27 people are in jail (see “Who’s Been Accused and Arrested”).
ACT TWO has just begun.
Sarah Osborne’s death in prison kicks off the deeper tragedy of Salem. 19 people will be hanged, one will be tortured to death, and several more will die in jail, with more than 150 people arrested. We’re just at the beginning, though.
These important trends are providing momentum:
1. The runaway train is going even faster. At first, people were accused, carefully watched, told they were going to be arrested, then actually arrested, then examined in court, then sent to jail. That could take a week or even two. Now people are being accused in the morning, and by nightfall they’re in jail. There’s only so much room in the prisons, though, and the jails in Salem and Boston are getting crowded.
2. Protests are growing. In the beginning, only a couple of people spoke up against the arrests. More and more people are protesting, though. 39 people signed a petition. A couple of accused men have escaped, helped by disbelieving community members. And three of the afflicted girls have changed their minds and are no long afflicted, even saying the other girls are lying.
3. Counter-protests are stronger. The judges are digging in their heels, and have called in reinforcements from Boston. Influential Puritan ministers have started showing up to witness the hearings, and so far have sided with the judges. In court, the afflicted girls have begun finding pins embedded in their hands. It’s an important change. Courtroom spectators can doubt whether invisible specters are real. But they can’t protest against something they can clearly see.
WHO’S DIED: 1 person
NEW – The sickly Sarah Osborne has died in prison, probably of typhus. She was a scandal-ridden woman who’d married her servant and was trying to take her sons’ inheritance.
WHO’S BEEN ACCUSED and/or ARRESTED: 27 people (including 7 from nearby towns)
NEW — Sarah Churchill (servant) – George Jacobs Sr.’s servant. She was afflicted, then was “cured.” Her former friends accused her, and she confessed, but is now afflicted again.
NEW — George Jacobs Sr. (abusive) – a toothless 80yo man with long white hair, who’s so tall and infirm that he needs two walking sticks. He has a violent temper and has abused his servant.
NEW — Margaret Jacobs — George Jacobs Sr.’s granddaughter. She was afflicted, but when her symptoms went away the other girls accused her of using witchcraft to recover. She confessed, She confessed, and because her grandfather was already accused, has named him. Now she is stricken by her lie.
NEW — Alice Parker (shrew) – forthright and even aggressive in her speech. She may have suffered from catalepsy, which causes sudden unconsciousness and rigid posture.
NEW — Ann Pudeator (healer) – a 70yo nurse and midwife who is suspected of murdering a woman so she could marry her widower, who is 20 years her junior.
Bridget Bishop (unruly) – an outspoken woman who’s been in and out of court for years. She’s in prison with her son and daughter-in-law, who are noisy tavern owners.
George Burroughs (Reverend) – a minister from Maine who used to be the minister of Salem Village. He’s resented for leaving unpaid debts behind, suspected because his first two wives died, and disliked for the way he did or didn’t protect his flock from Indian attacks in Maine.
Sarah Cloyce (nervous) – Rebecca Nurse’s younger sister. She’d stormed out of church, which sparked people to question whether innocent people were being accused.
Giles Corey (cantankerous) – an 80yo farmer, in prison with his wife, the gospel woman Martha Corey.
Philip English (wealthy) – a French immigrant and member of the Anglican church who’s become very wealthy, very fast, incurring a lot of resentment. He’s in prison with his wife, Mary.
Mary Esty (pious) – With the nervous Sarah Cloyce, another sister of the beloved Rebecca Nurse.
Sarah Good (beggar) and her baby – a vagrant who smokes a pipe and has a terrible temper. She’s in prison with her daughter, 4yo Dorcas Good.
Dorcas Hoar (fortuneteller) – the leader of a former burglary ring, with hair that’s more than 4 feet long.
Abigail Hobbs (wild child) – a 15yo girl who wanders through the woods at night, disobeys her parents, and claims she’s made a pact with the Devil. She’s in jail with her parents.
Susannah Martin (rebellious) – a mean, pole cat who a prominent minister called one of the most “impudent, scurrilous, wicked creatures in the world.”
Rebecca Nurse (beloved) – a 70-year-old grandmother who is well-loved throughout the community. 39 people have signed a petition on her behalf, attesting to her upstanding character.
John Proctor (harsh) – A farmer and tavern owner, opinionated and sometimes overbearing, but respected. He’s in prison with his wife, the quarrelsome Elizabeth Proctor.
Tituba (slave) – Enslaved by Rev Samuel Parris. She was the first to be accused and the first to confess.
Mary Warren (servant) – the Proctors’ maid. She keeps waffling between afflicted and accused, depending on who she’s afraid of and what other people say. The judges can’t figure out which side she’s on, so they’re keeping her in jail.
Sarah Wilds (flamboyant) – an aging, glamorous woman who’s left a trail of scandals in her wake.
John Willard (former deputy) – He quit his job when he became convinced he was arresting innocent people. The authorities have issued a warrant for his arrest, but he’s on the run and the constable hasn’t yet found him.
VIPs
- Reverend Samuel Parris is Salem Village’s Puritan Minister. The first two accusers were part of his family: his 9yo daughter, and his 11yo niece. Parris hasn’t been paid in 9 months because the Village leadership is unhappy with him, and refuses to collect taxes to support his salary.
- Thomas Putnam is the father of one of the most vocal afflicted girls. Two large families have been feuding for years, and he’s the head of one of them. He’s powerful and often angry.
- John Hathorne is a harsh and even cruel judge who assumes people are guilty, and questions them relentlessly.
- Jonathan Corwin is a quieter judge, but makes the same assumptions of guilt.
- William Phips is the new governor, appointed by the King. Phips is intelligent and ambitious, but he’s also arrogant and disliked, an upstart who commands little respect.
THE AFFLICTED GIRLS
Some of the afflicted girls were orphaned or otherwise traumatized by the Indian Wars in Maine, and could be said to have PTSD. Others were bored, or scared, or manipulative, or ??? For detailed info about any of them, click any linked name, or go to Who’s Who.
- 17yo Elizabeth Hubbard – an orphan who’s the doctor’s servant
- 18yo Mercy Lewis – a servant in the Putnam home. She is a traumatized orphan and refugee from the Indian Wars in Maine.
- 9yo Betty Parris – Rev Parris’s little daughter. She’s been sent away to live with a cousin.
- 12yo Ann Putnam – the girls’ unspoken leader.
- 17yo Mary Walcott – the daughterof the militia captain.
- 20yo Mary Warren – a servant in the Proctor home.
- 11yo Abigail Williams – a tomboy who’s Rev Parris’s niece. She lives with his family.