Hello, Salem-ites! Tomorrow is a big day. The first Witchcraft Trial will begin, with the unruly Bridget Bishop on trial for her life. It’s an excellent time to invite other readers, because starting today, you only need to know one thing: The story of Salem can be boiled down to one giant terrifying WTF moment. Of course, Puritans wouldn’t have said it that way. But it’s hard to overstate the level of panic from every corner.
Prisoners: “WTF? Why am I here? Am I going to die?”
Skeptics and protestors: “WTF is the matter with you people?”
Ministers: “WTF did we do wrong? Why is God allowing this to happen?”
Judges and politicians: “WTF is going on in that village of yours?”
You and I: “WTF???“
The only people who weren’t asking that question were the afflicted girls. One or two may have been mentally ill and genuinely seeing things. But most or all of them were either bored, malicious, or suffering from other physical or emotional ailments – none of which involved visions.
Now, after months of accusations and hearings, the Governor has formed a court whose only purpose is to clear the backlog. Right this moment, the judges are on their way to Salem, and several prisoners are being transferred from Boston. Preliminary testimony is scheduled for 8:00 a.m. tomorrow. That’s all you need to know.
Tomorrow in Salem: SENTENCED TO HANG: the unruly Bridget Bishop, first defendant