Today in Salem: The beggar Sarah Good is snarling at the jail keeper and hugging her baby girl tightly, trying to soothe her crying. Until yesterday Sarah’s had nothing but her own thin shift to wrap around the baby for warmth.
Last night, after a month of Sarah’s demands, the jail keeper had finally pushed two small blankets through the iron bars.
“You should be grateful,” he says, jabbing his finger at her.
Grateful? She’s chained to the wall, she’s been cold and hungry for a month, and her once chubby baby is now thin. Now, finally, the jail keeper has given her two tiny, threadbare blankets, and what’s more, is charging her 10 shillings for them.
He’s the one who should be grateful.