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Sep 08: Dangerous Stares

Today in Salem: A team of horses paws impatiently in the dust, waiting for another team to pass them and ride out of sight. Five accused witches are astride the waiting horses, escorted by guards and a constable who’s been ordered to arrest them.

They’re on their way to court, and so are the afflicted girls behind them. But one of the accused women had glanced at the girls, and they’d immediately begun to convulse. It torments them to be behind the witches. They must pass.

“Ho!” the constable had commanded, and steered his horse off the road. The guards and accused women have also moved aside, and now they turn away until the afflicted girls can pass them and ride out of sight.

Tomorrow in Salem: A nurse and a lady on trial

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Sep 7: GUILTY: the shrew Alice Parker and the pious Mary Esty

Today in Salem: Trials have resumed for the accused witches, who stand with their lives in the balance as they face the judges. Despite the high stakes, the judges are proceeding through the trials more and more quickly. The defendants are beginning to blur together, with similar complaints from neighbors, the same accusations from the afflicted girls, and recognition from the handful of confessed witches.

One, two, three: real-world evil, spectral evil, and a confessed witch’s identification. Once those three types of evidence are presented, the judges are done.

Today’s docket includes two women who are so obviously guilty that the court needs only a morning and an afternoon to prove it.

On Trial: The Shrew Alice Parker

The judges begin with the shrew Alice Parker, who’s been nothing but trouble since the day eight months ago when she fainted dead away in the snow, only to sit up laughing at the men who rescued her. What kind of person is dead, then suddenly is alive and laughing at her rescuers? Then, when witnesses testify that Alice has predicted several deaths, the judges are satisfied that the first of the three types of evidence – real-world evil – is proven.

As for the second kind of evidence, spectral powers, it’s already been declared by the afflicted girls, who for months have never wavered in their accusations. The judges skip right to the third and final kind of evidence, identification by a confessed witch, in this case Mary Warren, who says she’s seen Alice Parker at the Devil’s Sacrament.

Alice’s guilt is without question. It isn’t even lunch time when the judges sentence her to death.

On Trial: The Pious Mary Esty

The pious Mary Esty appears before the judges in the afternoon. She is the sister of the beloved Rebecca Nurse, who was hanged two months ago. Like Rebecca, Mary’s piety doesn’t weigh much in her favor. Still, the judges are surprised when six witnesses don’t show up for the trial. One woman does appear, though. Three years ago she’d confided in Mary about an illness, and immediately felt much worse. That shows the judges that Mary has committed real-world evil, the first kind of evidence.

Next: spectral evil. The same woman claims that Mary’s specter had offered her rotten meat just this summer, while Mary was still in jail. Finally, several confessed witches have already identified her before the trial.

The judges pause for a moment to review two depositions in Mary’s favor, one from each jail keeper in two different prisons. Both say that, even being in chains for four months, Mary has been a well-behaved prisoner.

It’s not enough for the judges, though. She’s found guilty and will be hanged.

Tomorrow in Salem: Dangerous Stares

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Sep 6: Dorcas Hoar’s “Witch’s Locks”

Today in Salem: Chairs are crashing to the floor as the fortuneteller Dorcas Hoar stumbles, struggling to break free of one bailiff while another pulls her back by her hair.

Her neighbors, and even her former minister, have just testified that she can predict illness and death by looking at the lines in a person’s face. Children, teenagers, adults, even her own husband had died after she’d foretold it, just by looking at them. No one is inclined to testify in defense. She’s been robbing people for years. Money, food, sheep, clothing – nothing has been secure from her pilfering. She’s even stolen a pearl necklace from her minister, one pearl at a time.

Her hair is the final piece of evidence, the thing that sets her apart from the other accused witches. She hasn’t cut or even combed it in nearly ten years, and keeps it hidden under a large cap. But the bailiff has pulled the cap away, and now a black mat of tangles, four and a half feet long, has fallen like ropes onto her back.

bowing woman

Everyone knows what they are. “Witch’s locks” they’re called, snarls of hair that evil imps and demons can hide in. The locks are protected by the Devil, and impossible to cut. Now the judges have ordered that test, and while one bailiff holds her back, the other grasps a hank of hair in one hand and shears in the other. He cuts through the hair and drops it to the floor before grabbing another fistful and cutting it off as well. Despite her keening, it’s not long before Dorcas Hoar’s head is closely shorn, as closely as a man’s.

This is not what the judges expected, and it suggests that she is not a witch after all. It was hard to to cut, though, suspiciously matted, and long enough to touch the back of her legs. That plus her face-reading prophesies are enough to convince the judges. Dorcas Hoar is guilty and sentenced to death.

Tomorrow in Salem: GUILTY: the shrew Alice Parker and the pious Mary Esty

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Sep 5: the fortuneteller Samuel Wardwell backpedals

Today in Salem: The judges are grilling three women. The afflicted girls suffer their usual fits, and resentful neighbors make the typical complaints. But this time a small group of confessed witches is here, including the fortuneteller Samuel Wardwell.

Samuel has been in jail since Thursday and will be on trial for his life soon. But everyone knows that confessed witches who can see other witches are usually spared execution, at least for the time being. So he tries to make himself useful.

The accusations against Samuel include a burning house; the one that contained the body of his brother-in-law. Now he pounces. “You had an argument,” he asks the first woman. “Didn’t he fire you as a wet nurse? Were you angry enough to murder him?” he asks sharply. He turns to the magistrates. “Maybe it was she who burned the house. To cover up a murder.”

The woman protests her innocence, but soon confesses to signing a birch bark that the Devil had brought to her. Nothing else though! But Samuel won’t let it go, and brings it up when the second woman is in front of the judges. Once again he describes the blaze, the stolen wine, the gleeful shouting.But like the previous woman she denies it.

The women aren’t quite convincing, but neither is Samuel. The judges send all of them to jail to wait for trial.

Tomorrow in Salem: Dorcas Hoar’s “Witch’s Locks”

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Sep 4: The runaway witch

Today in Salem: It’s the Sabbath. It’s forbidden to work on Sundays, but it doesn’t stop the constable from chasing an accused 16-year-old girl who’s been hiding and escaping for four months now. Today he finds her at her grandmother’s house, dark and empty since the grandmother herself was arrested last spring.

The constable orders a local man and his dog to go with him to the house. Just as they enter, the runaway girl flings open the back door and bolts toward a neighbor’s field. The man and his dog chase her as fast as they can run, but they can’t catch her, even when she trips in her heavy petticoats.

The girl jumps up and runs behind a stone wall lined with bushes, with the man close behind. But when he finally reaches the wall, there’s no one there. He runs toward a nearby fence, but no one is there either except for a large cat. A witch! he thinks, and sics the dog on it, but the dog races in the opposite direction. In a panic, the man strikes at the cat with a stick, but the cat just squeezes under the fence and runs away. That’s it then. The man stands up to catch his breath. All of them are gone: the girl, the dog, and the cat. Even the constable is nowhere in sight, having stayed behind at the house. She must be a witch. That’s the only way to explain it.

Tomorrow in Salem: the fortuneteller Samuel Wardwell backpedals

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Sep 3: Contagion

Today in Salem: The wheels of accusations, arrests, and hearings continue to turn. The witchcraft fervor has by now spread from Salem into an arc of neighboring towns as far as 15 miles and a full day’s ride away: Andover to the northwest, Ipswich to the north, and Gloucester, a northeast seaside harbor.

In Gloucester today, two very sick women want the afflicted girls to look into the Invisible World to see who is tormenting them. It’s a day’s ride, but one of the local men rides to Salem as quickly as he can to fetch the girls, including the doctor’s niece Elizabeth Hubbard.

The girls are certain they see the evil specters of two other local women. But it’s one thing to accuse them while there in the sickroom. Accusing them in court is another matter. So on the ride back to Salem the afflicted Elizabeth Hubbard declares that she can’t. One of the specters says so, and Elizabeth isn’t powerful enough to defy them.

That doesn’t stop the driver from filing a complaint, though. His mother is one of the sick women. Once in Salem he finds the judges, who issue arrest warrants for the tormenters.

Tomorrow in Salem: The runaway witch

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Sep 2: Resistance

Today in Salem: The prominent minister Cotton Mather sends a manuscript to Chief Justice William Stoughton. The people were just short of an angry mob at the last hanging, and the tide has turned against the trials. They’re furious at the thought of innocent people dying because it was the Devil – not them – using their specters. In fact, the public is so angry that it might be too late to reform the court. It could destroy the judicial system altogether, or even lead to violence against the judges.

The ministers agree in part. All summer they’ve said that spectral evidence alone isn’t enough to find someone guilty and sentence them to death. Of course, those who’ve been hanged so far were guilty without question. Still, it’s possible that many innocent people have been swept up in the fervor and eventually will die, only because their specters have been seen doing evil. So the question remains: What if those specters are actually the Devil in disguise?

Mather knows that a guilty verdict requires three kinds of evidence: spectral, real-world evil, and recognition from confessed witches. But he isn’t sure that the citizenry knows that. Maybe it will calm things down if Mather writes about how careful the judges are being.

Earlier this summer he’d asked Chief Justice Stoughton about his idea. Did he agree with Mather’s representation? Would he write an endorsement? Stoughton does agree, in general. But he’s never wavered from one key point: that the Devil can disguise himself as an innocent person’s specter only if that person has given their permission. Unfortunately Mather thought the Chief Justice had changed his mind and didn’t follow up on it. Now the manuscript rests in Stoughton’s hands.

Tomorrow in Salem: ContagionSep 3: Contagion

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Sep 1: ACCUSED: the fortuneteller Samuel Wardwell

Today in Salem: The fortuneteller Samuel Wardwell is in court. It was just a few weeks ago that his brother-in-law’s house had suspiciously caught fire, during a funeral, and with Samuel watching, no less. But now the judges are asking about other suspicious events, especially complaints from the afflicted girls that his specter has tormented them.

Samuel looks down at the table and takes a breath, then says he’s innocent. But with his reputation for telling fortunes, it seems undeniable, so he quickly changes his mind and confesses. “Why?” the judges ask. What have you done to summon the Devil?

Samuel searches his mind. He’s frustrated, he says. He has too much work to do, he says, and he’s constantly overwhelmed by it. Maybe he’d accidentally invoked Satan by saying the Devil should help him. Oh, and he’d also told someone – only once! – that he could make cattle come to him using only his mind.

That’s not enough for the judges, and they command him to tell the truth. Wardwell thinks for a minute, then tells the story of 20 years ago, when a young woman had rejected his professions of love. That night he’d seen a strange man who called himself a Prince of the Air, and promised him a more comfortable life in return for his service. So, in the throes of despair, he’d signed the Devil’s book with a black square. After 20 years of silence, the Devil had appeared and commanded him to afflict other people. So he’d done it, by pinching the buttons on his coat. But he wasn’t the only one.

Tomorrow in Salem: Resistance

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Aug 31: SMALL MERCIES: Rev Parris forgives absences

Today in Salem: Rev Samuel Parris is pacing in front of the meeting house and praying for guidance. Six weeks ago the beloved Rebecca Nurse was hanged, and her family essentially disappeared from church. Two weeks ago, he and a committee of men were appointed to ask them why.

They’ve made the rounds and heard them out, and now the question is what to do about it? Rebecca’s son actually has been to church, but not every week, he admits. Her daughter has an infant, and has been tending a sick husband for the entire time. And her sister, the outspoken Sarah Cloyce, is still in jail. Still, Sarah’s husband ought to be in church – although he’s been visiting her so much that he’s hardly home.

Attendance at church is mandatory, and those who miss it are fined, or whipped if they can’t pay. He could argue with the excuses, but Rev Parris decides to wait and see if things improve.

Tomorrow in Salem: ACCUSED: the fortuneteller Samuel Wardwell

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Aug 23: Summary and FAQs

Once again, let’s begin by silently considering the real people of Salem who were most recently hanged:

George Burroughs, a minister from Maine who used to be a minister in Salem Village. He’d left on bad terms.

Martha Carrier, an outcast suspected of starting a smallpox epidemic that killed her father, two brothers, and four of her extended family.

George Jacobs Sr., an 80-year-old, toothless man who was so tall that he need two canes to walk. He had a violent temper and was known to abuse his servants.

John Proctor, a bold 60-year-old farmer. He was outspoken about his belief that the trials were a sham and the girls were lying.

John Willard, a former deputy who quit when he began to believe he was arresting innocent people.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

These are the questions I’ve been asked most often throughout this project.

When is it going to get better? This is such a sad story.

It is sad. Unfortunately this isn’t a story with good guys, a tidy plot, and a satisfying ending. In fact, it isn’t a story at all. It’s more of a recounting, with two more tragic events to come (as of now) before things start getting better.

The most important thing that will make it better is the ”resistance,” which continues to grow. As of now there are two troubled judges, a deputy who quit, 12 people speaking up for one of the accused women, 39 people speaking up for another, 52 speaking up for one of the men, a group of influential ministers asking the court to slow down and be careful, and a crowd of people troubled by two hangings in particular.

Who’s the real bad guy?

A few men take turns wearing the black hat. But my vote goes to Chief Justice William Stoughton, who began each trial assuming the person was guilty, and was so angry and intent on routing out witches that he was merciless and impossible to reason with. Even the governor had trouble standing in his way.

Did the afflicted girls actually believe what they were saying?

It’s possible that a couple of girls believed what they saw or heard was real: the 9-year-old, and one teenager who may have been mentally ill. A few others were so traumatized by past events that they briefly believed what they saw was real. It’s likely, though, that most of the girls knew what they were saying was not true. It’s easy to imagine how intoxicated they were with the attention, since women (especially servants and children) were literally to be seen and not heard in public. Once they claimed to be afflicted, it was hard to backtrack. Several tried, by admitting they were lying. But (ironically) no one believed them, so they were pulled back in.

How many people died?

19 people were hanged, 1 was tortured to death, and at least 6 known people died in prison. (Also, 2 dogs died, but I’m not focusing on that because ow, my broken heart.)

Is everything in this project really true?

This project is factual, with a little gussying up to make it a compelling read. For example, on Aug 19, George Burroughs was hanged.

  • Was he really buried with a foot sticking out? Yes, that’s what tradition tells us. (Also his chin, but ew.)
  • Did he really recite the Lord’s Prayer, perfectly? Yes.
  • Was the crowd angry with his hanging? Yes.
  • Did they yell “Stop”? I don’t know. But they must have said something to indicate their anger, so I filled in the blank with a word that clearly the spirit of the truth: that more and more people wanted to ”stop” the trials.

The bigger problem is what I’ve had to leave out. Right now the “cast of characters” includes about 35 people, which is necessary (though still too many). But there are twice as many judges, a whole slew of lawmen, many more afflicted girls and even adult women, and about a hundred people in jail. Not to mention the French and Indian war. It’s … a lot. So while the project is truthful in spirit, It’s not comprehensive.

Where are you getting the images from?

I’m careful to use only royalty-free, full permission stock images. My primary sources are Pixabay, Unsplash, and Pxfuel. I also need to give credit to Nancy Price, my fantastic image researcher and editor.

What’s your next project?

Probably a rewritten and even more simplified version of this to “publish” on KindleVella, a platform for serialized novellas. After that, I think witches will be out of my system, so who knows?

Tomorrow in Salem: SMALL MERCIES: Rev Parris forgives absences