Category Archives: May

05/1692

by

May 20: PULLED FROM BED: the pious Mary Esty

full moon

Today in Salem: It’s dark, and the pious Mary Esty is crying and shrinking into a corner behind her husband, whose arms are stretched out to protect her as he commands the Marshall to leave. But the Marshall just leans in and reaches between the two of them.

“No! No! No!” she cries, but the Marshall is expressionless, pushing her husband aside with one hand and grabbing her by the arm with his other. It was near midnight when the Marshall had burst in, and they’d been sound asleep in their bed. Now he’s dragging her through the house and out the door, giving her no time to say goodbye or put a petticoat on over her shift.

Mary Esty had been in prison for just over three weeks when she was summoned by the magistrates for another hearing. The afflicted girls had said they weren’t sure any more that it was Mary’s specter who’d been tormenting them. One girl, the servant Mercy Lewis, disagreed, but the judges had released Mary anyway.

Mary has been home for only two days, but during that time Mercy Lewis has suffered even more severe fits, hovering near death, eating nothing, and begging Mary’s specter to spare her life. Now the other girls have changed their minds. Mary was behind their afflictions they say. She had just blinded them to the truth. The constable, magistrates, and Marshall agree, and now Mary has been arrested again.

Tomorrow in Salem: *** Sensitive Content*** CHAINED and PREGNANT

by

May 18: INDICTED AND JAILED: former deputy John Willard. RELEASED: the pious Mary Esty

Today in Salem: Three people are on the run, escaping arrest. Another six have spent the morning sweating and trembling in front of the magistrates. Sent to jail: a 75yo drunkard who’d once relieved himself in his friend’s house. An outspoken woman who’d been reprimanded years ago for calling her fellow church members fools and lackwits. A terrified, mentally ill woman who immediately confessed. A folk healer who’d left his family. A woman who’d lost a house, land, and goods to unpaid debts. Her daughter.

man running

The real commotion begins in the afternoon, though, when former deputy John Willard enters the room. He’d also run away when he heard about his impending arrest. But after four days and a second arrest warrant, he’d been found, 40 miles away.

Running away is evidence enough that he’s guilty, but the magistrates don’t stop there. They want him to confess. They bear down with their questions, and they barely pause to hear him when he protests that he’s innocent. Then, when he takes a deep breath and bites his lip, the girls scream. He’s biting us, they wail. So the magistrates order him to keep his mouth open, which he does for the rest of the hearing.

The girls continue with their usual histrionics as depositions are read about the many ways he’s afflicted his family members. Has he bewitched his grandfather for praying for the Kingdom of Satan to be thrown down? Is it true that he beats his wife so hard that he breaks the sticks? He’s so confident in his speech – how does that square with someone who’s so afraid that he runs away?

Willard begs one of his neighbors to speak for him, but his response is damning. After a long pause, he says “I can say you have been very cruel to poor creatures.”

Still with his mouth open, still protesting his innocence, Willard tries to recite the Lord’s Prayer, but immediately makes a mistake when he adds “Maker of Heaven and Earth.” He starts again and misses again. He laughs at his mistakes, joking that he’s as bewitched as the girls are. But no one else laughs.

After an awkward pause, he tries again and gets farther, but skips a word. On the fourth He can’t say the prayer at all, and on the fifth attempt he claims “it is these wicked ones that do so overcome me!”

It’s obvious to the magistrates that he’s guilty, and they give him one more chance to confess.

“I desire to harken to all good council, but if it was the last time I was to speak,” Willard declares, “I am innocent.”

The magistrates don’t say anything. They just motion to the constable and send Willard to jail, where he’ll wait for future trial.

It’s almost anti-climactic when the pious Mary Esty is brought in. She’s been in jail for nearly a month, but the girls are no longer sure that it’s Mary who’s tormenting them. Mercy Lewis disagrees and claims that Mary is still afflicting her, but the magistrates have reached a decision and release Goody Esty to her tearful family.

LEARN MORE: What is the Lord’s Prayer? Why was it so important?

There were several tests that determined if a person was a witch. One of them was an inability to recite Scripture verbatim. A judge could use any piece of Scripture they wanted, and the Salem magistrates chose the Lord’s Prayer.

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

Any faithful Puritan would have heard this prayer many times and memorized it, even if they couldn’t read or write.

Tomorrow in Salem: PULLED FROM BED: the pious Mary Esty

by

May 14: ROYALTY: The Governor arrives

Today in Salem: It’s the second smallest class of warship in the Royal Navy, built for speed, turning like a horse on a tight rein. 36 guns punctuate the ship like rivets; 18 on each side, ready to attack or defend without warning. Now the Nonsuch is arriving in Boston Harbor, peacefully, with the royally appointed Governor William Phips aboard.

feather

Governor Phips has been sailing for weeks, and now he sways a little on his sea legs as he crosses the dock. In his right hand is the new Royal Charter, and he holds it aloft as he steps onto the shore. Someone else could have carried it; one of the lesser officials perhaps, or the ship’s captain. But the people of Massachusetts have waited eight years for this moment. They’ve had no government, no high court, no military protection, nothing, for eight years. And now it’s back.

The magistrates have been waiting to receive him in the Town House, and now the candles flicker as Phips begins to read his commission to them.

candles

“By these prsents Doe Constitute and appoint you the said Sir William Phipps to be our Captain Generall and Governor in Chief in and over our said Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England and for your better Guidance and Direcc͞o͞n Wee doe hereby require you to doe and Execute all things in due manner that shall belong vnto the Trust Wee have reposed in you.”

There’s more, several pages more, but it’s growing darker. Tomorrow is the Sabbath, and the sun is about to set. There will be time later to read the words of the King and Queen. For now, though, it’s time to begin observing the Holy Day.

Meanwhile, the pace of arrests in Salem continues. Just today the magistrates have issued arrest warrants for nine more people, including three members of George Jacobs Sr.’s family. They also issue a second warrant for John Willard, who’s been in hiding for four days.

WHY was the Charter so important?

A “Charter” is a document that establishes a new colony, details how the government will be formed, and dictates what laws will be followed.

The story of the Charter and why it had such a huge effect on the Puritans can be divided into three stages: getting the first Charter, losing it through disobedience, and earning a new one.

Here are the general highlights.

Stage 1: The King gives the Puritans a Charter

seal and emblem
The seal of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It featured an Indian holding an arrow pointed down in a gesture of peace, with the words “Come over and help us,” emphasizing the missionary and commercial intentions of the original colonists. This seal was used until 1686, shortly after the charter was annulled, and again from 1689-1692.

In 1629, eight years after the Pilgrims arrived on the Mayflower, a thriving trade in fish and fur had evolved. So the English formed a Company to manage it. The King gave them a Charter, with permission to move to New England and form their own government, as long as they followed English law.

Many of the Company’s stockholders were Puritans, who’d been wanting to form their own religious commonwealth. They knew an opportunity when they saw one. So they bought out their non-Puritan colleagues and moved to New England by themselves, taking the Charter with them. In the next decade, about 20,000 more Puritans followed.

Stage 2: The Puritans break the rules and the Charter is revoked

Now, far away from the eyes of the King (Charles I), the Puritans began to bend the rules, reinterpret, and even ignore parts of the Charter to suit their own interests. Among many things, they cut England out of lucrative trade deals; started minting their own money (melting down English currency to do it); and bypassed English laws, creating their own (especially against other religions).

This continued for more than 50 years, but England was too busy with other problems to notice: A civil war broke out, the King was beheaded, there was no monarchy at all for ten years, and the Great Plague had decimated London.

In 1684, King #2 (Charles II) punished the independently-minded Puritans and revoked the Charter. They could still live in New England, he said, but they could no longer build their own government. Instead, the King would appoint it, and enforce English law.

The ink was barely dry when the King died.

Enter King #3 (James II), who went much, much further. Without a Charter, Massachusetts didn’t legally exist as its own entity, so it had no government or laws of its own. Instead, the King appointed an extremely unpopular governor who combined many of the colonies into one mega-colony, forced the Puritans to open their churches to Anglicans (the very religion Puritans were rebeling against), seized land from individual landowners, and imposed new taxes, which the furious colonists refused to pay.

Meanwhile, back in England, the King was overthrown. When the people of Boston heard about it, they rioted until the unpopular royal governor was gone. Then they decided to go back to their old way of running things, as if they still had a Charter (which they didn’t).

Now, in 1688, the Puritans had been without a charter for four years, and were subject to their fourth King (and his Queen). To keep things steady, England let them have their old Governor, who’d been in office when the Puritans had a Charter. But he had no real authority to govern.

It was the perfect storm: No Charter, no government, no high courts – and then the Witchcraft Hysteria broke out in Salem. With nothing more than local officials and jails, all they could do was arrest people and wait.

Stage 3: The Puritans are given a more restrictive Charter

Finally, in late 1691, King William III and Queen Mary II gave the Puritans a new Charter that restored their government, but on royal terms. Massachusetts was no longer autonomous: It was a royal colony, and the King would appoint the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, and the Judges. The Puritans were required to tolerate other Protestant denominations. And all male property owners could vote, not just church members.

Not everyone was happy. Many people insisted on getting the original Charter back. That wasn’t possible, though, so their representatives negotiated as well as they could for a second Charter.

Although Massachusetts had lost much of its self-government, at least it had one now. The business of legislating could resume, as could the Court system.

This is the Charter that the royally appointed Governor William Phips carried with him from the King and Queen.

Tomorrow in Salem: INDICTED AND JAILED: former deputy John Willard. RELEASED: the pious Mary Esty.

by

May 13: Summary: Act II Begins: the 1st death, pins and needles, mounting pressure

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:

  • If you’re following on Facebook or Twitter and the daily posts are disappearing in your news feed, consider subscribing to the story here. Updates will go straight to your inbox and you won’t miss a thing.
  • 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.

Tomorrow in Salem: ROYALTY: the Governor arrives

by

May 12: CLOSING RANKS: the afflicted girls snare the shrew Alice Parker and the healer Ann Pudeator

red and white flowers

Today in Salem: 12yo Ann Putnam and 11yo Abigail Williams are rubbing the palms of their hands where yesterday pins had stabbed them and drawn blood. It was day two of George Jacobs Sr.’s examination, but it didn’t last long. The afflicted girls were convulsing as always, but when Ann and Abigail suddenly screamed and found bloody pins stuck in their hands, the judges quickly ended it and sent Jacobs to jail.

They’d spent the rest of yesterday questioning George Jacobs Sr.’s granddaughter, Margaret. She’d been afflicted for a time, then was “cured.” Now the other girls have accused her of witchcraft – just as they had two other girls. Confess, the judges had said. Confess and save your life. Did they mean her spiritual life, as some would say later? It didn’t matter. Out of pure terror, Margaret confessed. She also agreed with everything else the judges said, accusing her grandfather Jacobs and several others.

That was yesterday. Now, this morning, Ann and Abigail’s hands still itch and sting from the pins. But two more sudden arrests and examinations take up the day.

The shrew Alice Parker is known to scold her husband publicly, and to faint without warning. Now the judges hear testimony from the Proctor’s servant Mary Warren and George Jacobs’ granddaughter Margaret Jacobs. Alice denies the accusations, and says she wishes the earth would open up and swallow her if one word of it is true. The judges send her to jail instead.

The elderly healer Ann Pudeator is a well-to-do widow who’s suspiciously good at her trade. Now the servant Mary Warren accuses Ann’s specter of killing her two husbands, throwing a man from a cherry tree just by looking at him, and trying to bewitch the magistrates’ horses to prevent their reaching court in Salem Village. Ann is also sent immediately to jail.

Meanwhile, the constable can’t find former deputy John Willard anywhere. He’s been carrying Willard’s arrest warrant with him for two days now.

WHY is this important?

Right now there are two broad groups of people: those who are protesting against the witchcraft hysteria (citizens and family members), and those who are pushing back (judges and accusers). The harder one group pushes, the harder the other pushes back.

Everyone knew that George Jacobs Sr. had disrupted a town meeting and shouted that the girls were lying. Now, with him in court, the girls have pushed back. They’re not just fainting and wailing. They’re also being injured by mysteriously appearing objects like pins. Are the girls intentionally upping their game? Maybe not consciously. The girls who were stuck with pins were only 11 and 12.

The afflicted girls have also now closed ranks. Three of them have tried to leave, and each one has had the same experience:

1. She’s afflicted like the other girls.
2. She leaves the circle when she’s cured. Sometimes she says the other girls are lying.
3. Her former friends accuse her of witchcraft.
4. She confesses to witchcraft, then returns to the circle and is afflicted again.

All three girls are occupying a precarious middle ground, confessing to witchcraft and yet being afflicted at the same time. They are the Proctor’s servant Mary Warren, George Jacobs Sr.’s servant Sarah Churchill, and his granddaughter Margaret Jacobs.

Note that two of these girls were the main accusers in today’s examinations. Were they panicking?

WHO was Alice Parker?

Alice was about 60, forthright and even aggressive in her speech. She had no children of her own, though her husband had children from an earlier marriage.

Alice may have suffered from catalepsy, an ailment that causes sudden unconsciousness and rigid posture. One month before the first girls began suffering from unknown torments, Alice was found by neighbors, lying in the snow, seemingly dead. A group of men were there, but they were nervous about picking her up. One of the women assured them that Alice had lost consciousness several times before, but it still took a few minutes before one of them was brave enough to pick her up and hoist her over his shoulder. But she didn’t regain consciousness, not even when the man lost his hold and dropped her. At last they got her home and to bed, but while the men were taking off her shoes she suddenly sat up and laughed. Case files: Alice Parker

WHO was Ann Pudeator?

Ann was in her early seventies, a nurse and midwife, as well as a widow with property and means. But her neighbors were suspicious of exactly how she’d attained them. Years before the Trials, she was hired by a prosperous man to look after his wife in her last days. The wife was a drunkard, described as delirious and out-of-control. She died suddenly under what was thought to be mysterious circumstances, and both her husband and Ann were there. Could they have “helped” her die? The case went to court, but nothing came of it.

If that wasn’t enough, Ann then married the widowed husband, who was twenty years younger than she was. He died soon after they were married, and left everything to her — and it was quite a lot. Did she have something to do with his death as well? Case files: Ann Pudeator

Tomorrow in Salem: Summary: Act II Begins: the first death, pins and needles, mounting pressure

by

May 10: ***Sensitive Content*** DEAD: the sickly Sarah Osborne; ARRESTED: the abusive George Jacobs Sr. DISTRAUGHT: the servant Sarah Churchill

Today in Salem: The Boston jail keeper is wrestling with Sarah Osborne’s shackles and irons, trying to remove them from her motionless legs. She’s been chained for 9 weeks, and has spent most of that time lying in a pile of dirty straw, coughing day and night. This morning, though, they’d found her dead, probably of jail fever, and the only sound is the clanking of the chains as she’s finally released.

The beggar Sarah Good is also chained, and now she clutches her baby and turns away as much as she can. The baby is thin, and when she cries she sounds more like a little cat than an infant. Now she mewls when Sarah presses into her and hides her away. There are some things even a baby shouldn’t see.

“Length of Confinement: 9 weeks, 2 days,” the jail keeper later writes in his log. “Unpaid Fees: 1 pound, 3 shillings.” It’s unclear who will pay it.

Meanwhile, the extremely tall and abusive George Jacobs Sr. has stumped into the courtroom in Salem with his two walking sticks. He was arrested just this morning, and now he’s standing in front of a judge with hardly a chance to gather his wits.

The afflicted girls are there, of course, greeting him with their usual wails and torments. He’s seen through them since the start, even shouting in a crowd once that the afflicted girls were lying. And now here they are, with Sarah Churchill – his own servant – standing at the front.

Jacobs guffaws at the judges’ first words.

“Your worships, all of you, do you think this is true?” he asks. They bounce the question back to him. What does he think? “I am as innocent as the child born tonight,” he says, leaning on his sticks.

The magistrates bear down, quizzing the girls, batting away Jacobs’ protests, and asking him to answer to their accusations. Over and over Jacobs says it’s not him, that the Devil is using Jacobs’ specter as a disguise.

“The Devil can take any likeness!” he says. But the magistrates are firm in their response: While that may be true, Jacobs must give his permission for the Devil to impersonate him.

When Jacobs is unable to say the Lord’s Prayer without a mistake – and he makes plenty of them – the judges decide there’s much more to explore. They’ve run out of time, though, so they send him to jail to wait for more questioning tomorrow.

Outside the courtroom, two women find Jacobs’ servant Sarah Churchill sobbing.

“I’ve undone myself,” she cries, and looks at the floor. Just yesterday she’d confessed to witchcraft, but had found a delicate middle ground by blaming Jacobs for forcing her to. But it was a lie, she says now. She’s never signed the Devil’s book, and Jacobs has never asked her to.

The women are shocked. “Why did you confess then? Why would you condemn yourself?”

Sarah paces back and forth, crying and wringing her hands. She was afraid not to confess. And now she’ll never be able to take it back. If she told the authorities only once that she’d signed the Devil’s book, they would believe her. If she told the truth a hundred times now, they would not.

WHY is this important?

First, when most people hear about the Salem Witchcraft Trials, they think of hangings (and rightfully so). But several other people died as well, albeit less dramatically. Sarah Osborne’s death is the first one associated with the Trials, and kicks off the next tragic chapter.

Second, George Jacobs Sr.’s testimony planted a powerful question that shaped the Trials until the end. Can the Devil use someone’s specter to disguise himself? If so, then “spectral evidence,” which was used to execute 20 people, was useless. If it’s not your specter – it’s actually the Devil – you cannot be held accountable for it.

The judges’ response — The Devil needs permission to use a person’s specter — kept spectral evidence in play, and gave the judges more power. The only way to give the Devil that permission is if you are already partnering with him. Therefore you agree to the evil he’s going to inflict. You can be held accountable for that.

Finally, Sarah Churchill’s affliction, followed by her confession, shows a growing realization among the people who were accused:

  • If they confessed, their lives would be saved (or at least prolonged). The judges were trying to identify witches. Who better to recognize them than other witches? So it was useful to the judges to keep the confessors alive.
  • If they said they were innocent, they would probably be executed. The judges assumed from the start that anyone who was accused was guilty. Unless they could prove their innocence – which no one could, since it was their supposed specters committing evil – they would die.

Sarah lied because she wanted to live. To Puritans, though, dying (and therefore meeting God) with a lie in your heart was akin to eternal damnation. Sarah realized she’d condemned herself and George Jacobs Sr. at the same time, and there was no way out.

Tomorrow in Salem: CLOSING RANKS: the afflicted girls snare the shrew Alice Parker and the healer Ann Pudeator

by

May 9: JAILED: the Devil’s partner: the minister George Burroughs

Today in Salem: The minister George Burroughs is pacing in his room, hugging a Bible to his chest. In deference to his status as a man of God, four judges are questioning him in his tavern room before taking him to court.

man alone

Two of the judges are newly arrived from Boston, and they are a study in contrasts. While Samuel Sewall’s soft face and open expression look kindly at Burroughs, William Stoughton, with his sharp nose and permanent frown, is zeroing in on the smallest incriminating detail. Now, with the Salem judges Hathorne and Corwin, they tick down the list of rumors that have exploded in every tavern, home, and even the Meeting House.

Some of them are true, Burroughs admits. He hasn’t taken communion, though he’s had several chances. His oldest five children are baptized – but not the youngest three. And he would never be cruel to any of his wives. Never. And is his house full of ghosts, as rumored? the judges ask. Just toads, Burroughs says. No ghosts.

The judges are expressionless as they take him to the mayhem of court, where the afflicted girls are tormented as they offer a flood of details. He wasn’t just cruel to his wives – he murdered them, they say. He has poppets. He works with the Devil, not for him, and gives the Devil’s communion to other witches.

Three military men say they’d heard from others that Burroughs has lifted a heavy gun with one arm. They’d also heard the story about the barrel of molasses. The judges admit the testimonies, including the hearsay, into evidence. With three women who’ve also been indicted today, the judges send Burroughs back to confinement for future trial.

WHY is this important? Burroughs was a Puritan minister, whose role was to promote God’s glory while growing and protecting his flock. For weeks before today, though, the afflicted girls had reported several dramatic visions of a giant gathering of witches in the pasture next to the parsonage. There, 40 or more witches were partaking in a feast that mocked the Lord’s Supper, where they consumed red bread and red liquid, perhaps blood.

Organizing it was the specter of George Burroughs, who delivered a sermon reminding the witches of their one obligation: to help replace God’s church with the Devil’s. And, just to cement Burroughs’ authority, the Devil himself had proclaimed that Burroughs would be the King of Hell.

It was the greatest treason imaginable: that a minister of God’s church would partner with the Devil to destroy it.

It was the real-life Burroughs in particular, though, who was at the crystallized heart of it. 30% of the people accused of witchcraft were either ministers, related to ministers, or somehow connected to ministers. Burroughs, though, was the former minister of Salem, who had left a trail of bad feelings in his wake. Since Salem was the source of the witchcraft explosion, who would be more suspicious than a former minister with a grudge?

Burroughs’ appearance in court today meant the judges had snared the linchpin; the person at the very center of the Devil’s plans. It’s no wonder that more people attended his hearing than any other: His capture was electrifying, sensational, and scandalous all at the same time.

Samuel Sewall's signature

WHO was Samuel Sewall?

Age 40. He was a printer and local politician when he was appointed to the Court of Oyer and Terminer, which was created by the governor to try the witchcraft cases. Sewall is perhaps best remembered as a diarist who kept a journal throughout his adult life. His diary during the Witchcraft Trials is one of the most important documents we have, as it isn’t a court record as much as personal observations.

Samuel Sewall's portrait
Samuel Sewall

Five years after the Trials, Sewall stood before the congregation of the South Church in Boston while the Rev. Samuel Willard read his confession.

Samuel Sewall, sensible of the reiterated strokes of God upon himself and family; and being sensible, that as to the Guilt contracted upon the opening of the late Commission of Oyer and Terminer at Salem (to which the order of this Day relates) he is, upon many accounts, more concerned than any that he knows of, Desires to take the Blame and shame of it, Asking pardon of men, And especially desiring prayers that God, who has an Unlimited Authority, would pardon that sin and all other his sins; personal and Relative.

Sewall was an early abolitionist, and wrote The Selling of Joseph, the first anti-slavery tract published in New England.

Samuel Sewall died in 1730, at age 77. His grave can be found in the Sewall family tomb at Boston’s Granary Burying Ground. Case files: Samuel Sewall

WHO was William Stoughton?

A 61-year-old magistrate in Boston who began his powerful role in the Trials by helping with Salem’s local examinations. When the Governor arrived from England to find an explosion of witchcraft hysteria, he created a new court that was responsible for trials and executions, and appointed Stoughton as Chief Justice.

William Stoughton's portrait
William Stoughton

Stoughton’s approach was controversial because he accepted “spectral evidence” — testimony that a person’s specter had committed evil-doing, not the person themselves. His acceptance of spectral evidence was at least partly responsible for every single execution.

After the 19th hanging, the governor reorganized the courts and told Stoughton to disregard spectral evidence. As a result, many cases were dismissed due to a lack of evidence, and the governor vacated the few that weren’t. He also stopped the executions of several pregnant defendants who’d been convicted before the courts were reorganized. Stoughton, feeling angry and undermined, briefly quit the Court in protest.

William Stoughton's seal
William Stoughton’s seal

Before and after the Trials, Stoughton was the acting governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and served as Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Court for the rest of his life. Unlike some of the other magistrates, Stoughton never admitted that he’d made a mistake in accepting spectral evidence, nor did he apologize for his role in the Trials.

The town of Stoughton, Massachusetts is named after him. Case files: William Stoughton

Tomorrow in Salem:  ***Sensitive Content*** DEAD: the sickly Sarah Osborne; ARRESTED: the abusive George Jacobs Sr. DISTRAUGHT: the servant Sarah Churchill

by

May 8: GOSSIP fans the flames

woman peeking through hole

Today in Salem: Two women huddle over a table in the tavern. They’ve heard the rumors about George Burroughs. He fancies himself a minister, but his own children aren’t baptized. And he never takes communion. Him! a minister! And so cruel to his wives, two of them dead now, and who knows why or how.

One woman leans in. Her husband is in the militia, and his friend told him that Burroughs can lift and aim a heavy 7-foot gun with just a finger in the end of the gun. Oh, and he also lifted a large barrel of molasses from an unsteady canoe – alone – then carried it up a slippery river bank.

Obviously George Burroughs is no ordinary minister. If the rumors are correct – and of course they are – he’s the Devil’s minister. If the witches have a ringleader, it’s Burroughs.

The women sit up and signal the tavern owner’s wife. Burroughs will be in court tomorrow and they’re not going to miss it, not for anything. Time to pay up and get home so they can make an early night of it, and be ready in the morning.

LEARN MORE: What was the role of gossip in the Salem Witchcraft Trials?

There’s no doubt that the “grapevine” was a major source – sometimes the only source – of communication between the people of Salem. While newspapers and pamphlets were available, they were typically found only in the libraries of the elite. For more ordinary people, church sermons, town meetings, and talking were the only sources of information.

Then as now, gossip also served as a “social lubricant,” which could quickly become salacious. There was one life-threatening difference, though: Today, gossip and rumors rarely make it as far as a court case, and when they do, they’re inadmissible. During the Salem Witchcraft Trials, though, rumors were accepted as evidence. Even worse, the rumors were often about someone’s specter, which was also evidence.

Imagine standing in front of a judge. He assumes you’re guilty unless proven innocent (the opposite of today’s assumptions). Now imagine a witness saying they’d heard a rumor that your specter broke the law. There’s no way to defend yourself against that, never mind prove yourself innocent. It’s no wonder that people who were arrested immediately assumed they would die. Once you were in the system, it was almost impossible to get out.

Tomorrow in Salem: JAILED: the Devil’s partner George Burroughs

by

May 7: the MOTHER of all summaries

Welcome to the new readers who’ve bravely jumped into the story of Salem this week. And to the readers who’ve been here for a while, tracking the many events and people in the story of Salem, your diligence is appreciated! This high-level recap should be helpful.

WHAT’S HAPPENED IN SALEM SO FAR

For historical tidbits that give context to the story, see Learn More.

3 young girls = 3 accusations/arrests. Three young girls (ages 9, 11, and 12) started hiding under chairs, babbling nonsense, and contorting themselves into impossible positions. They’ve accused a slave and 2 disreputable women of witchcraft.

5 teenage girls = 25 more accusations/arrests. The teenagers joined the younger girls within days. Some of the teens were traumatized from brutal wars in Maine, and could be said to have PTSD. Others had less of an excuse. Most of them had axes to grind with some of the people they accused, including 5 men.

Important trends are taking hold.

It’s a runaway train. In the first 7 weeks, 10 people were accused and arrested. In the following 7 weeks (which we’re in the midst of), it was 54. In addition, more types of people are being accused. The first were slaves, poor, or disreputable. Now they include the wealthiest man in Salem, a 4yo child, a minister, a beloved grandmother, and church members. The net will continue to widen, snaring yet more kinds of people, sometimes in different towns.

Protests are growing. In the beginning, only a couple of people spoke up against the arrests. Now a petition has been signed by 39 people. More and more people will begin to protest.

Counter-protests are stronger. The judges are digging in their heels, asking for help from authorities in Boston. More and more prominent legal officials and ministers are becoming involved.

Meanwhile … The governor is at sea, making his way home from England. He has no idea what’s waiting for him. His role in continuing and then ending the trials will be key.

WHO’S ACCUSING PEOPLE

For detailed info about the people involved, click any linked name, or go to Who’s Who.

18yo Mercy Lewis is a servant in the Putnam home. She is a traumatized orphan and refugee from the Indian Wars in Maine.

20yo Mary Warren is a servant in the Proctor home. She keeps flip-flopping between afflicted and accused, and is now in prison.

17yo Elizabeth Hubbard (an orphan who’s the doctor’s servant).

9yo Betty Parris is Rev Parris’s little daughter. She’s been sent away to live with a cousin.

12yo Ann Putnam is the girls’ unspoken leader.

11yo Abigail Williams is a tomboy who’s Rev Parris’s niece. She lives with his family.

WHO’S BEEN ACCUSED AND ARRESTED

For detailed info about the people involved, click any linked name, or go to Who’s Who.

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) – With Mary Esty, Rebecca Nurse’s younger sister. Sarah 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 – a wild child 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.

Sarah Osborne (sickly) – a scandal-ridden woman who married her servant and is trying to take her sons’ inheritance.

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) – the minister’s slave who 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.

4 other less notable people, including a slave and women from nearby towns.

VIPs

For detailed info about the people involved, click any linked name, or go to Who’s Who.

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.

Tomorrow in Salem: GOSSIP fans the flames

by

May 6: HIDING: the wealthy Philip English

counting money

Today in Salem: The wealthy Philip English is curled up under a pile of dirty laundry, opening his mouth wide and trying to breathe quietly. He’s the richest man in Salem, with a house so big that he employs 20 servants. He’s not used to indignities like this.

Philip has been hiding in his friend’s house for a week, ever since a warrant was issued for his arrest. His wife is already in jail for witchcraft, a preposterous thought. But the farmers and laborers of the Village have never felt anything but jealousy for them, so when an impoverished girl accused them, the rumors raced through the Village like fire in dry grass.

“English!” the Sheriff is shouting, over and over again. “English!” Philip can hear his friend trailing the Sheriff from room to room, insisting that he leave now, at once, until finally the door shuts and Philip can breathe again

Is it any surprise that the rich Philip English has been accused? First it was the poor and disreputable. Then it was a beloved church member. Then a minister. Now it’s the wealthiest merchant in Salem. No one has been spared.

WHO was Philip English?

Philip English, age 41, was everything that most people disliked. He was French, having changed his last name from “L’Anglois” to “English.” He was also Anglican, a member of the very church that the Puritans wanted to reform. He was extremely wealthy, even ostentatious. And he was arrogant; quick to sue people over property disputes, refusing to accept even the smallest loss.

That a French, Anglican immigrant could become the wealthiest man in Salem – run by English Puritans – rankled more than a few. So it may not have been a surprise when one of the most impoverished girls accused the wealthy Philip and his wife of witchcraft.

old house
Philip English’s house, from a drawing by Miss E. W. Dalrymple and J. R. Penniman, 1823, courtesy The Essex Institute

Mary was arrested right away, but Philip managed to evade the authorities for several weeks. Once captured, though, he and Mary were sent to jail in Boston, where, due to their wealth, they were free to roam Boston daily as long as they promised to return at night. On the day before their trial, though, they escaped to New York, aided by the Governor himself.

After the Witchcraft Trials ended, Philip English returned to Salem to discover that the Sheriff had confiscated most of his belongings, with his neighbors pilfering more than a few. English sued the Sheriff for years to regain his property, but the Sheriff died before the dispute was settled. Ultimately, of the £1,200 of lost property, only £200 was given as recompense to Philip and his heirs.

A popular myth says that English wouldn’t give up his lawsuits, and when the Sheriff died, threatened to steal his corpse and hold it for ransom. Some say he did steal the body, while others say the Sheriff was buried in his own basement for years to avoid it. Neither of these stories holds up to scholarly scrutiny.

Mary died in childbirth, a year after the Trials ended. Philip outlived her by 43 years, dying at age 85.

Tomorrow in Salem: the MOTHER of all summaries