Who Are The Real Witches Here?: The Horror of The Salem Witch Trials of 1692

In the Giles Corey article, I asked if you believed in curses. For this one, I ask if you believe in witches.  One of the most infamous cases of mass hysteria to occur in North America was in the town of Salem. What was this panic about? Witches! 

European Witchunts

Long before the arrival of the Puritans on the Mayflower, witch hunts took place in Europe. If, for instance, a baby passes away in a midwife’s arms, they could suspect her of being a witch. Many victims were burned alive at the stake. For centuries, trials like this would go on. They would not arrive in America till the 1600’s.

The Strict Life of a Puritan

Puritans were a rigorous religion. If one strayed slightly away from the ideal Puritan way, they could be shunned by the community, humiliated in public, or even die. Puritans feared two higher beings of power the most: God……and the Devil. 

Despite being a Christian religion, the Puritans were not allowed to celebrate Christmas as it was viewed as a solemn day. In most sectors of Christianity, Sunday is a day of rest and prayer. It was a day of worship for the Puritans, but you still had to work that day. 

Children were not allowed to have toys, and the only game they were allowed to play was tag. 

Under persecution in England for their beliefs, Puritans set sail to the New World and arrived in America in 1620 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. In the following years, they continued to spread around Massachusetts.

The Town of Salem

Salem was settled in 1626 and founded by Roger Conant. The name Salem comes from the Hebrew word for peace. However, the Puritans and the turmoil that would occur in Salem would prove this name ironic. In 1689, a man named Samuel Parris became the Reverend of Salem Village (now Danvers), Massachusetts.

The town of Salem would already be a fuse waiting to be set off with strict religious upbringing and fear of Native American attacks, strict Puritan ruling, and outbreaks of smallpox. In the winter of 1692, that fuse would be lit with otherworldly accusations that would take twenty souls. 

The Afflicted Girls

“These girls will make devils of us all!”

                         -John Proctor (Salem Witch Trial victim)

Reverend Parris had a nine-year-old daughter, Elizabeth “Betty” Parris. In the winter of 1692, nine-year-old Betty started going into fits, acting like a dog, and speaking in tongues. She also became ill, and her cousin Abigail Williams began to act strangely and become ill as well. 

In February, as the illnesses had not subsided, Reverend Parris got a local doctor to come in and look at the girls. He diagnosed them as being under the influence of witchcraft. 

The girls would accuse the first three people: Tibitua, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne.

Timeline of victims  

Tibitua 

Samual Parris brought a slave woman of African and Indigenous heritage from Barbados named Tibitua along with her de facto husband, John Indian. 

Tibitua would also be a source of entertainment for the restless girls seeking solace from their strict, mundane lives. She would do fortune-telling sessions with them about what men they would marry one day. It was like a girls' sleepover party in a strictly religious town where your daddy is the reverend, and he especially can’t know about it.  

When Tibitua was confronted, she did not want to face further trouble because, being a slave, she would likely face even worse punishment if she denied it. Little did Tibitua know her confession would lead to a slew of tragedy, unsuspecting victims of this hysteria. To be spared from harsher punishment, she confessed to being a witch. She also states that Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne forced her to write her name in the Devil’s book.  

She was thrown in jail for over a year, but afterward, Tibitua slid through the history records.

Sarah Good  and Dorothy Good 

Sarah Good lived homeless and begged that her first husband’s debt be paid so that the property could be sold. She often acted embittered and muttered about whether or not someone had given her charity. Her husband, William Good, also claimed she was a witch due to her behavior in his testimony. 

The reason many speculate that Sarah was accused as a witch so quickly was not only due to her behavior but also because of her lower class status. 

Her four-year-old daughter Dorothy Good would also be accused of being a witch. She said she had a pet snake her mother gave her and would feed drops of blood, too. The officials took it as her having a familiar. For those who do not know what that means, a familiar is a spiritual servant of a witch that takes the form of an animal. Common animals associated with witches are cats, though other animals can be familiars, too. She would be the youngest accused victim in the trial. By the time she was raised, she witnessed her mother give birth to her sister for her sister to die, then would eventually see her mother taken away to be executed. When she would be released that December, she would leave traumatized for the rest of her life. 

Sarah Osborne 

Elizabeth Hubbard would accuse Sarah of tormenting her. Sarah Good would also claim Sarah Osborne to be a witch. The court used Sarah’s lack of church attendance against her, while she did not attend due to an illness that is speculated to be depression. Sarah would be among the first casualties of the witch trials and pass away while still in jail. 

Rebecca Nurse 

The next poor soul to face the judges would be Rebecca Nurse. While the girls were allegedly possessed by “Rebecca’s spirit,” the real Rebecca Nurse, a frail old woman, was in her home bedridden for the few days they claimed she did her evil deed. More community members were outraged by this accusation because, unlike the previously accused, Rebecca and her husband were upstanding members of the Puritan community. Unfortunately, the community support would not spare her from the noose. It also did not help that poor Rebecca was hard of hearing; otherwise, she might have answered differently. The afflicted girls claimed that Rebecca would somehow retaliate against them if she were set free. She was sentenced to be hanged. 

Elizabeth Proctor 

Elizabeth Proctor would be standing before the court in early April. In early March, Mary Warren, who was Proctor's servant around that time, started claiming to see the ghost of Giles Corey. Elizabeth’s husband, John, called it B.S. and gave her more work. Later on, in March, Mercy Lewis and Abigail Williams claimed to see Elizabth’s specter and that she would torment them. She was thrown in jail but would, later on, be spared from the noose as it was postponed due to her being pregnant, and eventually, her conviction would be overturned. The same would not be said for her husband, though. 

Bridget Bishop

Bridget was not a favorable community member at times, as she wore brighter clothes than the average Puritan should wear. Many who accused her claimed her spirit would get violent towards her. Another common form of evidence the Puritans used to prove if someone was a witch was to check markings on one's body. She had a third nipple, so the court believed she was a witch. 

Mary Easty

Mary Easty was the sister of Rebecca Nurse. Similar to her sister, people were outraged at the accusation of her being a witch due to her religious virtue and not being argumentative. Often, during the trial, not just one individual was accused, but the entire family as well. Her being a sister to Rebecca was what led her to the accusation. People rallied for her freedom and she was set free temporarily, only to be short-lived when Mercy Lewis claimed to experience afflictions seeing the specter of Mary Easty tormenting her. Her reaction was so violent that those around her thought she would die. Unfortunately, Mary was back in jail and would join her sister at the gallows. 

George Burroughs

Among the accused, a minister would be one of them, George Burroughs. Abigail Williams claimed his specter visited her at night and confessed to her of killing his first two wives and another family. Mercy Lewis also claimed that spirits approached her and said George murdered them. When George entered the courtroom, the afflicted girls began acting tormented. At one point, when he was instructed to look at Susannah Sheldon, she collapsed. Things did not end well for him.

Martha Corey

MaMarthaorey will be in front of the court next. She was openly critical of the Witch Trial proceedings, and it then so happens that Ann Putman Jr. claimed to have seen Martha Corey’s specter with Satan whispering in her ear. Her husband Giles would even claim Martha had been acting strange recently, as the animals started acting weird every time she prayed. She would be thrown in jail and sentenced to execution by hanging. 

John Proctor 

John Proctor is the husband of the accused, Elizabeth Proctor. John was among the other few outspoken Puritans to speculate the girls were faking the affliction. He was also an open critic of Reverend Samuel Parris and wanted to see him gone. 

Abigail Hobbs

Abigail was a teen who was next accused of being a witch and tormenting Mercy Lewis. She pointed fingers at John Proctor and George Burroughs. 

Giles Corey

Eventually, Giles was also accused of being a wizard, with the afflicted girls moving every time he moved his head. He went on to accuse the girls of lying and even started to realize that his wife may not have been a witch either. However, the realization came too late, and he was imprisoned. 

A few months later, Giles Corey would be pressed to death as he continued to neither plead guilty nor not guilty. His death was the most unusual out of the witch trial victims as the other accused were typically hanged for their non-existent crimes. He did this so his property would not go to the court, and they could inherit his land. There is also supposedly a curse that happened as a result of his death. I did a previous article on Giles Corey.  One detail I did leave out was even though the sons got the land, Sheriff George Corwin, the guy who put Giles to death, kept harassing them, and to avoid trouble, they gave him the assets.  

Margaret Scott

She was a woman in her mid-70s who lost her first husband in her twenties and remarried Benjamin Scott. When he passed, she never remarried and, like the other victims, was targeted based on her status as a beggar. Margaret was accused by two of her neighbors and one servant. One claimed that two cows died and believed she had something to do with it. 

Alice Parker

Alice Parker was the wife of a fisherman and would be brought before the court when Mary Warren accused her of confiding in her of using witchcraft to sink a ship at sea and murdering a couple of people. Alice never said those things and even said in her own words, “I never spoke a word to her in my life.” Unfortunately, fruitless evidence did hold up in court and would inevitably meet the end of a noose.

Ann Pudeator 

Another victim of Mary Warren’s accusation would be a wealthy widower, Ann Pudeator. She accused her of having her specter give poppets to her and told her to torment Mary Walcott and Mercy Lewis. She also claimed she was responsible for her two husbands' deaths as a result of witchcraft. 

Wilmott Redd

The afflicted girls accused another victim in court. She was a fisherman's wife and a gossip target due to her odd nature. Sometimes, she would take small jobs to help with income. There is one claim she once wished a bloody cleaver would be found in a children's cradle. Some alleged that a cleaver would appear before a child would be sick or die. It was probably to no one’s surprise that the outlandish rumors would catch up to her and she would be accused of having her specter torment the afflicted girls. She would also meet her demise as a result of this. Today, a pond called Redd’s Pond is located at the bottom of the Old Burial Hill, named after the Redd family as they lived near the pond.   

Samuel Wardwell

If anyone were remotely into any form of harmless magic like the next victim, Samuel Wardwell, the wrong time would have been 1692. He would entertain the local children with folk magic such as fortune telling. When the trials started, he knew that his hobby would have him entertaining a judge, so he would become paranoid about getting in trouble. Questions would arise when a local woman, Elizabeth Phelps, was ill for some time. He asked John Ballard, his brother-in-law, if he would be considered responsible for Elizabeth's illness. This comment made John suspicious. When questioned by the court, he first confessed he signed the Devil’s book and afflicted Martha Sprague but then would try to say he lied. He would also meet the noose regardless of his plea or confession change. 

Mary Parker

Widow from Andover Mary Parker was a casualty in the domino effect due to accusations. The afflicted witnesses claimed they would be afflicted, and then she would “cure” them when she touched them. There was even a touch test to prove whether or not someone was a witch, and since that also was held up, Mary, too, would see the gallows. 

Elizabeth Howe

Elizabeth Howe was among one of the victims to have been accused before of witchcraft. A decade prior, she was accused of being responsible for the torture and eventual death of a 10-year-old girl despite little to no evidence. No charges were ever pressed against her, but the rumors tarnished her image.  When she wanted to join a congregation, she faced skepticism of being a witch.  Ten years later, she was among the accused in the Salem Witch Trials. During the trials, the afflicted girls claimed they got pricked and pinched by something invisible to the naked eye. She was guilty and sentenced to death. 

Susannah Martin

Susannah Martin was a widow who lived 20 miles away from Salem Village and had an unfavorable history with neighbors. Many accused her of being a witch due to her aggressive nature. Rumors claimed she drowned a man’s oxen by biting a man’s hand. She ridiculed those who accused her of being a witch. She, too, would have her fate sealed by the court. While she was called by Cotton Mather one of the most wicked creatures in the world, she was, in truth, the opposite, a virtuous, hard-working woman till her untimely death.

Martha Carrier

Martha Carrier would be the first person from Andover to be accused of being a witch. She was known to be argumentative with neighbors and that either they would either become sick or something would happen to their livestock after the encounter. It also did not help that she had a brother-in-law who practiced folk magic. Martha’s eldest sons were first arrested and accused. According to John Proctor, they were brutally tortured until they confessed that they would, unfortunately, have their mother see court next. She was brought to the court with accusers claiming Satan offered her the position of “Queen of Hell.” Martha was the next unfortunate soul to lose her life to this. 

George Jacobs Sr.

George Jacobs Sr. was the oldest victim accused of witchcraft. Sarah Churchill, his servant, accused George and his family of practicing witchcraft. Mercy Lewis claimed George’s specter would beat her with a walking stick. He, too, was sentenced.

Execution dates 

Throughout the trial, over 200 people were accused. However, twenty would be executed, and five more would lose their lives while being held in jail. Unlike accused witches in Europe, there are no records of anyone being burned at the stake in America. Instead, the accused were sentenced to be hanged. The death sentences would take place at Proctor’s Ledge.

July 19th, 1692- Rebecca Nurse (71), Susannah Martin  (70), Elizabeth Howe (56), Sarah Good (39), and Sarah Wildes (65) are hanged at Proctor’s Ledge.

August 19th, 1692—One month later, George Jacobs (83), Martha Carrier (42), George Burroughs (40), John Proctor (59), and John Willard (35) would also be hanged.

September 19, 1692- Giles Corey (80) dies after prolonged torture of being pressed to death for several days after failing to plead guilty or not guilty.

September 22, 1692- Martha Cory (72), Margaret Scott (76), Mary Easty (58), Alice Parker(age unknown), Ann Pudeator (71), Wilmott Redd (age unknown), Samuel Wardwell (49) and Mary Parker(56) were hanged. 

In total, fourteen women were hanged, five men were hanged, and one man was pressed to death. 

Ending 

As the horrible year progressed in the fall, more and more of the townsfolk started to resent the witch trial and the court's handling of it. After much pushback in December 16th, the court determined that spectral evidence would no longer be valid in the eyes of the court.

Over the years, the town of Salem would still suffer from the pain of the 1692 trials. It would take years for the court to pay retributions to the victims' families. Many were ordered released after the trials ended, however some were still locked up as they were not able to pay court fees.

One of the afflicted girls confessed that she made up her affliction just for kicks. 

Years later, in 1706, Ann Putumn Jr., at 27, wished to join the Salem Village Church. In front of the congregation, she apologized for her actions during the trials. 

It would not be until the last victims of the trials would legally have their names cleared from any charges of witchcraft.

Is there scientific evidence that the girls could have seen things because they ate moldy bread?

In 1976, there was a science article published that the afflicted girls in the Salem Witch Trials were displaying symptoms similar to ergotism.  Ergot is a fungus that grows on rye in the right conditions. When consumed, the person can experience hallucinations, muscle spasms,ulsions, and severe diarrhea. The afflicted girls shared some of these characteristics with the symptoms; symptoms hence, the Moldy Bread theory started to seem more realistic based on the time of year and how food storage was back then. The theory would be debunked, however, as the original article did not consider that “afflictions” went outside the realm of Salem. Still, many believe this theory, even though it is disproven.

Cultural impact 

The event was adapted into a play by Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, where the main character is centered around John Proctor. Miller was influenced to do a play about it as America was going through the Iron C stuff with Russia. It is because of this that caused ple to accuse others of communism. Miller used the play as an allegory for the McCaring during that time. He was even questioned at one point in 1956, T by the Committee on Un-American Activities if he was a communist. 

The event also inspired the Disney movie Hocus Pocus and its sequel, but unlike the real Salem Witch Trials, three actual witches called the Sander Sisters terrorized Salem. 

A memorial has been dedicated to the victims of the trial next to Charter Street cemetery—they go in a circle where the names of the victims and how they died are engraved. People leave flowers and coins to honor the victims. 

What made Salem a hotbed for those interested in witches was when a Wic

Good PR for Witches in Recent Years

Unlike centuries or even decades ago, witches and warlocks have become a more acceptable cultural phenomenon, especially with fictional witches.

In Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz, Dorthy is pursued by the Wicked Witch of the West but gets help and guidance from the Good Witch of the North. The Harry Potter series focuses on a boy who goes to a magic school for witches and wizards. The characters in the series are either good, evil, or neutral, just like people are. Both franchises illustrate that being a witch doesn’t necessarily mean they are terrible or lousy. 

In Italy, a witch called La Befana appears at Christmas to give toys to children, essentially their version of Santa Claus. 

While most societies have come to revere witches, there are still some who view them negatively or associate them with evil. As of 2024, countries like Saudi Arabia still have laws against witchcraft, which is punishable by death.  

Wicca

There is a religion dedicated to actual witches called Wicca. Wicca is a neopagan religion and, unlike many think, does not involve any devil worshiping. It’s a modern religion that is based on the celebration of seasons and equinoxes. For example, Samhain would be at this time, Halloween in the fall and Yule would be around Christmas in the winter. The religion focuses on honoring gods and goddesses. 

In 1971, Wiccan High Priestess Laurie Cabot opened the first Witch Shop in Salem, selling tarot cards, herbs, and other witchy-related things. She became involved with activism in 1986 by founding the Witches' League for Public Awareness to counteract the negative perception of witches in pop culture. This was in response to a released film called The Witches of Eastwick, which went as far as to claim that they are not actual witches being represented. 

Salem Today and the Salem Witch Museum

Today, the town of Salem is far different from its past inhabitants. Many citizens and visitors are more open-minded to the strange and different. In modern-day Salem, it becomes Woodstock in October, where the morbidly curious flock to experience Salem’s culture and past. Several museums are dedicated to discussing the Witches; one I visited was the Salem Witch Museum.

The Salem Witch Museum was founded in 1972 in an old church. Visitors sit in a theater surrounded by dioramas showcasing the events that unfolded during the Salem Witch. Afterward, guests are taken to another part of the museum that shows a more in-depth understanding of witches and the wrongly accused. Towards the end of the exhibit, there is a Witch Hunt Wall. It compares the Witch Trials to similar modern-day events with the formula Fear + Trigger = Scapegoat. Here is one example:

     Fear      +     Trigger  =    Scapegoat

    Japan    +     Pearl Harbor = Japanese Americans

This is a personal ovation, but it would be a personal gain if I could add one more thing to the equation. One of the everyday things I have noticed with the witch hunts, metaphorical or not, is that usually there is some sort of incentive for someone who condemns someone of being a witch or something else. Usually, it’s either power or money. During the trials, the court would seize property; even after the trials were over, they kept people until they paid bond. 

Quick Tip: If you plan on going to the Salem Witch Museum, they sell same-day tickets, but you must purchase them at midnight the day you want to do the tour. Otherwise, they sell out quickly. 

Also, parking gets insane in Salem during September and October, so arrive before 9 a.m., or you will be riding around town for an hour or two looking for parking. 

Conclusion 

Many, including myself, have an extensive takeaway about the trial: history repeats itself. While many events throughout history would be considered metaphorical witch hunts, Salem represents when paranoia takes over society and common sense goes out the window. 

Links:

https://salemwitchmuseum.com/