Witchcraft Trials in Salem Village (1692–1693)

The largest case of witchcraft mania in America, and one of the most famous incidents in colonial American history, in which uncorroborated accusations, mostly by children, sparked a mass delusion that resulted in the executions of 20 people and the imprisonment of several hundred more.

Those supposedly afflicted:

Ann Putnam (c. 1680–1716), daughter of Ann Putnam (also afflicted) and Thomas Putnam (parish clerk).

Elizabeth Parris (c. 1683–?). Name variations: Betsy. Daughter of Samuel Parris (a minister).

Rebecca Nurse (1621–1692). Name variations: Rebecca Nourse.

Abigail Williams (c. 1681–?). Lived in the Parris house.

As well as Mary Walcott (c. 1675–?), Elizabeth Hubbard (c. 1674–?), Elizabeth Booth (1675–?), Susannah Sheldon (c. 1675–?), Mary Warren, and Mercy Lewis.

Those condemned:

Sarah Osburn or Osborne; Giles and Martha Corey; Dorcas Goode.

Those executed:

Bridget Bishop, Sarah Goode, Sarah Wildes, Elizabeth How, Susanna Martin, Rebecca Nurse, George Burroughs, John Proctor, George Jacobs, Sr., Mary Parker, John Willard, Giles Corey, Martha Carrier, Martha Corey, Mary Easty, Alice Parker, Ann Pudeator, Margaret Scott, Wilmot Reed, Samuel Wardwell.

By the end of the 18th century, two million people in the Christian world had been executed for witchcraft. In the time of Elizabeth I , those convicted were pilloried on first offense and executed for a second transgression. In the time of James I, those convicted on first offense were punished by death. The Puritans of Massachusetts, being English subjects of James I, lived under this law.

Puritanism was an important force in the religion and politics of England in the 17th century. Most Puritans were members of the Church of England who strenuously objected to its rituals and rites. Some Puritans felt it was their duty to "purify" (i.e. "de-Catholicize") the Anglican Church. Other Puritans were "separatists," who broke with the Church of England and created their own "Congregational" churches which were organized after what they believed was the pattern of the New Testament.

Puritans were to some extent Calvinists; that is, they believed in predestination. Predestination involved the conviction that God elected or chose certain individuals to be saved, while condemning the non-elect to damnation. It was the duty of all Puritans to live their lives in accordance with God's will, thereby demonstrating evidence of their election. The Puritans held the Bible to be the only infallible guide to God's will, and his ministers the only authoritative interpreters. The most adventurous of these Puritans crossed the Atlantic Ocean to Massachusetts in order to establish "a godly society" where Puritan ideals would govern every aspect of private and public life.

Ironically, the Puritans, who had left England because of religious persecution, persecuted anyone who did not agree with their beliefs. They felt "that since their religion was the truest, the devil was most anxious to destroy it," wrote Shirley Jackson . They also believed that "most people outside the Puritan faith were helping the devil's cause because they were not strict enough." Like many others, Anne Hutchinson was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638 following conviction of heresy.

After the Puritans of Massachusetts began to break away from England's governance by minting their own money and settling legal disputes, the British sent Sir Edmund Andros to govern. When he declared that many land titles negotiated by colonists were worthless, they tossed him in prison for several months. Forthwith, England revoked their charter as a colony, casting more doubt on the legality of owner land rights. Increase Mather, president of Harvard College, was sent to Britain to negotiate a new charter. His son Cotton Mather, a passionate Boston Puritan who had developed a keen interest in studying cases of diabolical possession, had published some of his results in Memorial Providences, Relating to Witchcrafts and Possessions, as well as at least two other books on the subject. Although he would later strongly disapprove of the Salem judges' slaughter based on circumstantial evidence, his studies no doubt contributed to the panic over witchcraft in the first place. Cotton Mather, who entered into lively debates with Satan and then published them, was regarded by some as a hero for his valiant battles. Thus, his sermons helped set the climate for the events that took place in a small borough about a day's journey by horseback from Boston.

All this talk of demons had made the people of Salem Village uneasy. The winter of 1692 had been a hard one: villagers were jittery from Indian killings, rumors abounded about an imminent war with France, and pirates off the coast were interfering with trade. There had also been a great deal of spiritual infighting as well as family feuds. The townspeople had been so parsimonious and strict with their ministers that few would serve there. Though the new minister Samuel Parris was backed by half the town, the other half grumblingly took to attending church in nearby villages.

The life of the town was severe, revolving around work and religion. Pleasure and amusement were considered blasphemous. Wednesday evenings and most of Sunday were spent in church where Parris gave three-hour sermons on the work of the devil. Education consisted mostly of Bible study. Fifty years earlier, at a Salem town meeting, two attendees had been appointed to scout the town on Sunday and take note of those not attending church.

When a minister of a neighboring town was too lenient with a case of witchcraft (he told the accused to go home and behave), some conjectured that such a minister might be friendly with the dark forces. "This incident demonstrated an attitude toward witchcraft which contributed enormously to every witchcraft epidemic in history," wrote Jackson. "Anyone who defended or sympathized with or said a good word for a witch was automatically suspected."

The kindling for the eruption in Salem Village could be found in Parris' kitchen. Here the minister's cook Tituba , a slave who grew up in the West Indies and had been converted to Christianity from her voodoo faith, regaled Parris' nine-year-old daughter Elizabeth Parris and her friends with stories. Elizabeth's closest friend was Abigail Williams , her 11-year-old cousin who lived with them. Abigail's closest friend, 17-year-old Mary Walcott , was, like many of the others, heavily influenced by 12-year-old Ann Putnam . From most reports, Ann Putnam was filled with sweetness and light around adults but coldly cruel to peers. She wielded inordinate power over the others who gathered in that kitchen—Mercy Lewis, Mary Warren, Elizabeth Hubbard, Elizabeth Booth , and Susannah Sheldon —despite the fact that they were older. All were around 17 or 18 and worked as servants in village homes.

When Tituba began to tell them Biblical stories filtered through the lens of her childhood voodoo religion, several girls, including Elizabeth Parris, felt that they were doing something wrong, especially when Tituba told their fortunes by reading their palms. But Ann Putnam could not have been clearer. If Elizabeth Parris found it necessary to relieve her guilt by telling adults what was going on in that kitchen, Ann Putnam would personally see to it that Elizabeth Parris regretted it for the duration of her life.

Elizabeth held her tongue, and the girls learned about charms and how to make their hair curl and the meaning of dreams. Soon the adults of the village began to notice strange behavior in these girls: they seemed nervous, they cried easily, and they were prone to nightmares. Elizabeth Parris, especially, was prone to bad dreams and began to refuse the meals prepared by Tituba, saying they were poisoned. She would sit in a trance, then suddenly cringe and scream. Her father called in Dr. Griggs. After much inspection, Dr. Griggs diagnosed a bad case of witchcraft.

The other girls, now fearful that Elizabeth was about to expose them, took on the pallor of terror. By evening, news had spread that Ann Putnam had also been bewitched. The diagnosis of witchcraft had been a fortunate diversion for the kitchen ensemble. Those who had thought they were on the brink of severe punishment had been reprieved. By the next day, Mercy Lewis, Mary Warren, Abigail Williams, Mary Walcott, Elizabeth Hubbard, Elizabeth Booth, and Susannah Sheldon all seemed to be in a state of agitation. It was becoming increasingly certain that someone in the village had bewitched the entire pack.

Parris called a gathering of ministers from other towns. When the girls were brought before them, they shouted and were unintelligible. Parris begged them to confess who had done this. Finally, they all agreed: it was Tituba. Then Mercy Lewis, for good measure, threw out two more names, Sarah Goode and Sarah Osburn . The girls once more agreed.

Sarah Goode was an excellent candidate. Poor and half-crazed, she begged door-to-door with her children; she also cursed those who would not contribute. Sarah Osburn, however, lived on an outlying farm and was a respectable citizen—though, upon villager reflection, it was true she spent an inordinate amount of time sick in bed. And she could be cross. Come to think of it, she was also slovenly; she kept a messy house.

On February 29, 1692, warrants were issued for Goode, Osburn, and Tituba—signed by Joseph Hutchinson, Thomas Preston, and Thomas and Edward Putnam, father and uncle to Ann. Meanwhile, Minister Parris, who feared for his daughter, continued to fill his sermons with the evil and danger of witchcraft, while the girls wandered the village screaming, writhing, and throwing themselves on the ground and against walls.

There was a preliminary examination to determine whether or not there was enough evidence. In those days, in lieu of confession, "spectral evidence" was admissible. If a ghost, resembling the accused, appeared to another of the afflicted, it was regarded as undisputable proof that the accused was practicing witchcraft. If the accused protested, it was further proof. The harboring of witches' tools, like owning dolls, was further proof. Past comments could be brought up and analyzed in this new light. To give added heft to the investigation, Ann Putnam's mother (also named Ann Putnam) had joined the ranks of the afflicted.

On March 1, 1692, in front of presiding magistrate John Hathorne, an ancestor of author Nathaniel Hawthorne and a thinly disguised subject of his House of Seven Gables, and second magistrate Jonathan Corwin, the examinations were held in the Meeting House of Salem Village. The magistrates sat in front, most of the villagers in back, and the afflicted in the first row. When the prisoners Sarah Goode, Sarah Osburn and Tituba were brought in and placed before the magistrates, all pled not guilty.

Sarah Goode was the first to be examined. Since the records of the trials are still in existence, it is possible to quote responses verbatim. When asked if she were a witch, Goode replied that she was "falsely accused." But when the girls were asked if she was "the person who hurts you?" Ann Putnam jumped up, screamed, and then fell on the floor wailing for help. The other children followed suit. "She is pulling my arm," screamed Putnam, "pulling my arm and biting me because I told on her." They then began to fling themselves against walls. "She is going to bite Mary Warren," warned Mercy Lewis. Mary Warren let out a shriek. Finally, when the constables were ordered to turn Sarah Goode so that she would be unable to look at them, the girls became calm. Sarah Goode was dismayed and probably terrified. When asked again who was tormenting the children, she replied, "It was Osburn."

They brought in Sarah Osburn but had her keep her back to the children. Osburn admitted that she had once been frightened in her sleep "by a man all black, which did pinch me and pull my hair." When she turned to implore the spectators, "Will no one defend me?," the girls in the front row shrieked and wailed anew.

Tituba, with her earrings and colorful turban, was next. Upon hearing of Elizabeth Parris' affliction, Tituba cried and wanted to help all she could. She confessed that the devil had come to her and asked if she'd serve him. "There are four women who hurt the children," she said. "And a tall black man from Boston. They tell me if I will not hurt the children they will hurt me." She told the magistrates she'd been visited by apparitions—a black dog, a yellow bird, a black cat and a red cat—and the black man from Boston and four witches had pulled her to the Putnam house and made her pinch little Ann. At that point, Ann Putnam rose up and loudly corroborated the pinch. The other children said they'd seen the black man from Boston and, come to think of it, at least two of the witches. "No one stopped to wonder at the time," wrote Jackson, "how they all knew that the black man was from Boston, but they were all positive on that point."

Asked how they traveled, Tituba said that they "all rode upon sticks." Sarah Goode, she said, was given one of the yellow birds but Osburn's bird had a head like a woman and two legs and wings. Tituba continued to testify long into the day, agreeing with any suggestion. When the townsfolk left the meeting house, their purpose was clear; there were now two more witches unaccounted for.

For two weeks, the people of Salem observed their neighbors while the girls became more and more adept at possession. On March 7, the first three witches were carted to Boston and locked in prison. Those who had not attended the examinations were prime suspects. Those who did not believe in witchcraft had the most to fear. On March 19, 1692, a warrant was issued for the elderly Martha Corey . Martha Corey had not been in attendance; Martha Corey had boldly said that she "scorned to watch what she could not believe."

Goodwife Martha Corey was a departure from those previously named. She was educated, intelligent, highly regarded in the church, and could only laugh in amazement when the constables came to her house. Corey continued to believe that reason would prevail when she appeared in front of the magistrate and the town for her preliminary examination. Since it was common knowledge that witches could not pray, she told the judge she would answer all his questions, but first she would pray. But at that moment, Ann Putnam shouted: "Look, there is a black man whispering in her ear. Do you not see him?" When Magistrate Hathorne asked, "What did he say to you, when he whispered in your ear?" "Martha Corey smiled a little before she answered," wrote Jackson.

At last she replied, "We must not believe all that these distracted children say." Her voice was patient, and she held out one hand to Judge Hathorne, as though she was sure he would understand. Immediately, in imitation of the gesture, Ann Putnam's arms were forced out in front of her and held stiff. Then the arms of the other girls stretched out. And as long as Martha Corey held out her hand, the arms of the afflicted children were held taut and rigid, while they begged Goody Corey to let them go.

Martha Corey had been allowed one brief prayer before entering the room for the examination. She had asked that the blindness of the judges be removed so they could see the truth. Apprised of this, Hathorne was indignant and asked her continually throughout what she meant by her statement that "the magistrate's eyes were blinded and I will open them?" Bound in chains, she was taken to prison. When her husband Giles Corey stood up for her, he too was escorted to Boston.

Religious old Rebecca Nurse was next. Rebecca Nurse, who had been regarded by most in the village as a saint, had quietly begun attending church in Topsfield, instead of the Salem Meeting House, after the first examinations were held. Rebecca Nurse was brought from her sickbed to stand before the magistrates. Over 70 and nearly deaf, she could not hear the questions; instead, she could only supply simple, pious answers to her accusers. Though some in the delegation were having trouble accepting Rebecca Nurse as a witch, Ann Putnam grew animated in her attack. Mary Walcott and Elizabeth Hubbard also swore that Goody Nurse had come into one of their rooms and sat on their chest to suffocate them. Rebecca Nurse stood in stunned silence. Wrote Jackson:

During the first few trials, the afflicted children had confined their demonstrations to short periods of time, and between fits they were reasonably docile. However, with the trial of Rebecca Nurse, and urged on by the malice of Ann Putnam senior, their performances became largely uncontrollable. From that time on, the examinations were conducted through the unceasing howling and acrobatics of the children. Much of the court record shows gaps in the testimony, where the questions could not be heard because of the din in the room.

Rebecca Nurse went to prison, followed by Dorcas Goode , the daughter of Sarah Goode. Dorcas Goode had not met with a formal examination because it would have been futile to question her; Dorcas Goode was four years old. Another woman was arrested because in an earlier argument with her husband he had said she was bewitched. The next Sunday, Sarah Cloyse (also seen as Cloyce), sister of Rebecca Nurse, stood up in the middle of a typical Parris sermon about devils loose in the church and marched out. She was in prison within the week. They imprisoned Abigail Hobbs and her father and mother, as well as Mary Easty , sister of Rebecca Nurse and Sarah Cloyse. When Philip English and his wife were named by a man who had lost a lawsuit to him, the couple escaped to New York. Then Elizabeth Proctor was accused. Elizabeth Proctor was the wife of John Proctor who had once whipped Mary Warren. "The principal witness against Elizabeth Proctor was to be, strangely enough," wrote Jackson, "Mary Warren, who had waited a long time to get even."

Six weeks had passed. On April 11, court reconvened. But there had been a great deal of publicity over the doings in Salem Village, and the deputy-governor of the State of Massachusetts, Thomas Danforth, was now presiding, along with four new judges in addition to Hathorne and Corwin. Within five months, 200 to 300 more were imprisoned to await trial. The records of the examinations are still extant, replete with the disorder, the cries of the girls who could not be restrained, the constant interruptions and accusations.

It was Mary Warren who dropped the next bombshell. After the Proctors were remanded to prison to stand trial, Mary Warren had trouble living with the guilt. She confessed, admitting she "did but dissemble," that all the doings with the others were fake. Immediately, Mary was declared a witch and bound for trial. Clearly, she was not going to be believed. Her only recourse was to say that she had lied when she accused the others of perfidy. Mary Warren repented and recanted her confession.

The trials were about to begin. The new royal governor was Sir William Phips who appointed a Special Court. In June, the trial opened in Salem, with Cotton Mather attending. Rebecca Nurse, whose sickly condition had worsened while in prison, was the first to appear. She was now charged with murder by witchcraft. She stood accused of killing two Salem Villagers. When some testified that they were at the bedside of her supposed victims who had died a peaceful death, the jury found her not guilty. But, even though there was now order imposed in the court and the girls had been stifled, the judges ordered the jury to reconvene and reconsider their verdict. The jury then found Rebecca Nurse guilty. Sarah Goode, the Proctors, George Burroughs (a former minister in Salem who had not been liked by some), and Martha Corey were all tried and found guilty. Giles Corey was so outraged he refused to speak, even to answer how he pled.

By September 22, 1692, 19 had been executed publicly, hanged on Gallows Hill outside Salem. "Not one person who confessed to practicing witchcraft was executed," wrote Jackson. "The persons executed were those who insisted upon their innocence." Those hanged were Bridget Bishop, Sarah Goode, Sarah Wildes, Elizabeth How, Susanna Martin, Rebecca Nurse, George Burroughs, John Proctor, George Jacobs, Sr., Mary Parker, John Willard, Martha Carrier, Martha Corey, Mary Easty, Alice Parker, Ann Pudeator, Margaret Scott, Wilmot Reed, and Samuel Wardwell. Sarah Osburn had died in prison. Then a man in the town of Andover asked the girls to come there. His wife was sick and he wanted to see if witchcraft was involved. The plague went to Andover and 40 warrants were written.

Some think the turning point was the death of Giles Corey. He was pressed to death, crushed by rocks placed on his chest when he refused to plead guilty or not guilty. Then too, the girls began to cry out against the wrong people: Judge Corwin's mother-in-law; the wife of Sir William Phips; Mrs. Hale, the wife of Mr. Hale, an enthusiastic witch hunter. Some Andoverites filed for slander; the legality of "spectral evidence" came into question. A new court met in January 1693 and began to release prisoners; no one was found guilty in the new round of trials. In May, Sir William Phips issued a proclamation freeing 150, but they first had to pay jail and court fees and board for their time in prison. Some could not pay to get out; others were penniless by the time of their release and their property had been seized. Those with means fled the area, the care of the village declined, and farms were abandoned. Ann Putnam the elder died shortly after the hangings. Ann Putnam the younger lived the rest of her life in Salem Village, a semi-invalid. She publicly repented in 1706. Some of the jury had repudiated their participation years before, as had one of the magistrates.

"Although there were witchcraft trials and executions in England for a dozen years longer, and for as long as a hundred years more in some parts of Europe," wrote Jackson, "Massachusetts had taken the first step to end persecution. The state and its citizens had shown that although they had acted in panic, they were honestly prepared to confess their error, and make what restitution they could. Moreover, they had demonstrated that spectral evidence, guilt by association, and a belief that the prisoner was guilty before he was tried, are not means to be used in fighting any evil, no matter how frightening it may seem." On March 5, 1954, the lower house of the Massachusetts legislature cleared six of the women hanged as witches.

sources:

Jackson, Shirley. The Witchcraft of Salem Village. NY: Random House, 1956.

Morison, Samuel Eliot. Oxford History of the American People. Oxford University Press, 1968.

Smithsonian. April 1992, p. 116.

suggested reading:

Carlson, Laurie Winn. A Fever in Salem: A New Interpretation of the New England Witch Trials. Ivan R. Dee, 1999.

related media:

The Crucible (play) by Arthur Miller, opened at the Martin Beck Theater on January 22, 1953, starring Beatrice Straight as Elizabeth Proctor (replaced by Maureen Stapleton ), Arthur Kennedy as John Proctor, Madeleine Sherwood as Abigail Williams, and Jacqueline Andre as Tituba. (In the play, Miller was largely faithful to the court transcripts. He did, however, change Abigail Williams' age and create a relationship between her and John Proctor.)

Crucible (film), starring Winona Ryder , Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Schofield, and Bruce Davison, produced by 20th Century-Fox, 1996. Les Sorcières de Salem, French movie adaptation of Miller's play by Jean-Paul Sartre, starring Simone Signoret , 1957.

"Three Sovereigns for Sarah" (3 hrs.), PBS drama, starring Vanessa Redgrave as Sarah Cloyce, with Phyllis Thaxter and Kim Hunter .