The Salem witch accusations began in 1692 in Massachusetts Bay in a small, isolated community. Those involved were mainly uneducated and brought up in a radical puritanical environment where the preacher regularly spoke of the devil. The first to succumb to this hysteria was a 13 year old girl named Goodwin who thought some missing linen had been stolen by a washer-maid. The washer-maid's mother, a church going Roman Catholic, fiercely defended her daughter. Goodwin's brothers and sisters started to have fits and said they sometimes saw the washer-maid coming down the chimney! She was the first to be accused, sent for trial, tortured and hanged.
Young children in Samual Parris's family started acting strangely, so their father used fasting and prayer. The children said Tituba, the Negro servant woman was afflicting them. Sarah Goode, a woman described as 'melancholy and distracted' and a bedridden old woman called Osborne were accused. These three women were committed and sent for trial. The words of the women were twisted, their actions exaggerated ad untenable accusations made against them. Tituba confessed to being in a coven meeting on a day she was confined in prison. Accusers spoke of being bitten by a particular woman who had no teeth! Confusion turned to madness! Accusations mainly by children of apparitions and invisible happenings and visits during sleep, yellow birds which suck blood and other claims followed, none with a viable defense. Goody Nurse was an exemplary wife and mother but neither her husband nor her sisters came forward to defend her from accusations. One sister would be accused herself in time anyway. A man called Williard had been employed in the arrests and refused to arrest any more women. He was accused, tortured, brought to trial and hanged.
A very strong man named Burroughs bragged about his fine physique and strength. He was accused of consorting with the devil on account of this. They said because 'it was not considered possible for him to perform such feats without the aid of the devil'. From the scaffold, he made such an impassioned plea concerning his generous character, the preacher controlled the crows by telling them that sometimes the devil 'masqueraded as an angel of light!'
Torture was thought necessary to secure a confession. Victims were pricked all over their body with a pin to find a place without pain that was called 'the devil's mark', a place where witches familiars fed from. Those who retracted their confession under oath were accused of perjury and found guilty and hanged immediately, those who did not retract were thrown into prison to await trail.
Many of those who made accusations were themselves accused. Martha Carrier's children who had been accusers, were subjected to torture before their confession was extracted. No-one was exempt. All sorts of racial, religious and sexual bigotry escalated into threats, accusations and counter-accusations. Of that small community of extended families, 19 were hanged, one pressed to death. 8 died while awaiting the hangman's noose. 50 'confessed' to being witches. 150 were imprisoned and 20 more were accused. These were finally set free but without a pardon!
Nineteen years later, the preacher was once again whipping up religious fervor with the use of the devil in his preaching so 52 householders and 18 church members called for his removal accusing him of being "the procurer of the sorest afflictions, not only to this village, but to the whole country, that ever could befall them". He refused to resign so he was dismissed. Immediately there was awareness of public rehabilitation for the victims of the persecution. Compensation was allotted to relatives of those who were hanged and those who had suffered imprisonment. A paper survives signed by 12 men who serviced on juries who confessed in writing that "for want of knowledge in themselves and of better information from others, that they had accepted evidence against the accused. On further consideration, they were afraid they had brought on themselves the guilt of innocent blood".
A confession from one girl stated "I, being then in my childhood, was made an instrument for the accusations of several persons of a grievous crime, whereby their lives were taken away from them. Now, I have just grounds and good reasons to believe that they were innocent persons. Though what was said or done by me against any person, I can truly and uprightly say, before God and man, I did, not out of anger, malice or ill-will, for I had no such thing against any of them, but what I did, I did ignorantly, being deluded by Satan.
Article by Wendy Stokes: https://wendystokes.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment