In the town of Salem, Massachusetts in January 1692, several people were found to supposedly be witches after behaving strangely and caused a craze for destroying all “witches” in the town.

          On January 20, Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Parris began to behave peculiarly. They would sometimes blasphemously scream unexpectedly, have seizures, go into trance-like states and have mysterious spells. A few other girls in Salem soon began to act like this. In Mid-February doctors declared the girls were witches.

          The town first responded by fasting and holding prayer services to try to drive away the evil forces. They next made a witch cake, made with rye meal and the girl’s urine to reveal the identities of the witches. After a great deal of pressure, Elizabeth and Abigail named Elizabeth’s Indian slave Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne. All three were arrested on February 29. Tituba confessed to seeing the devil and there was a large group of witches in Salem.

          Over March, many people reported that they had seen strange actions from people. Over March these are some of the people who were convicted and examined:

         Martha Corey was accused on the 12^th  

         Rebecca Nurse was accused on the 19^th                         

         Martha Corey was examined on the 21^st

         Rebecca Nurse was examined on the 24^th

         Elizabeth Proctor was accused on the 28^th

These are the accuses and examinations in April:

Sarah Cloyce, sister of Rebecca Nurse was accused of witchcraft on the 3^rd

On the 11^th, Elizabeth Proctor and Sarah Cloyce were examined John Proctor was also accused and imprisoned

  On the 19^th, Abigail Hobbs, Bridget Bishop, Giles Corey, and Mary Warren were examined, and of them only Abigail Hobbs confessed.

Then on the 22^nd, Nehemiah Abbot, William and Deliverance Hobbs, Edward and Sarah Bishop, Mary Easty, Mary Black, Sarah Wilds, and Mary English were examined. Nehemiah Abbot was the only one cleared of charges.

          And that was not the end of it. More examinations followed throughout May and June. But finally, deaths and executions started. Sarah Osborne died in a Boston prison on May 10. On June 10, Bridget Bishop was the first to be executed, by hanging, after being found guilty on June 2. After this there began some opposition to the witch trials, but on June 29 and 30, Rebecca Nurse, Susannah Martin, Sarah Wildes, Sarah Good, and Elizabeth Howe were found guilty of witchcraft. They were all hanged on July 19.

          The Witch Hunt was not over yet. At the beginning of August, George Jacobs, Sr., Martha Carrier, George Burroughs, John and Elizabeth Proctor, and John Willard were found guilty of witchcraft and were hanged on August 19. 

           Then on September 9, six more people, Martha Corey, Mary Easty, Alice Parker, Ann Pudeator, Dorcas Hoar, and Mary Brady were condemned to death for witchcraft. Eighteen days later, on the 17^th, 9 more were added to the list of witches, they were Margaret Scott, Wilmott Redd, Samuel Wardwell, Mary Parker, Abigail Faulkner, Rebecca Eames, Mary Lacy, Ann Foster, and Abigail Hobbs were condemned for witchcraft and hung on the 22^nd.

          But one of the people examined, Giles Corey, refused a trial. He thought that was innocent and did not need one. The court responded by placing heavy weights on his body and pressing him to death on the 19^th.

          Three days later, Dorcas Hoar was the first pleading innocent to confess to the court. As a result, her execution was delayed. 

By October, 20 people had been killed for supposed witchcraft and many people began to oppose the trials. On October 8, Thomas Brattle criticized the witch trials in a letter to Governor Phips, which caused great change in the trials. Governor Phips then banned relying on spectral and intangible evidence in trials. Following this, the General court of Massachusetts created the Superior court to decide the remaining witch cases. Nobody was convicted by this court, and that ended the witch hunt.   

Teachers, visit Witchcraft in Salem Village for information, maps, and historical documents.  Or look for these books: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Spear and Tituba of Salem Village of Salem Village by Ann Petry.

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