Salem Witch Trial 1692

The Salem witch trials are historically famous throughout our country, especially if you are from the New England area. This period of time dates back to the spring and summer of After a few young girls experienced extreme sickness that the towns people couldn’t name they began to believe that the girls maybe under a supernatural ailment. At this time a popular book by Cotton Mather called “Memorable Providences” described a woman in Boston who had similar afflictions as the Salem girls, but this woman had been suspected of witch craft. The Indian girl Tituba that was put on trial as being a witch may have ended the witch hunt before it started except that she first denied guilt, but then confessed to being a with who was approached by Satan and she called out 4 other towns women as witches as well. “Her confession also served to silence most skeptics, and Parris and other local ministers began witch hunting with zeal” (Linder, 2011). The hunts made arrested many women until the jails were flowing to over capacity. Trials began to execute these women. The trials were lead by five judges. The most influential member of the court was lethal witch hunter William Stoughton. These judges had little to know legal training and aloud “-- hearsay, gossip, stories, unsupported assertions, surmises”, (Linder, 2011) in these trials. Things that would never be allowed in modern times. At the end of these irrational trials,” nineteen convicted witches were executed at least four accused witches had died in prison, and one man, Giles Corey, had been pressed to death. About one to two hundred other persons were arrested and imprisoned on witchcraft charges. Two dogs were executed as suspected accomplices of witches” (Linder, 2011) In 1976 Linda Caporael reported in science magazine that the girls called witches were possibly suffering from convulsive ergotism. This disease steamed from ingesting rye that had been infected with ergot. Bibliography  Linder, D. (2011). The Witchcraft Trials in Salem: A Commentary. Retrieved December 13, 2012, from Famous American Trials:

 Matteson, T. "Examination of a Witch". The Salem Massachusetts Postcard Tour. Peabody Essex Museum, Salem.

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 Linder, D. (2011). The Witchcraft Trials in Salem: A Commentary. Retrieved December 13, 2012, from Famous American Trials: em/SAL_ACCT.HTM  Matteson, T. "Examination of a Witch". The Salem Massachusetts Postcard Tour. Peabody Essex Museum, Salem.  Sutter, T. (2004). The Salem Witch Trials Quiz. Retrieved December 13, 2012, from Salem Witch Trials: