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The Salem witch trialsPerhaps the most famous of all witches and witch hunts were those accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials in what was then known as Salem village in Massachusetts U.S.A. It was the bizarre behaviour of two of the daughters of the towns minister reverend Samuel Parris who started events in the small town in 1692. The events of the Salem witch trials In January of 1692 Elizabeth parris age 9 and 11 year old Abigail Williams began to show signs of disturbing behaviour which ranged from seizures, trance like states, blasphemous screaming and shouting and mysterious happenings around them. Within a very short space of time, other girls of similar age began to show these strange signs and symptoms, doctors were baffled as to the cause of these happenings and when they couldn't find any medical cause for them they were declared to be under the influence of Satan. By late February of that year after many prayer meetings and fastings conducted by the reverend parris in the hope of revealing their true identity and expose them as witches and under ever-increasing pressure, the girls named three women as witches. By the end of February of that year these three women Tituba a Caribbean Indian slave of the parris family, Sarah good and Sarah osbourne were all arrested despite proclaiming their innocence. However, the slave Tituba confessed that the devil sometimes appeared to her in the shape of part dog, part hog and said there was a conspiracy of witches at work in the village of Salem. By march 1st after unrelenting questioning from the people of Salem Tituba finally admitted to practicing witchcraft, following this confession several of the towns people came forward and claimed they had seen or being harmed by strange apparitions of people in the community. Accusations were made of many people in the village and among those accused were faithful churchgoers and upstanding citizens in the community along with those who had records of criminal activity. During this period of time, several people were accused of witchcraft examined and denounced, with many of the townsfolk now starting to oppose the witchcraft trials petitions were being signed to protest people's innocence. By October 19th of that year over 20 people had been condemned as witches and hanged on the gallows during what was to be known as the Salem witch trials. A letter was wrote during this time criticizing the trials and eventually the governor by the name of Phips ruled that spectral and intangible evidence no longer be admissible in the trials. Salem today Salem village is now known as Danvers and still standing is what was then known as the witch house on the corner of North and Essex in Salem, where guided tours with tales of the Salem witchcraft trials take place. After all this time over 552 documents documenting the trials are still stored and preserved at the Peabody Essex museum along with several other pieces of memorabilia such as the pins used in the examination of the witches and what is said to be the finger bones of one of the victims of the Salem witch trials. |
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