Witches
The word witch comes from the Celtic word 'wicca' meaning 'wise one' or 'magician'. Witchcraft was made a capital offence in Britain in the year 1563. Witchcraft is still illegal in various areas such as South America and India. Most of witchcraft today is practiced in the United States, Back in the times of Salem, witches were people who had seen the devil. During the trials themselves, they were able to identify witches by the witches' mark. The witches' or devils' mark indicated that the person wielding the mark had sold their service and duty to him.
How it began
The Salem Witch Trials began in 1692. It all started when an Arawak slave called Tituba began telling otherworldly tales to 9 year old Elizabeth Parris and 11 year old Abigail Williams. Eventually, other girls joined in to listen to Tituba's stories. The new group included Ann Putnam (11), Mercy Lewis (17), Mary Walcot (17), Elizabeth Hubbard (17), Elizabeth Booth (18), and Mary Warren (20). After listening to Tituba's stories with great interest, the girls began having fits. When a …show more content…
19 were hanged at Gallows Hill, 1 man was crushed to death with rocks when he refused to speak. The hanged include Bridget Bishops, who was hanged June 10, Rebecca Nurse, Sarah Good, Susannah Martin, Elizabeth Howe, and Sarah Wildes were hanged on July 19. George Burroughs, Martha Carrier, John Willard, George Jacobs, and John Proctor were hanged on August 19th. Martha Corey, Mary Eastey, Ann Pudeator, Alice Parker, Mary Parker, Wilmot Redd, Margaret Scott, and Samuel Wardwell were all executed on September 22nd. As many as 13 more people died in prison including Sarah Osborne, Lyndia Dustin, and Ann Foster. Giles Corey, the man who was pressed to death, died on September 19th. Suprisingly only one of the accusers apologized, in 1706 Ann Putnam stood before her church and offered an apology for taking part in the witch