Have you ever witnessed something eery happen and you have no logical explanation for it? Most people would be lying if they said they didn’t get the chills if they saw a door close all by itself. Others might deny supernatural forces and come up with a reasonable cause like “the wind probably closed it”. The truth is we really don’t know if there are any other physical powers besides animals and the laws of science, and no one can prove otherwise. For society in Massachusetts during the late 1600’s it was witchcraft that made their hair stand up. The Salem Witch Trials was a series of accusations, persecutions, and executions of mainly women and some men suspected of using witchcraft. At least that’s what was documented. Historians today speculate
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Betty’s father and Abigail’s uncle, Reverend Samuel Parris, had the children examined by Dr. William Griggs who initially thought epilepsy was the culprit. He later diagnosed them with witchcraft based on the book Memorable Providences Relating to Witchcraft by Reverend Cotton Mather. When questioned about their witchcraft the girls named three others: Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba, Samuel Parris’ slave. The girls claimed that Tituba tried to bake a witch cake made of children’s urine, rye, and ashes. She fed it to their dog in hopes that the dog would point out any other witches, but instead it became sick and vomited. She, at first, denied any use of magic, but then succumbed to confessing. She admitted that the devil appeared in a man shape and had asked her and four other women, including Good and Osborne, to serve him. Tituba 's confession caused a mass hysteria to sweep over the area, eventually grabbing the attention of the church and community. However, the way Tituba confessed was her clever strategy to save herself from execution. Although she admitted to associating herself with devil, she cooperated with the jury, apologized, and promised she would no longer transgress. The judges were reassured by her confession when other witches’ symptoms halted at her words and they decided they would use her to learn more about the devil. Sarah Good, a pregnant 38-year-old who didn’t go to church because she didn’t own clothes decent enough for church was accused by the girls, as well as Sarah Osborne, a sick elderly woman. Witch-like behavior also spread to other girls, Ann Putnam Jr. and Mary Walcott. Even though Putnam was a witch herself, she was the biggest snitch witch in the community. The judges relied on her to confirm whether the accused were indeed witches or not. She and Abigail named Martha Corey and Rebecca Nurse, both respected churchgoers.
Betty’s father and Abigail’s uncle, Reverend Samuel Parris, had the children examined by Dr. William Griggs who initially thought epilepsy was the culprit. He later diagnosed them with witchcraft based on the book Memorable Providences Relating to Witchcraft by Reverend Cotton Mather. When questioned about their witchcraft the girls named three others: Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba, Samuel Parris’ slave. The girls claimed that Tituba tried to bake a witch cake made of children’s urine, rye, and ashes. She fed it to their dog in hopes that the dog would point out any other witches, but instead it became sick and vomited. She, at first, denied any use of magic, but then succumbed to confessing. She admitted that the devil appeared in a man shape and had asked her and four other women, including Good and Osborne, to serve him. Tituba 's confession caused a mass hysteria to sweep over the area, eventually grabbing the attention of the church and community. However, the way Tituba confessed was her clever strategy to save herself from execution. Although she admitted to associating herself with devil, she cooperated with the jury, apologized, and promised she would no longer transgress. The judges were reassured by her confession when other witches’ symptoms halted at her words and they decided they would use her to learn more about the devil. Sarah Good, a pregnant 38-year-old who didn’t go to church because she didn’t own clothes decent enough for church was accused by the girls, as well as Sarah Osborne, a sick elderly woman. Witch-like behavior also spread to other girls, Ann Putnam Jr. and Mary Walcott. Even though Putnam was a witch herself, she was the biggest snitch witch in the community. The judges relied on her to confirm whether the accused were indeed witches or not. She and Abigail named Martha Corey and Rebecca Nurse, both respected churchgoers.