Witchcraft

There were numerous people convicted of practicing Witchcraft in 1692, most of them were women, but some men were convicted as well. Most of the convicted were hanged, some were locked up, and some were even tortured. The following paragraphs are from the "Salem Witchcraft Papers", which were intended as documentation, or possibly justfication for the reasons these people were sentenced to die.

"June 29-30 Rebecca Nurse, Susannah Martin, Sarah Wildes, Sarah Good and Elizabeth Howe were tried for witchcraft and condemned".

"Mid-July In an effort to expose the witches afflicting his life, Joseph Ballard of nearby Andover enlisted the aid of the accusing girls of Salem. This action marked the beginning of the Andover witch hunt".

"July 19 Rebecca Nurse, Susannah Martin, Elizabeth Howe, Sarah Good, and Sarah Wildes were executed".

"August 19 George Jacobs, Sr., Martha Carrier, George Burroughs, John Proctor, and John Willard were hanged on Gallows Hill".

"September 22 Martha Corey, Margaret Scott, Mary Easty, Alice Parker, Ann Pudeator, Wilmott Redd, Samuel Wardwell, and Mary Parker were hanged".

"October 8 After 20 people had been executed in the Salem witch hunt, Thomas Brattle wrote a letter criticizing the witchcraft trials. This letter had great impact on Governor Phips, who ordered that reliance on spectral and intangible evidence no longer be allowed in trials".

The headstones to the right are just some of the many who were killed as a result of a massive witchhunt in Salem, MA. The cemetery were these headstones were dedicated in 1992 as "Salem's Witch Trial Memorial" is located in Salem, and can be visited.

"In February, 1692, three accused women were examined by Magistrates Jonathan Corwin and John Hathorne. Corwin's home, known as the Witch House, still stands at the corner of North and Essex Streets in Salem, providing guided tours and tales of the first witchcraft trials. John Hathorne, an ancestor of author Nathaniel Hawthorne, is buried in the Charter Street Old Burying Point".

This house looks pretty spooky to me, and considering the things that took place there, it would not be much of a surprise if it was haunted. This house is now a museum, and can be toured for a pretty small price. I personally would like to take a tour of it at night.

Before we go any farther, compliments of salemweb.com, I found 3 definitions for Witchcraft, they are as follows.

"First, to understand the Salem witch trials, it is necessary to know the 17th-century definition of witchcraft. In England and New England at that time, it was believed that a malefic witch had made a pact with the devil, the Christian embodiment of evil. The pact would involve an exchange of a soul for special evil powers with which other mortals could be tormented. Victims of witchcraft would claim to see horrible visions, experience physical pain and exhibit bizarre and troubling behavior. The supposed perpetrator, labeled a witch, would be subject to arrest, trial, conviction and sentence. In 17th-century New England, under the English legal system, a person convicted of witchcraft was hanged. The Court of Oyer and Terminer convicted persons accused of witchcraft under the precedent of previous executions in England and New England".

"The word witch has another important definition. Practitioners of the religion of Witchcraft or Wicca trace their beliefs to pre-Christian times. Theirs is a nature-based religion which pays homage to a Father God and Mother Goddess. They recognize no personification of evil and disassociate themselves entirely from the 17th-century definition of witchcraft".

"Finally, the word witch conjures up another image - the stereotypical crone with pointed black hat, wart on her nose, flying with her black cat or familiar on a broom. This cartoon interpretation of the word reaches far back into Western civilization and is reinforced by movies such as "The Wizard of Oz". Scary/comic witch and cat symbols are used throughout our culture, and the interpretation is particulary prevalent at Halloween".

The picture to the right is a memorial just across from the Old Burying Point, it is a dedication to all of those who died during the mass hysteria over Witchcraft in Salem, MA. Five different execution dates are associated with the Witchcraft executions, they are June 10th, July 19th, August 19th, Sept 19th, and Sept 22nd. From these dates, one can see that it did not take long for the accused to be executed, most by hanging. And those that were hanged, never even got a grave, they were all just thrown into the ground. The headstones that you see above come much later. Unfortunately, all of the bodies were not found, still unknown to this day were they might be. To learn more about the Salem Witchcraft Trials, click on the links below.