Shadows in Salem: An Examination of the Witch Trials in Salem Village, 1692

“Man seeks for drama and excitement; when he cannot get satisfaction on a higher level, he creates for himself the drama of destruction. (Eric Fromm qtd. in Hill).

Approximately three hundred years ago in a Puritan hamlet known as Salem Village located in the county of Essex, an entire community fell victim to an unscrupulous, and still unexplained, form of manipulation implemented by a group of adolescent girls. Several girls, ranging in age from nine to twenty-five vociferated accusations of witchcraft against both friends and adversaries alike (Hill). These allegations rapidly ripped through the God-fearing, colonial town, casting a portentous shadow over the community; a shadow that ultimately set a permanent place in the pages of history books for the Village of Salem, its inhabitants, their descendants, and the events that followed.

In the search for an explanation why such barbarity occurred within a New World Puritan community, the appalling events that ensued would continue to baffle the world over. The mystery these events left behind still puzzle modern-day scholars who mull over what little documentation they can uncover, pursuing the clarification to a question that may never be completely answered. How could a group of seemingly rational people allow the situation in Salem to spiral so far out of control as to result in the Salem Witch Trials, the imprisonment of over one hundred people, and the untimely deaths of twenty or more individuals?

Life in the Puritan Community in Salem Village, 1692

Despite the fact that modern day Salem attracts tourists to their town by claiming connection to the Witch Trials of 1692, the original site of Salem Village is now known as Danvers Massachusetts (Starkey). According to a census taken in the year 2000, the town of Danvers had a population of over twenty-five thousand people (Danvers CDP, Massachusetts Statistics and Demographics: US Census 2000). This is a far cry from the small town’s early beginnings when the population in 1692 was a mere five-hundred and fifty people, inhabiting approximately ninety to one hundred households over a scant thirty-square-mile area (Hill).

Population is not the only thing that differentiates modern-day Danvers from the colonial Salem Village. In 1692, Salem Village was inhabited by families of the Puritan faith—a faith that required them to live simple, virtuous lives by following the word of the Christian God to the letter (Starkey). The beliefs of the Puritans were, and still are, considered strict, autocratic, and oppressive (Starkey). In an article written by Seth Engellhen entitled, “What Went Wrong in the New England Witch Trials,” Engellhen clearly identifies the oppressive time period: “Salem was a direct representation of what was wrong in Puritan America; social, economical, religious and political discourse” (Engellhen).

The Puritan faith embraced the idea of male dominance (Hill). Additionally, women were considered the source of original sin and were not permitted to commune with or to speak the word of God lest they be considered, “ . . . an instrument of the devil” (Tobin). Some scholars have even suspected that many Puritan communities were misogynic societies and have suggested that their underlying hatred of women played a crucial role in the cause of the witch trials (Hill).

Salem Village was founded in the late 1630’s when a few farmers moved from Salem Town to Salem Village (also known as Salem Farms) however; Salem Village remained a part of Salem Town and didn’t establish its own church until the year 1671 (Life in Salem 1692). Both divisions of the town were disassociated by economic factors. Salem Town was busy; many of its inhabitants, along with those on the borderline between the town and village, found employment in the active community and became affluent merchants (Hill). Conversely, Salem Village was a less affluent section of town populated by farmers (Hill).

In addition to their economic differences, the two halves of Salem housed Puritans with opposing views of each other’s conduct. The division could be clearly defined geographically; those who lived in close proximity to Ipswich Road, nearer to the commerce of Salem Town, had the tendency to prosper financially far more than those members who resided in Salem Village because they became merchants within the nearby town (Hill). Members of Salem Village (Farms) looked down upon this kind of lifestyle, and considered the focus on attaining material wealth a threat to Puritan ideals (Hill). This is not to say that there were no affluent residents of Salem Village (Hill). In fact, Puritans believed that everyone had an assigned station in life (Hill). If an individual was born into a wealthy family then that individual’s wealth was acceptable because God assigned their societal role (Hill). Conversely, to strive for wealth was viewed as openly scandalous and an act against God’s master plan (Hill).

Clearly, the Puritans had an extremely draconian sense of right and wrong. The ethics set forth by the Puritan ideal was a moral code that each member of the community was expected to adhere to. Moreover, this puritanical code of ethics would later play a major role in the occurrence of the witch trials.

Chronological Narrative: An Explanation of the Events as They Occurred

Samuel Parris, the son of the Englishmen, Thomas Parris, was sent to Massachusetts to study at Harvard University (Linder). Upon inheriting some land after his father’s death in the 1630’s, Parris left Harvard before graduating (Edwards) and at the age of twenty, moved to the island of Barbados (Linder). In Barbados, Parris worked as a credit agent for other sugar planters, while maintaining a household with two slaves, John Indian and his wife, Tituba (Linder). Parris later returned to Boston, bringing with him the slaves under his control (Linder).

Upon returning to Boston in 1680, Parris met and wed Elizabeth Eldridge (Linder). From this marriage Samuel sired three children, Thomas, Elizabeth, and Susanna (Linder). In 1686, becoming discontent with the life of a merchant, Parris stood-in at the church for absent ministers and performed sermons (Linder). In 1688, five years after the birth of his third child, Parris moved his family to Salem Village where he was later ordained as Minister in 1689 (Hill). Little is mentioned in any historical documentation about the Parris’ eldest son Thomas, or their youngest daughter Susanna. Conversely, their middle child Elizabeth, dubbed Betty, and the Parris’ orphaned niece that had been taken into the Parris’ home (Hill), Abigail Williams, were to be forever remembered as playing a crucial part in the onset of the madness in Salem (Starkey).

Samuel was a minister, who was neither well-liked nor desired (Hill). His overly-obsessive sermons were deeply influenced by the literature of his time—especially writings produced by the likes of both Increase and Cotton Mather, and Michael Wigglesworth (Hill).

In January 1692, Betty Parris and Abigail Williams began to exhibit bizarre behavior, those consisting of fits, convulsions, and blasphemies (Hill). Interestingly, it wasn’t until Mid-February that the town Doctor, Dr. William Griggs, examined the girls (Hill). When all his science failed him, he pronounced the girls’ bewitched (Starkey). This diagnosis shook the very foundation of the Puritan community, and left Reverend Parris suddenly facing two problems (Hill). Firstly, who or what plagued the children in his care and secondly, if he could not get the children living in his own home under his control, how could the community believe that he could uphold the Puritan community and its values (Hill)?

After a series of prayer services for the afflicted that failed to relieve their symptoms, later in February, after the prompting of a neighbor, the Parris’ slaves, John Indian and Tituba baked a witchcake (a cake with the added ingredient of the afflicted girl’s urine) (Hill). This bizarre concoction was to be fed to a dog, in hopes that those who had cursed the girls would be revealed (Hill). Of course, no such immediate revelations followed and soon other girls in the community, including Ann Putnam Jr. and Elizabeth Hubbard, began to experience bizarre symptoms (Hill). Finally, after long and suggestionable questioning from Reverend Parris, the girls accused three women of bewitching them; Tituba, Sarah Osborne, and Sarah Good (Hill).

In the month of March the three accused women were examined in the meetinghouse by Court Magistrates John Hawthorne and Jonathan Corwin (Hill). Tituba is the only one, out of fear, who confessed (Hill). In turn, she names others who had been dealing with devilry and confirmed the accusations against Good and Osborne (Hill). All three women were sent to prison for the crime of witchcraft (Hill).

The afflictions continue to spread. In late March, Ann Putnam Sr. became bewitched and began to experience fits (Hill). Both her, and her daughter Ann Putnam Jr. accused Rebecca Nurse of witchcraft. Nurse was sent to prison on March 24 (Hill). To add to the ridiculous atrocities, Sarah Good’s four-year-old daughter, Dorcas Good is also imprisoned for witchcraft (Hill). Accounts say that after her long stay in prison the child went mad (Hill).

In April 1692, the madness continues. By the end of April, twenty-three more are accused of witchcraft and imprisoned including: John and Elizabeth Proctor, Bridget Bishop, Giles Cory, Mary and Phillip English, and George Burroughs (Hill). By the end of May another thirty-nine people are added to the growing list of the accused (Hill).

On June 2, 1692, Sir William created the Court of Oyer and Terminer to help try the incredible amount of witch cases (Hill). The same month, Bridget Bishop was tried and condemned (Hill). She was the first of nineteen to be hanged on Gallows Hill. Meanwhile, more accusations and arrests ensue—even arrests that have spread beyond the Salem Village area (Hill).

On June 29, five more of the accused are tried: Good, Nurse, Susannah Martin, Elizabeth Howe, and Sarah Wildes (Hill). All five were condemned to death (Hill). On July 19, they joined Bridget Bishop in her fate. They would soon be followed by John Proctor, John Willard, George Jacobs, and Martha Carrier exactly one month later (Hill). Yet, the madness did not stop. Ten more people would be condemned to death and nine of them were hanged on September 22, 1692 (Hill). By the time the madness began to finally subside, nineteen people were hanged, one person, Giles Cory was pressed to death when he denied a trial and refused to confess, and one hundred and fifty people were wrongfully imprisoned [See Table 1/ List of the Accused and Table 2/Accused that Died in Prison] (Hill).

Influential Literature of the Times

Increase Mather, the father of Cotton Mather, was a Bostonian minister and politician who eventually became the president of Harvard University (Hill). In 1684, Increase authored, “Remarkable Providences: An Essay For the Recording of Illustrious Providences,” an essay that can be easily equated with modern-day occult writings (Hill). Although it is highly doubtful that Increase was conscious of the seed he was planting, his writings on witchcraft proved to later provide a model for the magistrates of Salem Village—setting forth examples of bizarre behaviors related to witchcraft and devilry as can be seen in the following passage:

“She likewise declared, that the Devil first appeared to her in the form of a Deer or Fawn, skipping about her, wherewith she was not much aifrighted, and that by degrees he became very familiar, and at last would talk with her. Moreover, she said that the Devil had frequently the carnal knowledge of her Body. And that the Witches had Meetings at a place not far from her House; and that some appeared in one shape, and others in another; and one came flying amongst them in the shape of a Crow. Upon this Confession, with other concurrent Evidence, the Woman was Executed; so likewise was her husband, though he did not acknowledge himself guilty (Mather).”

Interestingly, the above passage rings strangely familiar and reminds one of the charges against Martha Cory and her husband Giles. Both were accused of witchcraft in the Salem Trials—Martha was accused of astrally attacking her victims while Giles, refusing to plead guilty to the allegations against him, was subsequently condemned to death.

Cotton, definitively the more religiously obsessive of the two Mather men, desperately tried to follow in the footsteps of his father and fell short of doing so; never obtaining the presidency of Harvard (Hill). He thereby sought to prove himself as a prolific religious writer (Hill). In 1689, Cotton authored, “Memorable Providences, Relating to Witchcrafts and Possessions,” which also proved highly influential on Reverend Parris and an element that would later fuel the trials (Linder). In the essay, Cotton writes about an incident related to witchcraft that had occurred in 1688. According to his “ocular observation, and partly [his] own undoubted information,” the Goodwin family had been cursed by their laundry woman, Mary Glover over a dispute pertaining to stolen linen (Linder). In Cotton’s account, the children soon experienced agonies similar to those that would later be experienced by the children in Salem Village—agonies that consisted of “strange Fits, beyond those that attend an Epilepsy or a Catalepsy, or those that they call The Diseases of Astonishment (Linder).” In due course, Mary Glover was taken in for questioning and sentenced to death.

It is important to note that Mary Glover was an Irish Catholic woman [the Puritans considered any other faith heathenish (Hill)], who most probably had some form of dementia when she was questioned, for “The Court appointed five or six Physicians one evening to examine her very strictly, whether she were not craz'd in her Intellectuals” (Linder). Additionally, Glover’s last words put a fear into the hearts of many in the Bay Colony, as she swore that, “the Children should not be relieved by her Death, for others had a hand in it as well as she” (Linder). This statement added to the Puritan’s already firm belief in witches and devilry and was a blueprint for later chaos—an act that confirmed their paranoid convictions.

Michael Wigglesworth, was a minister, doctor and poet who wrote the famed, “Day of Doom (Lawson).” The poem that preached of the Puritan ideals was a best seller of its time, because of its easy rhythm—yet the pictures it painted about the afterlife and the possibilities of hell were frightening. In fact the poem mentions hell directly eighteen times throughout its verses (Lawson). The following passage, a verse from, “Day of Doom,” shows that Wigglesworth equated the act of witchcraft with the act of murder:

“Moreover, there together were
Children flagiti-ous,
And Parents who did them undo
by nature vici-ous
False-witness-bearers and self-forswearers,
Murd'rers and Men of Blood,
Witches, Enchanters, and Ale-house haunters,
beyond account there stood (Lawson).

All of these religious writers had a significant influence on the “obsessive” Samuel Parris. Additionally, these writers had a considerable effect on the members of the Massachusetts Bay. It is important to remember while studying the occurrences in Salem Village as a series of isolated events; in all truth they were not at all secluded. Witch hunts had taken place, not only in other areas of the Bay Colony, but had run rampant through Europe starting from around 1200 A.D (Winter). To that end, it is important to understand that the Puritans had emigrated from the very place where witch hunts had commenced. One has cause to wonder what influence, if any, The Malleus Maleficarum, [Latin for “Hammer of the Witches”] by Heinrich Kramer and James Sprenger, had played in the Salem Trials (Lovelace). Such writing may have well influenced both Increase and Cotton in their occult studies. The Malleus Maleficarum was written in 1486 and “served as a guide book for Inquisitors during the Inquisition and was designed to aid them in the identification, prosecution, and dispatching of Witches (Lovelace).” This text played a powerful role in the European Witch Hunts--witch hunts with a death toll estimated at anywhere from “6,000,000 to 9,000,000 people [primarily women]" (Lovelace). With that kind of consequence, the power of the text stands without question and the possibility that it influenced later writers who were susceptible to its folly is a real possibility that is hardly debatable.

Worthy of mention is that the sentences imposed on the accused witches of Salem were not, for the most part, the same as the sentences imposed on those in Europe. Though no less gruesome, the accused in Salem were not burned at the stake [a popular European sentence] as is so often mistakenly assumed, rather, their land and property were seized, and they were either hanged or died in prison.

The writers of the Puritan age were influenced not only by the convictions of Puritan beliefs, but also by earlier European writings. The words these fanatically religious writers so carefully transcribed to paper fueled the heinous activities in Salem Village. Certainly, the events that would followed in Salem Village exemplified, not only the impact of a community’s convictions, but also the power of the written word.

The Process of Examination and the Trials

The process of making accusations was simple. Conversely, defense against any given allegation was not only difficult, it was nearly impossible. If a person wanted to accuse someone of being a witch, the afflicted person would complain to the Magistrate (Linder). The Magistrate, in turn, would then issue a warrant for the accused (Linder). The accused person was arrested and consequently examined by two or more Magistrates (Linder). If the Magistrate believed that the accused person was guilty, the accused was immediately sent to jail while awaiting trial (Linder). Speedy trials where unheard of, and people often spent months in prison before receiving a trial. Some poor souls died long before they had the chance to attend a trial that, more than likely, would have condemned them to death anyway. What’s more is that the accused would often have their property seized and would be forced to pay for their own imprisonment (Hill).

Once the accused was indicted by the Grand Jury, they would be forced to stand before the court of Oyer and Terminer. The court proceedings were beyond ludicrous. If one were to confess to witchcraft they were allowed to live, but were shamed for the rest of their life (Starkey). If they refused to confess and were found guilty, unless excused by the court (as was Elizabeth Proctor due to pregnancy), the accused was sentenced to death (Starkey). Furthermore, the Salem Witch Trials were the first trials in history to permit the use of spectral evidence (Linder). “Spectral evidence is testimony given that an accused person's spirit or spectral shape appeared to the witness in a dream at the time the accused person's physical body was at another location." (Sutter). With such evidence, evidence of invisible activity on the behalf of the accused, defenses or alibis were all but impossible to prove.

The witch trials didn’t come to an end immediately, despite the fact that its occurrence seems brief, lasting from January 1692 to October 29th of the same year. After Governor Phips received a letter from Increase Mathers (or Thomas Brattle* sources are conflicting), criticizing the trials, the Governor dissolved the court of Oyer and Terminer [a court set up specifically to try witches.] (A Chronology of Events).

Prominent Theories and Why They Do or Do Not Work

Why would a town of seemingly God-fearing Puritans let things get so out of control? There have been myriad theories suggested by modern day scholars, but the question still remains. Each theory holds potential as an explanation for such events, yet no one theory seems to be able to entirely explain the insanity in 1692.

Several theories are relevant to mental illness. Some scholars have suggested that illnesses such as; Mass Hysteria, Mass Hypnosis, or Delusions are the primary cause for the events in Salem. The fits the afflicted girls experienced very well fit within the definition of Hysteria (Hill). The theory of Mass Hypnosis however, remains questionable. Hypnosis doesn’t always work with everyone, in fact, many people are skeptical of hypnosis today, and for other people, even outside the locality of Salem Village, to have such experiences seems unlikely. Therefore, the Hypnosis theory remains thin. To this end, the theory pertaining to delusions also remains questionable. Delusions might explain the strange afflictions of the girls, but it in no way explains the acceptance of such stories as truth by other members of the community.

Several other theories have been presented that pertain directly to conspiracy. One theory contends that the people of Salem Village wanted to do away with the merchants who were working in Salem Town (Hill). Yet, there is little evidence to support this. Many of the accused lived in the more rural area of Salem Village. It wasn’t until much later that the madness began to spread outside of the rural area (Hill). Another theory of conspiracy relates to the church. According to some, the Puritan church was beginning to feel as if it was losing control over its parishioners. This, indeed, is directly evidenced by the merchants who worked in Salem Town. Instead of sticking with the hardcore Puritan values, the attainment of wealth was becoming a focus for the merchants. Still, as true as the fact is that the church was slowly losing power, the theory holds no weight. It does not explain the accusations against people like Sarah Osborne, who was indeed, “destitute and begging for a living” when she was accused of witchcraft (Hill).

Another theory of conspiracy pertains to that of individual greed. Some scholars suspect that the accusers wanted to obtain some of the possessions of the accused and/or they were jealous of the accused and their social position. Although this does, indeed, possibly explain some of the accusations, again it would not apply in cases like the case of Sarah Osborne.

Some theories have been put forth related to physical illness. Ergotism is the most prominent of these theories. Ergot poisoning: a mold that grows on rye, one of the Puritan’s primary sources of food, that causes individuals to hallucinate, has been recently offered (Sutter). Given the times, this is a possibility, however, the argument loses strength when one considers that there were eight people in the Parris’ household and only two people, Betty and Abigail were affected within the family unit. Furthermore, it is hard to imagine that the madness would perpetuate as long as it did, even if the entire town was hallucinating. Surely, someone would have come to his or her senses—no one did.

Many theories relate to the severity of the Puritan lifestyle (Hill). Since the Puritans were extremely strict, it is suggested that there was no outlet for the young afflicted girls (Hill). Life was all work and no play—leaving them intrinsically unhappy (Hill). This idea is stronger than most (Hill). The idea that the young girls who started the madness were actually malingerers does indeed make sense. Malingering is a factious disorder in which the individual fakes symptoms of illness to obtain rewards. According to an article at Health: A to Z, “In the context of medicine, malingering is the act of intentionally feigning or exaggerating physical or psychological symptoms for personal gain” (Dinmoor).

What is interesting to note about the proposed theories is that no single theory aptly explains the events in Salem. Conversely, when a combination of theories are viewed, the theories than become more feasible. Perhaps, some people were affected by Ergot poisoning, affecting their ability for sound judgment. Perhaps a few others were motivated by greed. Still, maybe others were malingerers trying to get the attention they so desperately needed. Conceivably, the waning strongholds of the church may have affected the sound thinking of the members of the Salem community. All of these theories hold validity, but interestingly, when viewed as a whole, seem far stronger than when viewed solely on their own merit.

The Aftermath

What happened after the chaos of the Salem Witch Trials subsided? The Court of Oyer and Terminer was dissolved by Governor Phips (Hill). Parris’ was forced to leave Salem, and years later an apology is issued by the Magistrates (Hill). Even more disturbing is the confession of Ann Putnam Jr. made in 1706:

"I desire to be humbled before God for that sad and humbling providence that befell my father's family in the year about '92; that I, then being in my childhood, should, by such a providence of God, be made an instrument for the accusing of several persons of a grievous crime, whereby their lives were taken away from them, whom now I have just grounds and good reason to believe they were innocent persons; and that it was a great delusion of Satan that deceived me in that sad time, whereby I justly fear I have been instrumental, with others, though ignorantly and unwittingly, to bring upon myself and this land the guilt of innocent blood; though what was said or done by me against any person I can truly and uprightly say, before God and man, I did it not out of any anger, malice, or ill-will to any person, for I had no such thing against one of them; but what I did was ignorantly, being deluded by Satan. And particularly, as I was a chief instrument of accusing of Goodwife Nurse and her two sisters, I desire to lie in the dust, and to be humbled for it, in that I was a cause, with others, of so sad a calamity to them and their families; for which cause I desire to lie in the dust, and earnestly beg forgiveness of God, and from all those unto whom I have given just cause of sorrow and offence, whose relations were taken away or accused"(The Confession of Ann Putnam).

Later, restitution, with what little condolence that it was—was issued. “The colony of Massachusetts eventually made small financial restitution to the surviving families of those executed for witchcraft, but no restitution was given to those who merely suffered imprisonment (Witch Dungeon).

A Woeful Monument

Today, Salem Village is known as Danvers. The original site in which the trials took place now has the ironic monument of a sanitarium erected there (Starkey). A monument has also been erected in memory of the innocent who unjustly died (Starkey). Interestingly, Americans have learned little as modern witch hunts still occur today. According to Karen Armstrong, “Witch-hunts are still with us…not just among private individuals but also among apparently sane therapists, social workers, and police officers" (Armstrong). She furthers her contention with, “These people are in a position to take action against those they believe to be guilty. They have taken such action. Yet, the FBI has investigated hundreds of satanic sexual abuse claims without ever finding a single piece of evidence" (Hill).

What truly happened in Salem Village lay buried with the deceased. The headstones that represent the victims of the trials tell no tales and the answer to the questions pertaining to the madness in Salem still remain—for the moment--in the shadows of obscurity.

List of the Condemned/ Table 1 (Hill)

Accused that Died in Prison/Table 2 (Hill)

Note: Because documentation is scant at best, it is difficult to determine the exact number of deaths in prison (Linder).

Works Cited

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