Ep. 9: The Salem Witch Trials Part 2

So now in jail we have Tituba , sarah Good , sarah Osborne , martha Corey and Dorothy Good and Rebecca Nurse , so that six people in jail in just one month's time actually two months if you consider January is when the fits first started . This is the time Mary Warren and Mercy Lewis enter the scene .

20-year-old orphan Mary Warren not my Mary Warren , and was John and Elizabeth Proctor servant . According to Emerson Baker , mary had shown early signs of affliction , yet recovered when John Proctor threatened to thresh her and she just happened to not have any more fits Thresh . Her Like he beat her .

But , as we will find out , this was not the end of Mary Warren's involvement . Mercy Lewis was also an orphan , a result of the Native American raids in Maine , and she also happened to be the Putnam's maid servant . On April 3rd 1692 , Sarah Cloyce was accused of witchcraft after walking out of one of Samuel Parris' sermons regarding witchcraft .

Why did she do this , you ask ? I know you were wondering . Well , if they walk out like that's a no-no , yeah , that's not a good thing , but Sarah Cloyce was actually Rebecca's nurse's sister , and so Parris was preaching about the recent witch accusations and Sarah Cloyce was conveniently named by John Indian . And do you remember who John Indian was ?

Yes , wasn't he with Titibas ?

Her life had been far more difficult than Rebecca's , but she definitely fit the mold of the outspoken down on her luck widow of the typical accused witch of the time . During her hearing , according to Schiff , John Indian identified Sarah Cloyce as one of the tormentors she had asked him when did I hurt thee ?

A great many times , he replied , to which Sarah responded oh , you are a grievous liar , which I can imagine . A lot more motion put into that , yeah , which you know never goes well for these women in these hearings .

Abigail Williams was a huge part of this hearing as well , and she claimed that there was a company of witches at the Parris' house which included Sarah Cloyce and Sarah Goode . She said that they ate and drank , which was their sacrament . She claimed a devil's Sabbath had taken place that day of the public fast .

Abigail stated that Cloyce and Goode served as deacons at the service held just behind the personage , and she claimed there were 40 witches there . 40 ? Where did she get that ?

So basically what I'm gathering from this . None of the girls wanted to testify against Elizabeth , but it was interpreted by the court that this was all Elizabeth's doing instead of . You know , maybe she's not a witch .

John Proctor was also to be indicted on April 11 , 1692 on three charges of witchcraft against Mary Walcott , who was a neighbor of the Putnam's , Mary Warren and Mercy Lewis , and was examined the same day . These charges came after he tried to stand up for his wife during her hearing .

Oh , do tell , do tell . Years back he had stolen wheat , flax , tobacco and a host of other things from a warehouse which happened to belong to the father of Justice Corwin .

So I like how you're pinpointing those areas because for me when I only read the Witches by Stacey Schiff , she doesn't really get into that . So for someone that is just a basic Salem witch trials like me , you don't see this stuff .

He had exchanged blows with the local schoolmaster , who me doused with dirty water , of which he was prosecuted for .

The two had been in conflict since the beating and Mary had posted a note of gratitude on the community bulletin board , and this was actually common practice of the time . This is where you could learn who the new fence viewer was or who had not properly educated their children . Can you imagine like your kid is doing this ? You suck at this as a parent .

But this didn't go well for Mary because she soon went from victim to suspect and found herself on the chopping block . She would eventually confess to witchcraft , then submit to afflictions all over again , and I'm kind of glad that she isn't my Mary Warren , because she's a little psycho here . She keeps flopping back and forth .

But at the same time I get the feeling that she is experiencing her own struggles . For one , she's an orphan . Her mother and her sister died . She's being abused by her master , so I can kind of empathize with her a little bit . But I also think that Hawthorne and Corwin may have had a role in convincing Mary to flip-flop .

When she was questioned she seemed uncertain herself as to which side she was on . For some time she stood entranced and then launched into a tearful apology . She promised to tell all , but it was still unsure as to which side she was apologizing and what she meant to tell .

She was dismissed from the room to recover several times until the ministers and justices finally deposed her in private . After a night in prison she was a little more forthcoming . I bet she was . That night she left the note .

Apparently , elizabeth Proctor forced Mary from her bed and confessed to Mary that she was a witch , because you know , that makes a lot of sense . Apparently , salem witches tended to supply formal introductions and presenting their credentials up front . Mary might have surmised , given that her mistress read so much .

Elizabeth owned a number of books , traveling always with one in her pocket . And yet another reason that I would have been tried for witchcraft .

Mary also claimed that John Proctor had bullied her and threatened her to keep their secrets . He had confided in her that his wife annoyed him . She claimed John Proctor demanded that she sign the devil's book and if she did not he would not save her when she would tumble into the fire of hell . Just kidding .

I don't know if it was of help , but it basically . The premise is that if you don't sign the book and if you don't keep my secrets , I'm not gonna save you . Are you talking about the lake of fire ?

These happen to be the precise words and maybe that's why they weren't making sense to me the precise words that Paris had used In describing parents dangling children before dangers , only to rescue them , educating , by the way of false alarms . So Mary eventually confessed to being a witch , but was eventually released from prison in June of 1692 .

She only spent two months in jail , while other confessed witches were locked up for over a year . And that's probably because she flip-flopped to

the other side . Abigail Hobbs hearing was also that day , and this one , in Hawthorne's opinion , delivered the richest rewards . 14 year old Hobbs lived just over the village line in Toppsfield and she had been bragging for over a year in some accounts about her unpurets .

In childhood she converted in the woods at night , she mocked her stepmother and boarded , and she had been chided by a friend for her rudeness . Hobbs would boast of her invincibility and she feared nothing , having already sold her soul to the devil .

Hobbs had told Hawthorne that she had signed many packs , the first one which was in Casco Bay in Maine , 80 miles north , where she had survived an Indian raid three years . Before Abigail was able to describe how she managed the spectral pricks , the devil provided her with thorns that she would drive into wooden images .

During her hearing she didn't know anything about witches meetings but conveniently , the following day after she spent a night in prison , she did remember . Hmm , I think Abigail was what you could call a delinquent at that time .

This is a girl who obviously had shit going on and I'm willing to bet a lot of this was related to PTSD After witnessing attacks from the Native Americans . Yeah , the Wabanaki tribe is the one that constantly attacks up there . Her mother had died , so she has a stepmother and God knows what she was experiencing in her home life .

She may have just not given two shits about what people thought , or it could be extreme attention seeking behavior . She may not have gotten attention unless it was for the negative attention in which , you know , hannah , negative tension is attention .

She and her former husband had fought bitterly and on more than one occasion showed up with bruises . So already Bishop fit all the witchcraft boxes . She had already been accused . Check she was a woman on the outskirts of society . Check , she was outspoken . Check .

And , as we have seen with Hugh and Mary Parsons , there were visible signs of discord in the marriage . Check . But what is amusing , at least to me , is that in 1677 she had landed in court for having called her husband an old rogue and an old devil on the Sabbath . My kind of girl , yeah , and get this . They had been whipped for this eight years earlier .

So this has been going on and I want to reiterate that if those were the kinds of things that would land a woman in court , I definitely would have found myself .

She's a widow check Within eight , right Within eight months , at odds with her neighbors and with her stepchildren Saddled by debts . She stood trial for witchcraft . All of these check boxes are why Bridget would end up being the first one who's tried and executed for witchcraft . But , we will talk more about that later .

A few days later , on April 22 1692 , nine suspects were arrested on witchcraft charges Edward and Sarah , bishop William and deliverance Hobbes , abigail's father and stepmother , mary Estee , the wife of the richest merchant , and Rebecca's nurses , other sister Nahemia Abbott , a black slave , mary black , mary English and Sarah Wilds , and they are examined by Hawthorne and

Corwin . It is important to note that at this point in the trials that every suspect that appeared before Hawthorne Wound up imprisoned to await trial , regardless of their plea , makes me think somebody's got an agenda .

During deliverance Hobbes hearing , mercy Luens was unable to identify her same with Abigail Williams but guess who saved the day and fucking Putnam and claimed that deliverance had tortured her . Deliverance , most likely knowing how the previous hearings had gone , tried to play her hand .

She claimed that she was afflicted too and in that same room a week earlier she had seen birds , cats , dogs and a human apparition who just happened to be Mercy Luis . She rejected Hawthorne's prompts . There wasn't an apparition that asked her to sign a book .

Hawthorne became annoyed with this situation and the two youngest girls , probably encouraged to some extent , pointed at the ceiling and stated that Hobbes was not at the bar , where they could not see her , but she was above their heads on the meeting house . Beam Like seriously . This is proof to me of how shady all the shit was .

How did people actually believe this ? This is evidence that someone , probably the Putnam's , had an agenda , or Hawthorne or Corwin , and these girls were the monkeys performing on demand . It's ridiculous . They are only picking things that fit their narrative and dismissing evidence that doesn't even count . I don't know what your thoughts are , hannah .

I mean , I know people can't see me right now , but I have several moles , does that mean I'm a witch ? Yeah , I identify as a chocolate chip cookie so I mean it's crazy the Accusations that were coming out during these days , but something I do remember from going to Salem and we went on this , this wonderful tour of this house .

Of course now I can't remember the name of it but have to come out and tell you , but the tour guy was wonderful and he was very much about these people , were all about their religion and their fear , and I think that the people of the church were a big driving force in all this because they could control the people through fear .

Deliverance would eventually provide Hawthorne with 11 names who attended the witches meeting . She affirmed that those previous accused were in attendance and omitted the names of the women who had already confessed . Her husband William , on the other hand , denied everything .

He remained steadfast , despite the girls behavior in the courtroom , and he had said to Hawthorne I can speak in the present of God safely , as I must look to give account another day that , as I am clear as a newborn babe , you may judge your pleasure . My soul is clear .

He remained in jail until December 17th 1692 when two of his neighbors paid his bill and William was officially cleared of charges on May 11th 1693 .

Fabulous tour . The gentleman is wonderful and he actually lives in the house , really , yes , and he is all about the house being accessible , meaning you can sit in the furniture and you can touch things . It's not a house museum and he's all about .

You guys should be able to access these house , because this stuff was made Centuries ago , mm-hmm , and it's still working fine , like I want you to . Like he as you sit , he makes you tea . It's wonderful , so I highly recommend on my list .

So , yes , she had people over drinking at all hours of the night . It's only she's doing strip poker .

She started to have seizures and her health started to decline . Trask ended her own life by stabbing herself in the neck with scissors .

Just you know , it's totally normal for people to stab themselves in the neck with a pair of scissors .

They eventually escaped from jail for a short time and were able to avoid execution , and after their trial , their son was able to recover their property . So , mary SD , I've seen it both ways .

It's like Eastie or Estee I'm not really sure how to pronounce it E-A-S-T-Y and E-S-T-Y , or I should just call her Etsy , because that's what I've been doing , as I'm like reading or what's her first name again Mary , yeah , mary E . Mary E was also examined at this time .

She was the other sister of Rebecca Nurse , and I'm just saying that someone really had it out for this family and this is too much to be a coincidence to me . Well , I think you've established that yeah , yeah In 1655 , mary had married Isaac E , a farmer and barrel maker from Toppsfield .

They had seven children and owned one of the largest farms in Salem Village . Somehow I feel like that makes them a target , but according to the website historyofmassitucitsorg , mary E had a good reputation in Salem and there was little reason she would have been accused of witchcraft .

Many historians suspect that the reason she was accused was most likely due to bad blood between her and the Putnam's and due to the fact that she was directly related to several suspected witches .

The shitty thing about Mary E's situation is that she was released from jail on May 18th on her own reconnaissance , because her name had not been mentioned in recent claims . However , fucking Mary Lewis becomes sick and is on her deathbed , claiming that Mary is tormenting her , and Mary is arrested .

48 hours later , gosh and then Mercy Lewis is miraculously healed and spoil alert . Mary E is eventually executed , but we'll get to that part later , next episode . The next few names are ones that I've never heard of in regard to the Salem Witch Trials , the first one being Nahemia Abbott . Have you ever heard of that name ? Is it an E ? H-e-m-i-a-h ?

He definitely wasn't mentioned in the witches book . That's a biblical name Right Neh-M-I-A-H .

Yeah , he should drop the ball . Despite the accusations of spectral torment by Mary Walcott and Ann Putnam , abbott insisted on his innocence , saying I speak before God , that I am clear from this accusation . After being cautioned by the magistrates to be sure that they were right , the accusers started to have doubts .

It seems that maybe the girls weren't coached enough before this examination and Abbott was set free . Heavy sarcasm on that . But it's also interesting that we see here is that the women say the same thing . Like Martha Corey said , she's innocent . I'm a pious woman , I believe in God , I go to church , I'm innocent .

But every single man so far who has said that he's innocent has been let off

. Just thought I'd bring that to attention . I think it's a very valid point .

And since we're the evil ones , you know , if you're going back to that Genesis and everything , so it's awful , but it's not surprising .

He must have got all of them then , yeah probably Mary was arrested and the reason on the warrant was listed as high suspicion of witchcraft performed on the usuals and Putnam , mercy Lewis and Mary Walker . The girls threw fits during her examination and she eventually was indicted and imprisoned .

After spending almost a year in prison , she was brought to trial in January of 1693 . No one appeared to testify against her when the time came , which led to her release by the end of the month .

By 1693 , the support for the witch trials began to wane , with orders such as spectral evidence no longer being admissible in court and the official ending of the court of Euler and Terminer and the prohibiting of further witch related arrests , which we will talk about more in the next episode .

It is also possible that due to her enslave her being a Putnam and an important figure in Salem that it no longer seemed opportune or didn't fit narrative . But some historians believe that her accusation was in retaliation for his defense of Rebecca Nurse . So he actually defended Rebecca Nurse when she was accused as well . What family was Tijaba ?

A part of the Paris's servant , okay , okay , yeah . Sarah Wilds was also accused by you'll never guess the Putnam's Well , by Thomas Putnam on behalf of Anne Putnam , mary Walcott and Mercy Lewis . I'm really seeing a pattern with these three amigos , aren't you ? Like I mentioned before , sarah is the stepmother to Sarah .

Bishop , bishop and her husband were brought in at the same time . Not all the documentation survived her examination , but an afflicted girl , sarah Bibber , a name that I hadn't heard of , claimed to see Wilde's spirit sitting on the beam in the meeting house .

Sarah claimed her innocence , but the judges stated that the girl's behavior in the courtroom was clear evidence that she had been tormenting them .

She was eventually indicted on one charge of witchcraft against Mercy Lewis , and the shitty thing about Sarah Wilde's is that she was the wife of a local judge , but she had a bad reputation due to the previous brushes with the law .

And get this in 1649 , she was accused of fornicating out of wedlock , and in 1663 , she was accused of wearing a silk scarf so scanty . I'm serious . Rob's looking at me like I'm crazy , but this is real .

So 30 years after she got married , oh my word . The final couple we'll be talking about was arrested at the same time , and Baker theorized that they may have been accused as a backlash of his wealth and his position as a Salem selectman , or it could have been because of his support in the Anglican church . Is that how you say it ?

Yeah , anglican , yeah , anglican . Mary was a devout and well-educated woman . This is Mary in Philip English . She was also descended from one of the town's first families . She was arrested April 21st , but Philip evaded arrest through May . He would hide behind bags of laundry in the homes of friends in Boston .

Yeah , then he were also named by Thomas Putnam on behalf of the afflicted girls , but there was one that stole the show and it wasn't in Putnam , for once . That must have really killed her Mojo Right , and it was 18-year-old Susanna Sheldon .

Susanna , like Abigail Hobbs and Mercy Lewis , had grown up in the main frontier and had been driven from there twice by the Wabanaki tribe , and hers was really a sad story because she had lost her father , her brother and uncle , and when her brother's body was recovered it was scalped and mutilated . The remaining Sheldons moved to Salem in 1688 .

Since four to 1692 , Susanna claimed that Philip had lunged over the pews to pinch her in a meeting , that he bit her and threatened to slither throat .

He had consorted with a figure with a high crown hat , and Sheldon saw Mary English with a yellow bird on her breast or her teat and claimed that Mary had been a witch for 20 years , although I'm not sure how she knew that because she was 18 years old , but maybe Mary had told her by June .

Philip had joined his wife and Joe and they eventually escaped before they could stand trial with the help of Reverend Moody and fled to New York , which ultimately saved them from their execution . Keep in mind , all of this started at the end of January , like I said before , and that is when the first fit started with Abigail Williams and Betty Parris .

We are now at the end of April . So far , 23 people have been accused for witchcraft who have been held over for trial 23 people in two months . May was a busy month for Salem and it brought the arrest of George Burroughs , who was a major player in the Salem witch trials .

May introduces us to Judge William Stun , who is also Lieutenant Governor and a douche canoe . This guy had something to prove , whomever it was , and he killed a lot of innocent people trying to show that he had a big dick , apparently and he could handle things in the colony . I mean , that's my opinion , of course .

The end of May brought the creation of the Court of Oyer and Terminer by Sir William Phipps , the governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony . But until then Hawthorne and Corwin continued their shenanigans and on May 2 , 1692 , dorcas Hor .

She was the middle-aged woman who trimmed her gray hair short , save for a dark-matted 4.5-foot-long ponytail . So Dorcas is like the epitome of what I picture as a natural witch , you know the look on your face is like ooh .

When she entered the meeting house they claimed she admitted to killing her husband and a woman in Boston as well . Susanna Sheldon showed up again and joined the accusers and when the afflicted girls described Dorcas' cats , the book and the black man whispering into their ears , dorcas exploded oh you liars , and God will stop the mouths of liars .

Susan reprimanded her , saying you are not to speak in this manner in this court . Dorcas then responded I will speak the truth as long as I live . She was taken back to jail and held over for trial .

There's a few more before we end the episode , but 71-year-old widow Susanna Martin and side note that most of these end up being executed , which is why I'm covering them 71-year-old widow Susanna Martin was next and she could hardly take the proceedings seriously .

She had already been accused of witchcraft decades earlier and her husband had sued for slander on her behalf and won . But the accusations continued . Martin was said to have bewitched a woman to insanity , murdered her own infant and born an imp . She accused a man of theft , quarreled freely with her children and challenged her seat in the meeting house .

There were eight accusers that stood before her that day and Anne Putnam actually threw a glove at her During the hearing and Martin began laughing . Martin thought it was ridiculous and did not believe the girls were bewitched at all and claimed to have no compassion towards them . This shocked Hawthorne .

He told her that the entire community thinks she was guilty and she replied let them think what they will . Susanna Martin was a badass and she did not give a shit .

Unfortunately , lydia died in prison before she was able to pay . Mori , on the other hand , was held until February of 1693 and was cleared of all charges , and her mom was actually able to petition for compensation for the time she spent in prison , oh good . Yeah , george Burroughs . George Burroughs is like one of what I like to call the heavy hitters .

He plays a big role and he also knows a lot of people . He knows the Justices , he knows the Putnam's and he's a Reverend , a minister , and so during his hearings I think he thought that it's mostly women that are held over or accused , yeah . And so I don't think that he really anticipated it to go the way it went .

But there's parts of George Burroughs where I think like Jamie Frazier From Alexander , yes , and I'll tell you why when I point them out . And then there's other parts where I'm like , okay , maybe because he's kind of a dick in other parts , but for the good parts I envision Jamie Frazier .

Because of and because of it , it resulted in a falling out between families . Hawthorne and Corwin mixed things up a bit for Burroughs' hearing and I am trying to figure out why this was . And it is because they believe that Burroughs really was at the root of all the like . Did they believe he was at the root of all this witchcraft ?

Or was it because the interactions between him and the Putnam's in the past , or the rumors of his unearthly strength ? Let's go into the Burroughs history for a second . He grew up in Maryland with both of his parents and he was the only child .

He moved to Massachusetts with his mother in 1657 as his father was a merchant mariner or mariner , I don't know , you guys decide .

He would soon accept the position as minister in Casco Bay , Maine , which was slightly smaller than Salem and a part of what is now Portland Maine . I was just there . I love Portland . Yes , they have some good duck fat fries Moving on .

There were some differences between the people of Eastern Maine and the Puritans . Irregularities tended to creep up into the preaching as the clergymen made concessions to their flocks .

So basically , with the frontier , there weren't as many people , they were spread out and there were multiple religions but they didn't have very many ministers and so as a minister he was preaching to a bunch of different faiths .

The frontier town submitted to Massachusetts jurisdiction at this time , but in the process they traded religious freedom for military protection .

The colonial elite and this part is interesting , or at least I thought it was that may have something to do with the trials the colonial elite of Massachusetts , which included the Salem justices , had a large financial interest in Maine's fishing and lumber in industries . Even with their financial interests , officials washed their hands of the vulnerable frontier .

In 1690 , peckerheads , hawthorne and Corwin suggested Massachusetts withdraw their soldiers from the frontier , which yielded disastrous results . And at this time Maine was still getting attacked by the Wabanaki , which cost many colonists their lives . And because all of this , burroughs was not offered an official church , nor was he ever ordained .

The Wabanaki burnt down the house of a previous minister , so the town could not provide him a home , but they were able to provide him 200 acres of prime land .

After this attack , he was living out as an occasional minister until the Salem villagers found him to install him with the Putnam's . Burroughs moved back to Costco in 1683 , where his former parish heartily welcomed him back , and six years later Casco , now larger than Salem Village , found itself in the middle of King Williams War .

There had been contention between England and the French well before England declared war against the French in 1689 . And , according to Schiff , in September of 1689 , more than 400 French and Indians descended on the town with a roar . Burroughs joined the seven hour battle waged in a field and orchard . 250 settlers were either killed or taken captive .

It was after this attack that Mercy Lewis was orphaned and moved in with the Burroughs family , and Burroughs was widowed for the second time and retreated down the coast to Wells . So Wells , at this time was now the frontier , as everything east had been destroyed . Mid June of 1691 , the Wells , livestock and fields were destroyed .

Burroughs joined a late July appeal for provisions to the Massachusetts Council . He pleaded for clothes and salt , because without it the corn supply would only last six months . The enemy was expected daily .

The Wabanaki captured a 17 year old when he went out for wood and as the first witchcraft accusations emerged , the Wabanaki killed and carried off half of the neighboring town .

They marched 50 captives through the snow up to Canada and they slaughtered sheep , cattle and horses , and Burroughs painted a picture of pillars of smoke , the raging of merciless flames , the insults of the heathen enemy , shooting , shouting , hacking and not having regard to the earnest supplications of men , women or children , and dragging away others with no help .

I tell you about this account from SHIFT to give you insight to , first , what Burroughs was experiencing at the time of the witch trials and , secondly , how stressful these attacks were on everyone in the colony . Can you imagine witnessing any of this and what it would do to someone , let alone like a young girl , like Susanna and Mercy ?

Trauma , trauma , yeah , major trauma , and also , I'd imagine I kind of experienced this when I came home from Iraq . But when you're dealing with so much horror and trauma , I mean , I didn't go through anything like that . But you kind of think that the day to day complainings of people are like so Miniscule .

Firstly , they added two additional justices 40 year old Samuel Sewell , whose brother was currently housing Paris' daughter down the road from the meeting house , and another connection with the Paris and Putnam's . But also Burroughs and Sewell had known each other at Harvard and they had socialized over years .

And this is where Douche Canoe William Stotton makes his first appearance as one of the justices . He was the former Massachusetts deputy president and soon to be lieutenant governor of Massachusetts . The presence of the two men spoke the gravity of the situation . That's cute .

Secondly , hawthorne and Corwin you guys can't see this , but Rob and Hannah were playing footsie . I did not start anything , sound out of the corner of my eye , but you know as you were , keep on , keep on , keep it on . The presence of the two men spoke to the gravity of the situation .

Secondly , hawthorne and Corwin built a special case for Burroughs , obtaining evidence from 16 people , and they conducted it in private .

All that mattered was if he had taken communion . He was then questioned about his supposed haunted house . I love this story too . His second wife had complained of visitations in the night and the slaves swore to have seen a white calf bolt from the roof , race along the chimney and flew down the stairs .

On another occasion his wife felt a rustle by the bed and breathe on her while she laid by his side . It was haunted back in the 1600s . He denied the house was haunted . But also , why was this not considered a visit from a familiar , like other people claimed ? We've already discussed that witches can take on animal shapes .

So who's to say that this was a haunting and not a witch attack Like it had been for others ? Yeah , oh , that's probably because it didn't fit into Hawthorne and Corwin's agenda .

It's getting hot here Seeing how he saved lives and apparently was able to shoot a seven foot shotgun with one hand , which is why I imagine

him . But we also find out that he might have kind of been a dick to his wives . But we also need to consider the sources . Well , some of them , according to shift , the Putnam's , were far from alone in testifying against burrows and they lived with Putnam's for a while and they claim that Burroughs and his wife he was very sharp with his wife .

His wife , sarah , reportedly lived in fear of her husband as he scolded her mercilessly and say that five times fast , mercilessly and controlled , obsessively , like Hugh Parsons from Springfield . He had told his wife that he had heard every word she uttered in his absence and told her that . My God makes known your thoughts to me , oh brother . Also like Hugh .

A week after his wife had given birth , Burroughs kept her on her feet to berate her at length . There is no proof that Burroughs actually physically abused his wives , like others had claimed . But he also believed in secrets , something that sat poorly with a community dedicated to mutual surveillance .

He attempted to silent others and attempted to control what his wife and daughter would say to others . He insisted his wife sign an agreement and that she would reveal none of his private affairs and would not let her send any letters without him reading him first . I mean , I get it to some extent .

I'm sure he had plenty experience with the nosy peer-to-neighbors to want to keep his business to himself . However , he appeared to be a little controlling about it . Side note , his second wife , Sarah Ruck , was Hawthorne's brother's widow , and her father lived in Salem where he was about to serve as foreman of a grand jury . Coincidence , I think not .

Burl's apparently had hoisted a barrel of molasses with two fingers , fired a seven-foot shotgun with one hand , what ? While a companion had gone off to the fort for help , he had unloaded an entire canoe of provisions by himself . In September of 1689 , and in the frontiers of Maine , a strong , stout-hearted leader came in hand and many admired his fortitude .

Some of these claims were second-hand accounts , but some stories Burl's had boasted about himself , which didn't help in the situation as he tried to explain those things away . But their mind was made up and all of his abusive and legendary ways . He was a bad man but a very good wizard .

Also , in May , george Jacob Sr and his granddaughter are arrested on charges of witchcraft , as well as Roger Toothacre , john Alden , martha Carrier , elizabeth Howe and Wilmot Red . George Jacob Sr was close to 80 years old and hobbled into his hearing with his tall figure bent over two gains . I kind of imagine the guy from why can I not think of it ?

The neighbor on what's the show with Peter Griffin . Why can't I think of his name ?

Similar to George Burroughs and John Proctor , jacob's had been firm with his servant , who Schiff said that he very likely beat A 16-year-old boy would later testify that Jacob's had threatened to drown him . This accusation struck the magistrates weird , as Jacob's had in the past been prosecuted for drowning several horses .

The court had then asked about his religious practices . He admitted he didn't pray . He didn't worship with his family because he couldn't read , and they asked him to say the Lord's Prayer , which was considered by some as a talisman before which evil fled .

He made multiple attempts , stumbling every time , which is most likely something that anyone in standing in front of the magistrates would have done .

They are also strong , outspoken men who aren't willing to take any of this lying down , who may or may not have been an enemy to certain citizens . On a sad note , sarah Osborne , the one of the ones that was first accused , died in jail on May 20th 1692 , which is the first death .

That is the result of the trials and if you remember Sarah , she was already bedridden when she was accused and she was already not healthy , but the horrific conditions of the jail , I'm sure , probably killed her sooner .

Another event of note that happened on May 14th was that increased Mather returned to Massachusetts Bay Colony with the new charter and the new governor , sir William Phipps . We briefly mentioned increase in his son , cotton , and they were both popular ministers of the time .

Increase was the president of Harvard and Cotton was a minister in Boston where he was for the most part of the witch trials . The father and son duo enjoyed sharing their opinion about the trials , but to me it seemed like they would flip flop from one side to another depending on who they were talking to .

They do play an important role in the trials , but I'm not going to go into them as this would end up being an entire season . But one positive thing about them was that they did not agree with spectral evidence as proof of witchcraft and that it shouldn't be a reason for the executions to be taking place .

So one brownie point for me to the Mathers Also , we mentioned in the last episode was the fact that the Massachusetts Bay Colony was in between charters , which gave them the authority to settle the colony . New laws would be created under this charter , and it also puts Sir William Phipps in charge .

I must say too that it seems to me that Phipps wanted nothing to do with the witch trials . He wanted to go up to the frontier of Maine and make a name for himself there .

To be able to do this , he created the Court of Euler and Terminer , which means to hear and determine , and this act alone gave Hawthorne and Corwin and the other magistrates that will be appointed the authority to hold a legit trial for the witchcraft , which is something they won't have been able to do before , and he would put Lieutenant Governor William

Dushkonnousdotton in charge of it , which I believe was the descent of an already sinking ship .

Peter Sargent , samuel Sewell , waitstill Winthrop , john Richards and Jha Hawthorne , along with Lieutenant Governor William Stotton as the Chief Justice , which is where we will end this week's episode .

When we start next week , we will talk about the actual trials , then discuss why they were so lame and stupid , why William Stotton was a Dushkonnou , what are other factors that played in the role of this madness , why it came to an end and the aftermath . So join us next week , wanderers , as we finally conclude the Salem Witch Trials .

Have a good night or good day . Bye , everybody , bye .