In the spring of 1692, one of New England's largest witchcraft trials began in Salem, Massachusetts.
After the two girls accused the women of being witches, fear, paranoia and hysteria spread with incredible speed, engulfing all the inhabitants of the town.
Many were tried and sentenced to death, although there was little evidence against them, save for the unsubstantiated testimony of others.
Events quickly spiraled out of control, many lives were destroyed, families were broken up, and everyone in the small town was confused. How it all began, how it all ended, as well as other details about the Salem witches, read on.
Smallpox
Shortly before the "witch hunt" began, a smallpox outbreak spread throughout the town of Salem. This only added fuel to the fire. The Reverend Cotton Mather accused Martha Corey of causing smallpox due to her witchcraft. He called her "a ferocious witch" and "queen of hell", although historical documents indicate that she was simply independent in her judgments and rebellious.
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Abigail Williams and Betty Parris
Because of these two girls, the ruthless "witch hunt" actually began. The historical record says that they began to show symptoms of an unknown illness, the attacks were terrible. In addition, they claimed that they saw the spirit of the accused who appeared to them.
When the girls were examined by a doctor, he decided that the cause of the disease was the influence of a witch. It was then that the arrests and reprisals against those accused of witchcraft began. The little girls have pointed to several alleged witches, including the slave maid Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne.
Water test
This was a popular test to determine if someone was a witch or not. In this test, the victim's right thumb was tied to the left big toe, and vice versa, the left thumb was tied to the right leg. After that, the subject was lowered into water.
If the wretch did not drown, then she was a witch, and if she was drowning, then she was not such. There was a real danger of drowning during the test if the suspect was not dragged out of the water for too long.
Witchcraft law
These "witches" trials were carried out in accordance with a law passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1542, known as the "Witchcraft Act". Thus, in England, witchcraft was considered a capital offense. This law has been observed for hundreds of years.
Crushed by stones
Some of the tests were quite unusual. For example, the highly successful farmer Giles Corey was accused of witchcraft by three women. To force him to admit it, the villagers put him on the floor and a wooden board was placed on his chest.
On top of the board, they began to put heavy stones until they crushed the poor fellow. This method of inquiry is called “pressing”. Corey's last words were "Put more."
Ergot
One of the versions explaining what happened in Salem is ergot poisoning. It is a fungus that infects rye grain in spring and summer when it is warm and humid. Poisoning symptoms are similar to those seen in Salem residents, including spasms, seizures, hallucinations, and vomiting.
Hanging Hill
The place where the accused of witchcraft were executed by hanging is called Hanging Hill. For many years, historians have pondered where the executions were carried out, and were able to establish this only in 2016.
However, no one knows where many of the accused were buried, since they were not allowed to be buried in Christian cemeteries.
Hanging Hill these days.
Total number of victims
In total, 20 people were executed during the trials. 19 of these people were hanged and one, Giles Corey, was crushed by stones. Four more died in prison awaiting trial. A total of 200 people were accused of witchcraft, of which 140-150 people were arrested.
Svetlana Bodrik
