The witch hunt is one of the most shameful chapters in human history. The witch trials that swept across Europe over the course of several centuries claimed the lives of more than a hundred thousand people. However, historians consider the events in Salem (USA, Massachusetts) one of the bloodiest courts.
Witchcraft is dangerous fun
The tragic events in Salem began innocently. Betty, the nine-year-old daughter of the Reverend Parris, and his niece Abigail Williams were under the care of the black slave Tituba, taken from Barbados, on long winter evenings. She entertained the girls with stories about her homeland, voodoo magic, and this colorful world captivated the girls so much that they wanted to apply new knowledge in practice. Together with other friends, they built a primitive magic ball by immersing an egg in a glass of water and tried to predict the future. During such sessions, one of the young witches dreamed of a coffin, which meant a quick death, and after that, innocent children's pranks began to take on a completely different turn.
In January 1692, Betty Parris began to have unexplained seizures, the girl began to hide for a long time in dark corners, make strange sounds, and grimace. Soon other young participants in occult pursuits developed similar symptoms. In February, the victims consulted the village doctor, William Griggs. It should be remembered about the level of medicine at that time: unable to explain the strange behavior of children, the doctor diagnosed them as bewitched. Appropriate measures for treatment were proposed: in order to get rid of the induced damage, it is necessary to catch and destroy the witch who let her loose. From that moment on, a witch hunt was announced.
Found the culprit of disease
Based on the testimony of the girls, who claimed to be tormented by evil spirits, arrest warrants were signed for the first three victims: Tituba herself, the city beggar Sarah Goode and the old woman Osborne. All three did not go to church, so it was simply impossible not to suspect them of witchcraft. What made the girls go so far in their games? Irrepressible childish imagination, inflamed by the colorful stories of Tituba, fear of admitting that all these seizures and visions are a common pretense, or have they become tools in the skillful hands of someone who decided to use the witch trial to settle scores with unwanted fellow villagers? We will not know this, just as we will not know what made Tituba not only confess to witchcraft, but also betray two other women as his accomplices, members of the secret community of witches. From that moment on, the charges began to grow like a snowball, the visions of the girls brought more and more accused to the dock. Before the sentences were passed, they all languished in a Boston prison, shackled. In conclusion, not only "asocial elements" of the community began to fall, but also quite respectable parishioners, as well as those who had the courage to protest against this outrage: this happened to the Proctor spouses, who were openly indignant at what was happening. A respected resident of Salem, Rebecca Nurse, was arrested along with her four-year-old daughter, who was also accused of witchcraft, and she was also shackled!In conclusion, not only "asocial elements" of the community began to fall, but also quite respectable parishioners, as well as those who had the courage to protest against this lawlessness: this happened to the Proctor spouses, who were openly indignant at what was happening. A respected resident of Salem, Rebecca Nurse, was arrested along with her four-year-old daughter, who was also accused of witchcraft, and she was also shackled!In conclusion, not only "asocial elements" of the community began to fall, but also quite respectable parishioners, as well as those who had the courage to protest against this lawlessness: this happened to the Proctor spouses, who were openly indignant at what was happening. A respected resident of Salem, Rebecca Nurse, was arrested along with her four-year-old daughter, who was also accused of witchcraft, and she was also shackled!
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The authority of "witch hunters" is growing
Further - more: the former Salem priest, the Reverend Barrafs, went to prison. At one time, he did not get along with some of the parishioners and now past conflicts turned against him. Barrafs was presented as the leader of the very mystical community of witches that tormented the surrounding population, caused damage and disease to livestock. Several "witches" were already executed, their "leader" was caught, but it was impossible to stop the avalanche. Success and general attention dizzy girls' heads, they were already invited to identify sorcerers in the surrounding villages. There they encountered some difficulties: they could not name the accused by name, so they had to look for "sorcerers", methodically bypassing the villages. If at the gates of the house the girls began to cramps, then this was considered tantamount to a sentence - the perpetrator was immediately imprisoned, and then brought to the courtroom,whose meetings were more like some crazy theatrical performances. People were judged on the basis of visions of girls who, when the accused appeared, began to fight in seizures, which was considered proof of their guilt. Those who began to doubt the legitimacy of such methods were waiting for a place next to the victims. John Willard, who had previously been involved in the arrests, was accused after he refused to sign several warrants; Judge Saltonstall, who doubted the objectivity of the investigation methods, was also charged with witchcraft. But many of the accused out of fear signed confessions and testified against their own comrades in misfortune, thereby further strengthening the authority of the girls.which, when the defendants appeared, began to fight in seizures, which was considered proof of their guilt. Those who began to doubt the legitimacy of such methods were waiting for a place next to the victims. John Willard, who had previously been involved in the arrests, was accused after he refused to sign several warrants; Judge Saltonstall, who doubted the objectivity of the investigation methods, was also charged with witchcraft. But many of the accused out of fear signed confessions and testified against their own comrades in misfortune, thereby further strengthening the authority of the girls.which, when the defendants appeared, began to fight in seizures, which was considered proof of their guilt. Those who began to doubt the legitimacy of such methods were waiting for a place next to the victims. John Willard, who had previously been involved in the arrests, was accused after he refused to sign several warrants; Judge Saltonstall, who doubted the objectivity of the investigation methods, was also charged with witchcraft. But many of the accused out of fear signed confessions and testified against their own comrades in misfortune, thereby further strengthening the authority of the girls.how he refused to sign several orders; Judge Saltonstall, who doubted the objectivity of the investigation methods, was also charged with witchcraft. But many of the accused out of fear signed confessions and testified against their own comrades in misfortune, thereby further strengthening the authority of the girls.how he refused to sign several orders; Judge Saltonstall, who doubted the objectivity of the investigation methods, was also charged with witchcraft. But many of the accused out of fear signed confessions and testified against their own comrades in misfortune, thereby further strengthening the authority of the girls.
Courts and executions
Before the hysteria subsided, 19 of the 141 people involved in this case were hanged in Salem, two more died in prison without waiting for a court verdict. Worst of all, however, was the death of 80-year-old landowner Giles Corey, who refused to acknowledge the court's legitimacy. For resistance, the court sentenced him to "severe and painful" execution. They brought him to the Salem fields, laid him on the ground, and crushed him from above with a board, on which they began to stack stones, thus trying to "squeeze" a confession out of him. Soon from such ordeals, Corey's tongue fell out of his mouth, but Sheriff George Corwin pushed it back with a cane.
Giles Corey turned out to be a stubborn person and answered all questions with a demand to increase the load, which the executioners did until the unfortunate man was crushed to death. The team of accusers considered such a death quite fair, they announced that Corey agreed to sign the devil's book in exchange for a promise that he would never go to the gallows. Therefore, it turned out that the devil kept his word.
Governor Phipps put an end to this mass insanity, after presumptuous girls accused his wife of witchcraft. By decree of the governor, the court was dissolved, and the new composition passed only acquittals.
Real witches
Scientists have repeatedly investigated the phenomenon of "Salem hysteria" in particular and witch hunts in general. At the same time, a variety of versions were put forward: from continuing the practice of eradicating heresy in the bosom of the church and ending with mass poisoning with ergot - mold on cereals that causes hallucinations. But today none of the explanations seems convincing enough.
Were there real witches in Salem? One of the episodes in this story evokes a similar mystical mood. Before the execution of Sarah Good Noyes, who did not confess, he urged her to repent, to which she replied: "I am no more a witch than you are a clown, and if you take my life, God will make you drink your own blood." These words turned out to be prophetic: Noyes died about 1717 from internal hemorrhage, choking on his own blood …
If we consider witches to be the fiends of hell, then girls themselves are much more suitable for this role. How could they have thought to arrange such a mass reprisal against their fellow villagers, not even sparing their own parents: among the other accused, Abigail Williams' parents were on trial? And what did adults think about, obeying the instructions of children, whose normalcy it would be worth doubting?
Unfortunately, the Salem trial is far from the most ambitious and certainly not the only example of mass blindness and aggressiveness that is known to history.
How many more bloody massacres will be required for people to learn to draw the appropriate waters from the lessons given to us by history?
Natalia IVANOVA
Secrets of the XX century, no. 11, 2007