It began in January 1692, in the home of Reverend Samuel Parris. His nine-year-old daughter, Betty Parris, and her eleven-year-old cousin, Abigail Williams, started having strange fits. The girls screamed uncontrollably, contorted their bodies into painful positions, and hid under furniture. When the local physician, Dr. William Griggs, could find no physical cause, he declared they were victims of 'the Evil Hand.' Under pressure, the girls named their first tormentors: a slave in the Parris household named Tituba, and two other local women. Tituba eventually confessed to meeting a 'Black Man' and signing his book in blood, a confession that validated the community's fears and led directly to the first arrests.
The Salem Witch Trials
In 1692, a Massachusetts panic led to over 200 accusations of witchcraft, 19 hangings, and the death by pressing of one man, Giles Corey.
Chapter 1
The Evil Hand
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Frequently Asked Questions
What was 'spectral evidence'?
Spectral evidence was testimony by accusers that they were being attacked by the ghost or 'specter' of an accused witch. The court accepted this as valid proof, even though only the accuser could see the specter. It was a key legal concept that made it almost impossible for the accused to prove their innocence.
Why was Giles Corey pressed to death?
Giles Corey refused to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty. Under the law at the time, this meant he could not be tried, and his property could not be seized by the state. The punishment for refusing to plead was being pressed with heavy stones, a torture which he endured, reportedly only saying "More weight."
Did anyone ever apologize for the Salem witch trials?
Yes. Judge Samuel Sewall was the only one of the nine judges from the special court to publicly apologize. In 1697, five years after the trials, he stood before his church congregation in Boston while his minister read a statement confessing his error and asking for forgiveness.
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