EPISODE 46 - HALLOWEEN EPISODE - The Salem Witch Trials

HAPPY HALLOWEEN.......Step back in time with us to 1692, a period of mass hysteria and false accusations that led to the infamous Salem Witch Trials. We're guiding you through a chilling narrative of a community gripped by fear, a community that condemned 30 people to death on charges of witchcraft. This dark chapter in history is sure to leave you with goosebumps.

We'll introduce you to the three women whose tales sparked this frenzy - Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Titchibar. Learn about their lives, their pleas of innocence, and the tragic end they met. Hear about others like them - Rebecca Nurse, George Burroughs, and Giles Corey - who were falsely accused and faced the gallows. Do you think you know the details of this grim chapter in history? Think again, as we bring to light the horrifying stories of eight individuals executed on September 22nd, 1692, and the chilling tale of Giles Corey who died under torture.

Then, stepping into the innocence lost, meet Dorothy Good, a four-year-old child, the youngest of those involved in the trials, kept behind bars for nine months without formal charges. All this culminated in the reversal of many of the witchcraft convictions by the Massachusetts colonial government in 1711, admitting the grave injustices of the Salem Witch Trials. So, wrap up in your favorite blanket, grab a hot drink, and brace yourself for an eerie journey into the past.

Chapters

• 0:02 Salem Witch Trials
• 12:36 Accusations of Witchcraft in Salem Village
• 26:28 The Salem Witch Trials and Executions
• 37:24 Salem Witch Trials
• 43:46 Accusations and Executions in Salem
• 52:52 The Salem Witch Trials
• 1:06:53 Salem Witch Trials and Their Victims

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

Random blam go.

Speaker 2: 0:07

Random blam. I have a room in my house called the Snug and this is it. It is Snuper, snug, it is very Snug. Yes, and I love my curtains. They're my favourite bit in the house because I think they go with the room. Yes, it's normally. We're not allowed technology in here no phones, no iPads, nothing. It's just books, open fire, family time. This is the exception. Random blam go.

Speaker 1: 0:53

My random blam Is that after this episode I've got Isaac's harvest festival at the school, so I need to go and quickly take as much green off as I can. Can you imagine?

Speaker 2: 1:09

if you forgot and you like turned up and like just rocked up and you were like, oh, like, have you ever done that? Like gone out and got in your car and then suddenly realised that you got your slippers on?

Speaker 1: 1:19

I went to chemo in my slippers. You did, I turned up and I went, joseph went off, because when you get there you've got to get like a so that you don't have to pay for parking. You go to the chemo room and you get a slip to say that you're having chemo. So she was like oh, while I'm parking, do you want to grab the slip? And I was like yeah, okay, and I swung my legs out of the car and went oh no, I've got my slippers on. I mean, I just shuffled into the chemo room.

Speaker 2: 1:46

I mean it's, you know, it's expected, things like that. I mean, I think not expected, accepted, accepted, yeah, yeah, things like that. But yeah, I mean, if you turn up to Isaac's Harvest Festival in your current state, I don't think it'd go down too well, not good.

Speaker 1: 2:07

No Well, my Halloween last year, when I decorated my head with all the brains coming out, it scared Isaac. Oh did it? Yeah, he was scared of it. It's like is that real blood? No, lemon.

Speaker 2: 2:18

You were like yes, it is Well. Happy Halloween everyone.

Speaker 1: 2:28

Happy Halloween. Happy Halloween, yeah, I do love Halloween and I think I love Halloween only because I had Hailey and she loves Halloween, absolutely loves Halloween. She loves Halloween from such a young age, loved Halloween and she was never conventionally like Spider-Man or you know, like Elsa or anything like that, she always dressed up as the creepiest, darkest, scariest things. That's how.

Speaker 2: 2:57

Hailey. Yeah, I know she's called loves Halloween. She loves a bit Halloween. I haven't got witches outfit, but I've got witches t-shirt. Yeah, I've got all the under-sins Focus focus.

Speaker 1: 3:12

Oh cool, I hated my chest and everything. Nice, I've got to be a shit to get off in it. Yeah, this is the most contouring I've ever done in my entire life.

Speaker 2: 3:27

Witchy contour. Yeah, it's great contouring, isn't it yeah?

Speaker 1: 3:33

Creepy as fuck. Great job.

Speaker 2: 3:35

Great job For those listening, because you guys are going to be listening to this on Halloween, but you'll be able to watch it a week later on YouTube. So for those listening, sarah is in full witch regalia. She's got a green face, which, for some reason, has made your eyes look really creepy.

Speaker 1: 4:06

Yeah, that's just my creepy eyes. They're just creepy as.

Speaker 2: 4:10

You've got white hair. It looks good, though I like the style of it. You've styled it good. It suits you. You should do that anyway. It's just up. Yeah, I like it. It looks good up.

Speaker 1: 4:24

Yeah, I will put a picture on them. Yeah, social media, so everyone can see, because we do look pretty cool.

Speaker 2: 4:31

Yeah, Well, you do. I haven't done anything. I've got a hocus pocus t-shirt on and got my wand Harry Potter wand which I should have done. This is my random blam. This wand came from a wand shop in Salem Massachusetts.

Speaker 1: 4:56

Oh, that's cool. That ties in very nicely to our story. It does, doesn't it? It does, indeed, because for the first time, me and Kate are doing a joint story. So we've worked really hard on this one, and we worked on it together, and we are bringing you the story of the Salem witch trials. We are, yeah, so we're all dressed up for the occasion. Well, there is. I was so excited to get up and put all this on and paint my face.

Speaker 2: 5:31

I was doing all this last night and the kids came home and they were like, oh my God, what's happening? And I said, oh, I'm doing the Halloween episode tomorrow for the pod. And, yeah, lewis was in here and he was like oh, it looks so cool, it looks so cool, can we just have it like this all the time? And I was like yeah, and Claire was like no, oh, and I was like no, rubbish. Yeah, it's all right, I'll just give it a week and then I'll change everything round to Christmas.

Speaker 1: 6:05

Yeah, easy. Between February 1692 and May 1693, more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft. 30 people were found guilty, 19 of them were executed by hanging. There were 14 men and five women, as well as two dogs. No, another man that had been accused, Giles Corey, died under torture after refusing to enter a plea, and at least five people died in jail.

Speaker 1: 6:57

So what started the sale in witch trials? You know what? How did that hysteria start? I will tell you.

Speaker 1: 7:08

Okay, in 1689, three years prior to the witch trials, through the influence of the Putnam's, samuel Parris, a merchant from Boston who'd come from Barbados, he became the pastor of the village's congregational church. Samuel brought to the village his wife, their three children, a niece and two slaves that he'd brought back from Barbados, a gentleman called John Indian and a woman called Titchibar. Over the next few years, parris's daughter, betty I think her name was Elizabeth, but most references call her Betty who was aged nine at the time. A niece, abigail Williams, who was aged 11, and their friend Ann Putnam Jr, who was about 12, began indulging in fortune telling. They wanted to see if they could find out by fortune telling who that they would marry in the future. They didn't have anything else to do, I guess. Yeah, yeah, boredom. Yes, they believed that Titchibar, who was the Parris's slave that come over from Barbados, had told the girl stories of Voodoo from her home country, so she'd got them interested in that dark sort of magic side of thing in their fortune telling.

Speaker 1: 8:38

So by January 1692, betty and Abigail began acting very strangely, and they complained that they weren't feeling very well. The girls screamed, they threw things around the room, they uttered strange sounds, they crawled under furniture and they contorted themselves into very peculiar positions, and so they were taken to see the local doctor. The local doctor, william Griggs, found absolutely nothing physically wrong with the girls, and so, therefore, he determined that they were suffering from bewitchment. No-transcript, it's actually thought that the girls were just completely faking it. That they had, you know, it was just a means of getting attention. They were very bored. I don't think that there was anything really to do in 1692 in the village of Salem. So they were mischievous girls that were just acting up.

Speaker 2: 9:38

They've got a lot to answer for, haven't?

Speaker 1: 9:40

they. They have a lot to answer.

Speaker 2: 9:41

They had a lot to do with the trials and yeah.

Speaker 1: 9:46

They really did. Yeah, they were really kind of. Once they started snowballing, they were very in on it. Yeah, but after they'd been diagnosed with bewitchment air quotes, the girls were asked to point out who they thought had bewitched them, and this is where the first set of accused come in. So it rested for allegedly bewitching three girls were a homeless beggar, sarah Good, an elderly woman, sarah Osbourne and poor Tituba. So Kate has actually got a lot of information on the Salem witch trials. You've been to Salem, haven't you? I have.

Speaker 2: 10:27

I have several times In fact. Claire and I went a couple of years ago and Claire was just absolutely blown away with it and how much the whole town embraces. You know the spirit of the witch yeah. And the history behind it. It's a creepy place when the sun goes down and I swear to God, to this day I am convinced that I saw a werewolf in Salem Really.

Speaker 1: 10:54

Okay, well, that's a story for another day, yep.

Speaker 2: 10:58

I should have done that. That's my random blur, oh note them down Too late.

Speaker 1: 11:02

So Kate's actually got a lot of information on the victims, so Kate will tell the story of the victims.

Speaker 2: 11:12

So the first person that I'm going to tell you about is Sarah Good. She was born in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Her dad was wealthy and she lived a good life. However, in 1673, her dad sadly committed suicide and he left his estate to his wife, Elizabeth. He also left her with their nine children. Shortly after his death, Elizabeth remarried and she gave a lot of the estate to her husband, to her new hubby. The children were now without a father and without any money. Sarah was penniless and decided to marry Daniel Paul, who was a servant, or former servant, I should say. He then sadly died.

Speaker 2: 12:02

Sarah was then in a worse state than ever Now. She was not only skinned, but she had debt as well, because she took on, obviously, all his debt. But she kind of went a bit off the rails at this point. She would shout at people, kids in particular, and beg for money, and for this she was disliked in Salem. Sarah then married William Good which is why she was Sarah Good and they had a daughter that they named Dorothy. Sarah Good often found herself the target of suspicion and gossip within the community due to her reputation for begging and exhibiting erratic behaviour. When the accusations of witchcraft arose in Salem. It didn't take long for her to become a prime target. Then we've got Sarah Osborne. She was actually born in England. There are a lot of the places in Massachusetts are named after places in England.

Speaker 1: 13:06

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 13:07

Which is why it's New England, but she was born in England around 1643 and later relocated to Salem Village with her husband, robert Prince. Osborne faced multiple challenges during her life, including financial hardships and conflicts within her community. Osborne's reputation had already been tainted when she faced accusations of witchcraft. She had been accused of and even sued for, the involvement in, an affair before her first husband died and she married Robert Prince. I didn't know she could get sued for having an affair. I know right. This history, along with her unconventional behaviour, made her an easy target for the accusations as well. Then poor Titchibar, poor Titchibar, poor Titchibar. She was one of the central figures in Salem. Turns out she wanted to follow a particular route that she thought was going to get her out of it, but actually it made it a lot worse for her and it actually ended up making it worse for all of the victims of Salem in the trials. As Sarah mentioned before, she was a slave, and it makes me so uncomfortable saying that word.

Speaker 1: 14:35

She was the property of the Reverend, wasn't she? He had bought her and brought her over.

Speaker 2: 14:42

Yeah, reverend Samuel Parris, and he was the minister of Salem Village. Titchibar's origins are not entirely clear, but it's believed that she was originally from the Caribbean, likely Barbados or present-day Ghana. She brought with her a different cultural background and knowledge of folk magic and storytelling, which was fine until everyone started going on about witches. When the accusations of witchcraft began in Salem Village, titchibar was one of the first individuals to be accused. During the initial questioning, she confessed to practicing witchcraft, claiming that she had made a pact with the devil and had seen spectral figures. Her confession implicated several other people in the community. Titchibar's confession and her involvement in the witchcraft hysteria just heightened fears and suspicions within the community. Her race and foreign background added to the already present prejudices and many viewed her as the embodiment of witchcraft and evil. It goes back to that whole thing, doesn't it? Like things that you don't understand.

Speaker 1: 16:12

Yeah, fear of the unknown.

Speaker 2: 16:13

Yeah, fear of the unknown, different race, different cultures, things like that, people like. It must be that there is debate amongst historians regarding the circumstances of Titchibar's confession. Some argue it was likely coerced or fabricated due to fear of further punishment. Regardless, her confession played a significant role triggering the mass hysteria that ensued. So on March 1st 1692, armed with the names of the witches, two magistrates from Salem Town, john Hathorn and Jonathan Corwin, went to the village to conduct a public inquiry.

Speaker 2: 16:57

Witnesses testified against Osborne during her trial, claiming that she practiced witchcraft and afflicted individuals with various ailments. Some accusers described encounters with her spectral form, accusing her of harming them and attempting to recruit them into the service of the devil. At her pleas of innocence, sarah Good's lowly social standing and unconventional behaviour made her a vulnerable target for the accusations. Many villagers, already fearful and influenced by the hysteria, believed the accusations against her. Sarah Good was tried and found guilty of witchcraft. She was sentenced to death by hanging. During her trial, she maintained her innocence repeatedly, as insisting that she was not a witch and expressing her fear and confusion at the accusations made against her. When accused, both Sarah Osborne and Sarah Good fiercely protested their own innocence, although Good actually did accuse Osborne there was a lot of that wasn't there.

Speaker 1: 18:20

There was a lot of finger pointing.

Speaker 2: 18:23

Although not spared for long, it's like okay, you'll be spared, you're free to go. And they were like thank God for that. And then a week later they were hung. When also confronted, tituba of course claimed her innocence, but after being repeatedly questioned and possibly tortured, she told the magistrates what they apparently wanted to hear that she had been visited by the devil and made a deal with him Over the course of three days. She described her encounters with Satan's animal familiars and a tall, dark man from Boston who called upon her to sign the devil's book. And in this devil's book she saw the names of Good and Osborne, along with those seven others that she had been unable to read. So, in a panic, they all turned on each other.

Speaker 1: 19:17

So the magistrates. They now had evidence based on the three women's testimonies that they actually were in fact more witches in the village. So they believed that actually there was now like a pandemic upon them. There was this whole village of witches. So not only were there the three that had been accused, the seven more now had been accused, and so you can imagine the hysteria of the village was huge. Everybody was kind of panicking.

Speaker 1: 19:48

So now that they had been accused as well, other girls and young women began to experience the same sort of fits and behavior that the original three girls had, the bewitchment that they were diagnosed with. So among them were a lot of the Putnam family. So you had Anne Putnam Jr, who was one of the first three girls to experience this. Her mother now came down with bewitchment, her cousin, a woman called Mary Walcott, and a Putnam servant, mercy Lewis. So now they were actually starting to accuse more wealthy members of the village.

Speaker 1: 20:30

So it wasn't just the beggars or the homeless or the kind of down and outs or the you know there's always like outcasts of the village. So they were actually accusing people that had land and that had wealth, and many of the accused proved actually to be enemies of the Putnam's and it was the Putnam family members and their in-laws that ended up being the accusers in most of these cases. So it was thought that it was more of a because there was so much neighborhood conflict in the area. They were like, oh, I really hate next door. I'm a, so she's a witch, yeah, and it was kind of that. God, she makes so much noise next door on her bloody broomstick.

Speaker 2: 21:20

Yeah, I mean, you'd literally be walking in your front door going God, she is such a bitch. And someone goes. Do you say witch? And you're like sure.

Speaker 1: 21:30

Yeah, yeah, yeah, she's a witch. It really was that. It really was kind of they were just accusing people that they had a vendetta against. It's like the original purge, isn't it you? Pretty much they had like a few. There was a year of, you know, accusing anybody that you want to be a witch. Yeah, yeah, they're a witch.

Speaker 2: 21:50

I know you'd be frightened to upset anyone, wouldn't you?

Speaker 1: 21:53

Yeah, yeah, I'm not going out in my white wig and my cloak today.

Speaker 2: 22:00

Yeah, I'm not going to take my broomstick and sweep out the front today. Put that back in the cupboard.

Speaker 1: 22:05

Yeah, so yeah, among those now being accused were Rebecca Nurse and Bridget Bishop. Kate has now got a lot more information on those that were next accused. I do you know.

Speaker 2: 22:19

I know you do. Yeah, I'll tell you Thanks. So so Bridget Bishop was actually the first person to be executed during the Salem Witch trials. She was born in Suffolk, England.

Speaker 1: 22:34

Yay, uh-huh, when, when you'd rewritten that you'd just put England, but I knew that she was born in Suffolk, so I'll quickly put that in there, nice.

Speaker 2: 22:42

Yeah, that came as a surprise. When I read that I thought I don't remember writing that?

Speaker 1: 22:45

Yeah, no, I put that in there because I knew she'd be nice. Yeah, she was. She was from around here.

Speaker 2: 22:51

I wonder if we can find anything more about her.

Speaker 1: 22:54

I looked because I was going to do the case of Bridget Bishop. Yeah, there wasn't much information. Because I was going to, because she was the first person executed, I was going to do some, I was going to do a story on her, but there just wasn't much.

Speaker 2: 23:06

Oh, that's cool, yeah, so in that case, if no one knows anything about her, bridget Bishop was originally from Suffolk, england. In this very house, no expense spared people, we are live from Bridget Bishop's house, all right. Sorry we're not, but she was from this area originally. In case you didn't realize, I am from Suffolk in England. Oh, I live in Suffolk England. So she was born in Suffolk England and later immigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony where she became a prominent figure in Salem Village. Bridget I really struggle saying Bridget Bishop, I keep saying Bishop Briggs, bishop Briggs is a singer and I love Bishop Briggs.

Speaker 1: 23:59

So I kept typing Bishop Briggs and I was like that's not her name.

Speaker 2: 24:02

I tell you what, though not as much as we love Carrie Underwood. Oh God, I love Carrie Underwood, I love Carrie Underwood. Oh but, you also love Bishop Briggs, fair enough. I mean, I've got a lot of love for Bridget Bishop Having lived in a house.

Speaker 2: 24:18

You can eat at a house. I'm going to pay for that some way or another. Something's going to trip me over or something tonight and I'll be like Bridget, is that you? Is that you? Where was I? So? And a pattern follows with these women. They're all said to have an unconventional lifestyle and be of outspoken demeanor. Claire would be screwed. Oh gosh, yeah, she would be hung so fast in Salem. I had to tell her to be careful. When we were there, I was like I know it was like you know years ago, but rain it in. You'll be pleased to know she didn't. She did not get home. No, she didn't reign in either. So, yeah, so this unconventional lifestyle and outspoken demeanor again just made her pure gold for the witch hunters. They were like she's outspoken, get her up that tree. She was often seen as different and she was accused of engaging in behaviours that were considered morally questionable during that time. This is Claire. She's morally questionable.

Speaker 1: 25:32

Yeah, if she'd lived in 1692 in Salem, she would have 100% been accused of witchcraft 100% definitely definitely. She's tiny and fiery.

Speaker 2: 25:43

Yeah, she's definitely got a fiery demeanor, to say the least. When the accusations of witchcraft began in Salem Village, several individuals, including young girls, accused Bridget Bishop of bewitching them. They claimed that she appeared to them in spectral form and caused them physical and emotional distress. Bishop was arrested and stood trial for witchcraft in June 1692. The trial was filled with testimonies from the accusers who claimed to have witnessed her dark powers and malevolent actions.

Speaker 1: 26:28

That word always trips me up because when I used to read as a child, I first came across it in the Harry Potter books and I read it as malvolent. And I read that for years as malvolent, the same as Hermione. I read it, hermione Hermione, because I didn't know.

Speaker 2: 26:50

I think I did, I think I did because obviously I read the Harry Potter books before I watched the films.

Speaker 1: 26:57

Yeah, well, I read them when they came out. So I was like nine or 10 or something when they came out and it went to one of my friends at school. It's like, oh, my favorite character is Hermione and I was like Hermione, so malvolent. I've done it again. Malevolent always is stuck in my head as malvolent, Malvolent, that's always malvolent.

Speaker 2: 27:19

Okay, well, for all you seras out there who claim to have witnessed her dark powers of malvolent actions the rest of the word malevolent actions. Despite her protests of innocence, bishop was found guilty of witchcraft and sentenced to death by hanging. So Rebecca Nurse, a beloved and elderly member of the Salem Village community, found herself accused of witchcraft in March of 1692 by several of the afflicted girls. That was my air quotes there for those that can't see me. Despite numerous petitions from friends, neighbors and family members attesting to her innocence, she faced a trial for alleged acts of witchcraft in June of the same year.

Speaker 2: 28:15

Initially, the jury delivered a verdict of not guilty, but then were then urged to reconsider and then came back with a guilty verdict yeah. So they were like but not guilty. And everyone was like are you sure? Well, yeah, and they were like are you sure? And they went uh, well, guilty, then Guilty. And they were like yes, well done, that's correct, it's just, it's a joke in it. Initially pardoned by Governor Phipps, his decision was later reversed due to the influence of several men from Salem. As a result, rebecca Nurse was excommunicated from Salem Church and ultimately hanged on July 19th 1692. Today, her house in Danvers, formerly Salem Village still stands welcoming visitors. Furthermore, a substantial monument marks her grave in the Nurse Family Cemetery on the premises, preserving her memory and I have been there and me and Claire have been in her house.

Speaker 1: 29:22

That's really cool.

Speaker 2: 29:23

It's really cool. Salem's a cool place Like we should go.

Speaker 1: 29:27

Yeah, so on May 27th 1692, the accused women, um, who we've been through already were, when they went to trial they had no legal counsel, they had no aid at all, and you can tell from kind of what you've just said that you know they found a guilty verdict. And then someone went no, don't agree with that. And they went all right, they're guilty, yeah, try again, try again. So they were forced to defend themselves. So they were kind of really up against it, and even as the women testified on the stand the girls and the young women who had accused them, they were still suffering from this bewitchment. So they were just in the stands they're like, oh, she's still doing it Just to kind of provide more evidence that they were rightly accused.

Speaker 1: 30:18

And so some of them confessed, as you've heard, and they confessed and then also named other women, which is most of those were spared the harshest punishments. They believed that, you know, they would actually receive their punishment from God. So, although they've confessed to being a witch, because they've confessed, their punishment would come from God. But those that, like you know, maintained their innocence were hanged because they hadn't confessed and they wouldn't receive any punishment. So they were hanged as a punishment for not confessing to something they hadn't done, that they were like sort of damned if you do and damned if you don't.

Speaker 2: 31:05

Wasn't it, yeah, pretty much they couldn't say anything. That would have been right.

Speaker 1: 31:11

Well, even when they did say nothing, we'll go through what happened to the person that said nothing. Yeah, so Sarah Osborne was found guilty and sent to jail. However, she never faced execution. Sarah Osborne died in jail on 10th of May 1692, before the mass executions occurred, and she was around 49 years old, bridget Bishop. She'd actually been accused and found innocent of witchcraft 12 years previously. She was, as we've said, the first defendant to be convicted or to be hung. So on the 10th of June she was the first woman to be hung on Gallows Hill in Salem Village. Yeah, and she was the first to be executed and marked the beginnings of a tragic period which many others were falsely confused, accused, convicted and executed.

Speaker 1: 32:03

On July 19th 1692, sarah Good was executed. Now, she was one of the first that were actually accused and tried. Her execution date was a lot later than some of the others, and that was because she was originally due to be hung in the April but she was pregnant, so they actually moved the date to July. So she gave birth in prison to her second child, mercy Good, who died before. She died quite swiftly after being born, I believe, and she died before Sarah Good was even executed. Sarah Good's last words were you are a liar. I am no more a witch than you are a wizard, and if you take my life, god will give you blood to drink. That was her last words before she was hung.

Speaker 1: 32:56

Titchibar was imprisoned but eventually released from jail after an unknown period. So she was actually left in jail until somebody I don't think it was known who actually paid her bond. But she was just left there for that period because nobody would pay her bond and nobody really knows what happened to her afterwards either. So she was released from jail and then there's nothing documented about her.

Speaker 2: 33:24

I'm not surprised you wouldn't have seen me for dust Soon, as I walked out of that jail, I would have been gone. See you later? Yeah, straight back to Barbados.

Speaker 1: 33:35

Yeah, so despite popular belief, no witches were actually burned at the stake.

Speaker 2: 33:42

That's weird, isn't it? If someone's found to be a witch, they're burned at the stake. They're burned at the stake.

Speaker 1: 33:47

It was something to do with the Puritan's belief of not drawing blood. It was not spilling blood. It was something to do with that. So that's why they were hung. But they were actually hung on a hill, that they had no formal staging area or anything like that. So it was actually later called Gallows Hill, and it's quite interesting. I think there's a little bit of information about Gallows Hill, isn't there?

Speaker 2: 34:16

Yeah. So Gallows Hill is the site where obviously numerous of individuals were accused of witchcraft and were executed by hanging. However, the exact location of Gallows Hill remains unclear. There's no definitive historical records or maps that exist pinpointing the exact spot. There's been multiple proposed locations over the years, but none have been definitively proven as the true site. Local landmarks and geographical features have led to varying speculations about where Gallows Hill might have been. In being to Salem I spoke to quite a lot of people because I was really interested in going to be on Gallows Hill and experience it and see if I got any sort of weird feelings and that morbid curiosity again. But numerous people in Salem told me that it's since been built on because there was a tree, there was the big tree, and they used to hang people from the tree.

Speaker 1: 35:28

They went oh, that tree looks big enough to hang people from. Exactly, yeah, and that was it.

Speaker 2: 35:34

It was just a tree, but I mean, that tree has been torn down and, according to the people that I spoke to, anyway, it was built on In 2016,. A team of researchers conducted an archaeological study and identified Proctor's Ledge, a small, unassuming area near the present day Proctor Street in Salem, as potentially the true location of the executions. Analysis of historical documents and ground penetrating radar surveys supported this theory as well, but a memorial now stands at Proctor's Ledge to honour the victims that died in the witch trials.

Speaker 1: 36:17

So we had the first lot of accused that were hung. Richard Bishop was hung on the June 10th. Sarah Good was July 19th. They kind of came in waves. On July 19th five more of the accused women were hung, and these women were Rebecca Nurse She'd previously been tried Sarah Good, who you've told us about Susanna Martin, sarah Elizabeth Howe and Sarah Wilds. Now my concern is that most of them are called Sarah.

Speaker 2: 36:53

You noticed that, did you?

Speaker 1: 36:55

I did notice that.

Speaker 2: 36:57

So I've told you about Rebecca Nurse and Sarah Good. Now I'll move on to a little bit of information about Susanna Martin, sarah Howe and Sarah Wilds. Sarah, sarah, sarah. So Susanna Martin was born in 1621 in England again and moved to Massachusetts with a husband, george Martin, in the mid 1660s.

Speaker 2: 37:24

Susanna Martin was well known for being a strong, independent woman who often spoke her mind and was not afraid to challenge the social norms of the time. Susanna was also seen by some as an outsider because she had different religious beliefs than the Puritans in Salem. This combination of her personality and religious beliefs made her another prime target for accusations of witchcraft. In May 1692, susanna Martin was arrested and charged with witchcraft after several young girls in Salem Village accused her of tormenting and bewitching them. During her trial. The girls provided testimonies and claimed to have seen her shapeshift into the form of various animals and inflict harm upon them. Susanna Martin maintained her innocence throughout her trial and even defended herself against the accusations. However, the court was heavily biased against her no surprise there and her efforts to proclaim her innocence were disregarded. In the end, she was found guilty and sentenced to death. Sarah Elizabeth Howe, also known as Elizabeth Howe because I actually couldn't find her under Sarah Howe. They were like there's no records.

Speaker 1: 38:53

She changed her bloody name. She went oh, those Sarahs keep getting hanged.

Speaker 2: 38:56

Yeah, she was like no, no, no, no, sarah, I'm Elizabeth. She was born in 1674 and lived in Ipswich, not the Ipswich near me, ipswich, massachusetts, which was near Salem Village. Sarah Elizabeth Howe was accused of witchcraft in May 1692, along with several other individuals. The accusations against her included claims of causing illness, fits and even death. Among her accusers, this reported that some of the afflicted girls testified that the specter of Howe tortured them. During her trial, sarah Howe maintained her virtue, but due to the extreme bias of the court, which heavily favoured the accusers, she was found guilty. On July 19th 1692, sarah Elizabeth Howe, along with four other women, were executed by hanging in Salem.

Speaker 2: 40:02

Sarah Wilds was born in 1643 and was married to John Wilds. They lived in Topsfield, massachusetts, which was part of Essex County. Sarah Wilds was known for being an independent, strong-willed woman, which made her a prime victim for accusations of witchcraft. She was accused by several individuals, including some of the afflicted girls. They claimed that she had afflicted them with fits and tormented them through spectral attacks. During her trial in June 1692, sarah Wilds vehemently denied the accusations brought against her. However, she was convicted and sentenced to death by hanging. On July 19th 1692, sarah Wilds, along with these, other women were executed.

Speaker 1: 41:03

A month later, 19th of August, five more people were hung. They'd had their trials, they'd all been found guilty and they were also hung. So the five other victims were one woman and four men. So it was Martha Carrier, George Burroughs, John Willard, George Jacob Sr and John Proctor. It's interesting that the men had been found guilty of witchcraft. I found that very interesting.

Speaker 2: 41:37

I think by this time it had picked up speed and it was like I'm going to say that that guy, he's been a bit of a jerk. I'm going to say that he started afflicting me as well, and I think, yeah, I think by that point it was just like no one was safe.

Speaker 1: 41:53

Yeah, and it was that they wanted the land and things. So I think John Proctor was one of the neighbours and the Putnam's wanted his bit of land that was next door and it's like, oh it's like it's like you know, bullying at its most extreme, isn't it?

Speaker 2: 42:10

Can I have that bit of land that you own and they're like? No, they're like which. He just did this. Like him to go. I mean this. Yeah, it's a lose lose situation for them Because if they, even if they get a knot guilty, just wait five minutes and he'll come back guilty. So I know so. Martha Carrier indeed faced accusations and was executed. During the Salem Witch Trials, the Reverend Cotton Mather, a prominent figure at the time, considered her a rampant hag. I hate it when people call me that. I see that all the time. Rampant hag. I'm like, yeah, so are you, and played a role in advocating for her execution. However, the accusations against her were not biased in witchcraft, but rather her independent and unsubmissive nature.

Speaker 1: 43:17

Yeah. So when they were accusing her, it wasn't like, oh, she's been a spectral figure and she's done that, it was more that you know. Oh, she's very outspoken and she's very this and she's very that.

Speaker 2: 43:28

Yeah, exactly, it just started, like we just said, you know, picking up speed and it was just getting more and more out of hand as time was going on. So she wasn't even suspected of witchcraft, they just thought hmm, you're a bit outspoken To the gallows. Martha Carrier came from a prominent family in Andover, massachusetts, and married Thomas Carrier in 1674. They had four children together and prior to the Salem witch trials they'd already faced accusations of witchcraft in Andover, with the locals blaming her for a smallpox epidemic. The reasons for her initial accusation and later accusations in Salem have been subject of debate amongst historians, so they don't really know what what started it off. Historians believe that her contentious spirit and the earlier witchcraft charge played a major role in her subsequent accusations during the Salem outbreak. Others point to possible conspiracies against influential families in Andover or reactions to threats against inheritance and as like contributing factors. I'm trying to say too many words that are too big for me. So then we have George Burroughs.

Speaker 2: 44:57

George Burroughs was the only Puritan minister indicted and executed during the Salem witch trials in 1692. He served as the minister of Salem Village from 1680 to 1683. This time in Salem Village, burroughs became involved in social conflicts and borrowed money from the Putnam family but unfortunately was unable to repay it and this led to a conflict between him and Putnam's Putnam's. Eventually he left Salem Village. 12 years later these Putnam's really hold a grudge. Yeah, 12 years later, in 1692, I guess the Putnam's thought now's our chance. He was arrested. He was charged, arrested and brought back to Salem from Wales, maine.

Speaker 2: 45:55

Many members of Salem Village and Andover testified against him, describing him as the ringleader of the witches and a servant of the devil. Cotton mother took particular interest in his trial due to Burroughs unorthodox religious beliefs and practices. Despite Burroughs maintaining his innocence, he was found guilty and executed by hanging on August 19th 1692. It's notable that Cotton mother attended his execution and urged the sympathetic crowd against him. So by the sounds of it, there was a lot of people in the crowd that were like this is not right. Cotton mother was like gee and everyone up and being like who's a bastard getting everyone on side. John Willard was born in 1657 and worked as a constable and deputy in Salem, massachusetts. In the spring of 1692, as the accusations of witchcraft surged in Salem, John Willard became involved in investigating and apprehending those accused. However, as the trials progressed, he began to express skepticism and doubts about the validity of the accuser's testimonies.

Speaker 1: 47:21

That happened a lot actually when I was researching. A lot of people were like actually I don't agree with this. They were so afraid to speak out that they just kind of let it happen.

Speaker 2: 47:33

Yeah, because this is what happens when you do speak out. He was actually in charge of apprehending people and rounding them up. His doubts and refusal to continue participating in the trials quickly led to suspicions falling on him and in May 1692, he was himself accused of witchcraft. Several girls and women claimed that he had afflicted them and worked with the devil. Willard was arrested and put on trial. During his trial, john Willard consistently maintained his innocence, denying all accusations of witchcraft. Despite his protests, he was found guilty and sentenced to death on August 19th 1692. He was executed by hanging. George Jacobs Sr was an elderly man and a prominent member of the community in Salem Village. Jacobs was born in England and emigrated to America, settling down in Salem Village. He was a wealthy and well-respected farmer who owned a considerable amount of land, so his target on his head straight away. However, his status and success seemed to make him a target for accusations and witchcraft.

Speaker 1: 48:52

It must be If he's doing well in life must be witchcraft.

Speaker 2: 48:54

Yeah, they were like I'll have that. Several young girls in the village, including Anne Putnam Jr and Mercy Lewis, claimed that Jacobs had spectrally attacked them and afflicted them with various ailments. They alleged that he would torment them in their dreams by requesting them to sign the devil's book, a symbol of a pact with the devil. Jacobs strongly denied these charges but was arrested and put on trial nonetheless. Witnesses, including his own granddaughter, margaret Jacobs, testified against him. Margaret even claimed to have seen her grandfather's spectra pinning her to the ground. Despite Jacobs' proclamations of his innocence, he was found guilty and sentenced to death. On August 19th 1692, george Jacobs was executed by hanging alongside George Burroughs, john Proctor, john Willard and Martha Kerrier.

Speaker 2: 49:59

John Proctor was a well-respected farmer and landowner. He was born on October 9th 1631, in Ipswich, massachusetts. Proctor's involvement in the witch trials began when his wife, elizabeth Proctor, was accused of witchcraft in March 1692. John spoke out against the trials. He believed the accusations to be false and driven by personal vendettas and hysteria. I agree.

Speaker 2: 50:32

However, in April 1692, john Proctor himself was accused of witchcraft by several individuals, including Anne Putnam Jr, mercy Lewis and Abigail Williams. He was arrested and brought to trial, where he continued to assert his innocence Despite a lack of substantial evidence, proctor was found guilty of witchcraft. He was sentenced to death by hanging. In a last effort to save his life, elizabeth Proctor, who was pregnant at the time, presented evidence of her innocence, hoping it would spare her husband. However, her pregnancy did not save him. He was executed on August 19th 1692. John's refusal to admit guilt and his determination to protect his name and honour even at the cost of his own life have been immortalised in Arthur Miller's play the Crucible, which was based on events of the witch trials. Little witch trials, random blame there.

Speaker 1: 51:38

Yeah, I wonder if you know that these girls and Putnam Jr, who was one of the first to accuse people, it was said that they were doing it out of boredom and then obviously is escalated. But having then seen the outcome of what happened you know the first set of people being hung you'd think that I'd be like, oh goodness, you know I'm making all this up and people are actually dying. But actually they went on to accuse so many other people.

Speaker 2: 52:08

Yeah, it makes you wonder if they were, like you know, some of the earliest serial killers. Yeah, Because it's like maybe they just got a kick out of it.

Speaker 1: 52:21

Yeah, because at first they accused three people. They said that they'd fallen ill with bewitchment and it's these three people that had done it. Once those three people had died, they were then like oh, actually, it was that person, that person and that person. And then, once they had been hung, it was like oh, actually, this person's doing it now as well.

Speaker 2: 52:42

And it definitely escalated, didn't it? Because it was like there was three people that were hung, Then there were like five people that were hung, and then it's like it goes on and on and on.

Speaker 1: 52:52

Well, on September the 22nd, eight people were hung, so it was one of the biggest days, I think, for the amount of people to be hung. That would have taken up a lot of the day, because it wasn't like, although it was called Gallows Hill, there wasn't a Gallows as such where they stood on and they had rows and rows of ropes. It was literally from a tree. But the eight people that were hung on that day were Martha Corey, mary Eastie, anne Poudreta, alice Parker, mary Parker, will McRedd, margaret Scott and Samuel Wardwell.

Speaker 2: 53:32

So I'm going to tell you a little bit about these people, but I'm going to leave Martha Corey till last. I'll start with Mary Eastie, who was born in England 1634 and immigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony with her family settling in Salem Village. Mary Eastie was the sister of Rebecca Nurse, the yeah, another accused witch.

Speaker 2: 53:59

She'd been hung by this time. Yeah, so awful. So, like her sister, Mary was known for her piety and devout religious beliefs. In May 1692, Mary was accused of witchcraft by several girls, including you guessed it Anne Putnam Jr and Mercy Lewis. They claimed that Mary had appeared to them as a spectre and tormented them. Mary fiercely denied the accusations throughout the trial.

Speaker 2: 54:33

During her trial, Mary Eastie faced overwhelming evidence against her, including several testimonies from the accusers. She was accused of making a pact with the devil, practicing black magic and accusing and causing harm to others through her alleged witchcraft. Despite her pleas of innocence, Mary was found guilty and sentenced to death. Anne Pudeta was born and foster in 1621, again in England, and later emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony. She was a woman of relatively advanced age during the trials. She lived in Salem Village and was known for being a widow and a respected member of the community. However, she was accused of witchcraft in May 1692 by several individuals, including the afflicted girls. During her trial, she denied all charges against her but unfortunately her defence failed to sway the court and she was found guilty based on the testimonies of those who accused her and supposed evidence produced and presented during the trial.

Speaker 1: 55:52

So when you say her defence, it wasn't like when you would say now her defence, like it was, literally was her defence, it was her defence, team no it was her defence going no, I didn't. I didn't. I would have the evidence to say that I didn't.

Speaker 2: 56:06

But no, like, only a witch says what and she's like. Well, no, like, that's in the records, people. So on September 22nd 1692, Anne was executed by hanging alongside seven other villagers who were convicted of witchcraft. Alice Parker was accused of various acts of witchcraft, including bewitching. Individuals such as Thomas Weske and Mary Warren's sister, Margaret Jacobs, claimed to have seen her in an apparition in Northfield. I actually wasn't able to find much about Alice Parker at all, but during her trial Alice Parker denied all accusations and expressed a desire for the earth to swallow her. She also asked for mercy from God. Sadly, she, you know, was unsuccessful with any help and was executed alongside the others. So Mary Air Parker. So we've just covered Alice Parker briefly. Mary Parker was no relation, Because when I saw that I thought, oh, that must have been another sister two sisters or something, but no, she was another of the individuals accused.

Speaker 2: 57:26

During her examination, she denied any involvement in witchcraft and claimed that there was another woman in Andover with the same name who may have been responsible. Mary Parker's defense emphasised the mistaken identity, stating that the court had accused the wrong woman. This defense was particularly compelling because it's believed that her accusers may have confused her with another woman named Mary Parker Possibly Mary Bradbury, who was also from Andover and she'd also been accused of witchcraft. Despite asserting her innocence, mary Air Parker was found guilty and sentenced to death. However, dun dun dun, it has been rumoured that before she could be executed, the trials were suspended and the remaining accused individuals were released from jail. Mary Air Parker was among those who were spared from execution, but her reputation undoubtedly suffered for the accusations and the ordeal. Record state that she was one of the eight that were hanged on September 22nd.

Speaker 1: 58:40

It's just rumours that she wasn't hanged, but she would hanged.

Speaker 2: 58:46

There was also rumours that she was a witch and someone else was a witch. And yeah. So you can't always trust rumours, it'll get you hanged. Wilmot Redd was born in Marblehead, massachusetts, and executed by hanging on September 22nd 1692. Her husband was Samuel Redd and he was a fisherman. She was known for this will be, this will be me. She was known for her irritability, but she was given like little serious attention. To be honest, oh, it is me. And to be honest, I couldn't find anything else about her. So sorry, wilmot.

Speaker 2: 59:26

Margaret Scott was an elderly woman, likely in her 70s at the time of her accusations. She was a widow and a devout quaker. On September 19th 1692, margaret Scott was brought before the court in Salem, massachusetts, and charged with being a witch. She was accused of causing harm through acts of witchcraft, including causing fits and bewitching individuals. She, like the others, denied the accusations against her. She argued that she had led a pious and righteous life and that she had never engaged in any acts of witchcraft. Nevertheless, her defence and, like Sarah said, her defence like her was ultimately unsuccessful and she was found guilty. On September 22nd 1692, margaret Scott was executed by hanging on Gallows Hill in Salem. Now, sarah, I am going to ask you to read the deposition of Mary Daniel, who testified in court, and I even edited some of this so that it would be partly readable, but you can tell it's written all in sort of old English, yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:00:49

God, I struggle with no current English.

Speaker 2: 1:00:51

I know Well, that's why I thought I'd enjoy it so much.

Speaker 1: 1:00:57

So I'm guessing Mary Daniels is somebody that was one of the accusers.

Speaker 2: 1:01:01

Yes, she was the person that was accusing Margaret Scott, margaret Scott.

Speaker 1: 1:01:06

Okay, so she said in court, and this is a quote. Upon the second day of the week last past, towards night, I was suddenly taken very ill and went to lie down on a bed. Soon after which there appeared to me the shape of some woman who seemed to look and speak most fiercely and angrily and beat, pinched and afflicted me very sorely, telling me that I should not have said so or told such things, and to that purpose I cannot positively say who shape it was. That I saw the first fit. The next night after I was taken very ill, again all over and felt a great prick in the soles of my feet, and after a while I saw apparently the shape of Widow Margaret Scott who, as I was sitting in a chair by the fire, pulled me with the chair down backward to the ground and tormented and pinched me very much, and I saw her go away at the door, in which fit I was dumb and so continued till the next morning, finding a great load and heaviness upon my tongue In some of the fits that I had. Afterwards I was senseless and knew not that I saw who it was that afflicted me In one fits.

Speaker 1: 1:02:24

Upon the beginning I thought I saw Goody Jackson and Widow Scott come waking into the chamber with wire staves. One of them came and sat upon me so that I could not stir Goody Jackson. I saw no more, nor know I that she did me any harm. In another fit I saw the appearance of Widow Scott in the room who afflicted me and being speechless. I continued so until I went to the Widow Scott who, taken me by the hand, I had the liberty of speech again, as formerly. The last fit I had was upon the last Sabbath day, in which I saw the shapes of four women or five, of whom Widow Scott was one. The rest I knew not, nor knew that that any did hurt me unless Widow Scott. So she's basically said I think I saw Margaret. It could have been somebody else. There might have been more of them.

Speaker 2: 1:03:21

They might not have been more of them, yeah, and to me it sounds like she's been told a story. Yeah, Say that, she did that. You know, like when children repeat back a story and they're like yeah, I think that, I think you know. Did you see who it was? Yeah, I think it was. I think it was, and they're trying to remember the story. Yeah, I think it was Widow Scott. And it's almost like the child's parents would be like at the back of the courtroom going come on, we told you, we rehearsed this. We said Widow Scott, Do you know what I mean? Yeah, I mean certainly not enough to sentence someone to death, is it? Yeah, Jeez, but thank you for reading that. You're very welcome. That was a lullaby. Samuel Wardwell, born May 16th 1643, into a modest Quaker family in Boston, pursued a career in carpentry before relocating to Andover, Massachusetts, in 1672. It was there that he married his second wife, Sarah Hawkes, a wealthy widow, with whom he had seven children. However, his life took a tragic turn in 1692, as it did for many, I'm sure.

Speaker 1: 1:04:43

It's not a great year for people.

Speaker 2: 1:04:44

No, it wasn't a good year for people living in Salem when he found himself accused of witchcraft, leading to a trial in Salem. Given Wardwell's past involvement in fortune telling his family members, unpopularity in Andover and his marriage to a woman deemed unworthy by some, it was not surprising that he was found guilty In a bid to save his own life. In a panic, he confessed to being a witch during his court examination, providing a detailed and lengthy account of his alleged indiscretions. However, driven by his conscientious and personal courage, wardwell eventually retracted his confession, risking severe consequences by proclaiming his innocence. Despite his courageous stand, samuel Wardwell met a tragic fate on September 22nd 1692, and was hanged, becoming another victim of the Salem witch trials.

Speaker 1: 1:05:53

So basically he confessed because confessing actually gave you a lesser sentence and you were less likely to be hung. But then, because of his moral standing, he was like no, I can't live like that, I'll just. I'll just say that.

Speaker 2: 1:06:08

Yeah, I can't say you know, because a lot of these people were religious and they had good morals and that. So I think that, mixed with the fact that maybe he thought, yeah, do you know what? I don't think I'm doing myself any favours.

Speaker 1: 1:06:24

I think I'd have confessed and then named people that had been hung already. I'd name everyone on the jury. I'd be like what are you doing?

Speaker 2: 1:06:41

They're sitting there like what? No, not me, it's not me, I'm not even looking at him. Look away, yeah, I mean, we would have been hung straight away, straight away, yeah. Last but not least, martha Corey and she was married to Giles Corey. Just like the women we've already mentioned, she was known for her strong-willed personality and her outspoken nature within the community of Salem Village.

Speaker 2: 1:07:07

Martha Corey's involvement in the trials began when several young girls, including Betty Parris, abigail Williams, accused her of practicing witchcraft. The accusations against her were fuelled by a personal resentment and conflicts, as well as the prevailing atmosphere of fear and suspicion during that whole time. Despite her husband's defense of her innocence, martha Corey was arrested and brought to trial. Her case was highly controversial because she was regarded as a woman of strong moral character and a devout Christian. Many community members found it difficult to believe that she could be involved in any kind of witchcraft. During her trial, martha Corey maintained that she was innocent and stood by her beliefs. She openly criticized the validity of the methods of the witch trials, which only further fuelled any suspicion against her. Her unwavering demeanor and refusal to conform to the social expectations likely contributed towards her eventual conviction. Martha Corey was found guilty of witchcraft and sentenced to death on September 22nd 1692. But yeah, so I thought I would leave you to tell the bit about Martha Corey's hubby.

Speaker 1: 1:08:38

So Martha Corey's husband, although he tried to defend he, was part of her defense and he stood up in court and said that Martha Corey obviously was not a witch. He then later was charged with witchcraft. So Giles Corey was born in England and later immigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1630s. Corey was an elderly man known for his rough demeanor and conscientious nature within the community. Giles staunchly defended his wife, openly criticizing the legitimacy of the trials, as did she. Martha did that as well, didn't she? And this made him a target for suspicion. As well, as those who questioned the witch hunts were often seen as potential witches themselves.

Speaker 1: 1:09:26

As the trials progressed, giles Corey refused to enter a plea when charged with witchcraft, knowing that innocently would lead to an unfair trial and a guilty plea would forfeit his rights and property to the government. By refusing to plead, corey hoped to protect his family's future. So he wouldn't say, oh no, I'm innocent, I'm not guilty. And he also didn't say that he was guilty. So in an attempt to force Corey into entering a plea, the court employed the practice of pressing. Now I believe this was completely illegal at the time and obviously there on after. But so the practice of pressing involved placing heavy stones on the victim as a form of torture, gradually increasing the weight until they either entered a plea or died. Corey actually managed to endure two days of this brutal torture without pleading. He remained steadfast in his refusal to cooperate. Ultimately, though, giles Corey succumbed to the pressure and died by crushing to death, but he was crushed to death on the.

Speaker 1: 1:10:43

September, the 19th, 1692. Despite enduring such pain and brutality, corey's silence stands as a powerful act of resistance against the injustice and hysteria of the sale and witch trials. Now there's also we haven't spoken about. We spoke about Sarah Good, didn't we? We haven't spoken about her daughter, dorothy. No, so Dorothy was also. Dorothy was four years old At the time and when her mother was taken into custody, dorothy is believed that Dorothy wanted to be with her mother.

Speaker 1: 1:11:22

So she then confessed to be in a witch as well, so that she would end up in prison with her mother. Now, nothing really became of Dorothy. Obviously, sarah Good was convicted and executed, but Dorothy Good, she was kept in that prison from March the 24th until December the 10th. So she was four years old. She was never formally charged but was kept in this cold jail until her poor father managed to gather up 50 pounds which was to pay for Dorothy's bail and board. But by that time she'd you know, she'd gone through so much, she'd suffered grave psychological damage and it just destroyed the rest of her life. It is so that's really sad. 50 pounds was a lot then?

Speaker 2: 1:12:17

Yeah, wasn't it? It's the same as Titchaba.

Speaker 1: 1:12:19

Yeah. So Titchaba remained in jail because nobody could pay her her bond, and it was the same as Dorothy, because, you know, her mother had been executed and her dad was like, oh gosh, yeah, sarah's good, she gave birth in prison and her daughter that also died. So during the course of the Salem Witch Trials, 200 people were accused of witchcraft. Many were convicted and hung. Years after the trial was, in 1711, the Massachusetts colonial government issued a general reversal of many of the witchcraft convictions, including that of George Jacobs. This reversal meant to acknowledge the injustices of the Salem Witch Trials and provide some measure of justice for the victims and their families. Well, it's a bit late now. It's a bit late now, but that is the end of the. It kind of just fizzled out, didn't it? It went from 1692 to 1693. And I think by then more people had started to kind of disagree with what was going on and the measures that were being done.

Speaker 1: 1:13:31

They kind of then just fizzled out, didn't it? Yeah? And there must have been a point where they sort of thought this is getting ridiculous, Everybody's going to be hung.

Speaker 2: 1:13:39

I'm just going to go down to Goody Baker and get a loaf of bread so that we've got something to.

Speaker 1: 1:13:45

Oh no, he was hung, all right well, in that case, yeah, but he's got massive village.

Speaker 2: 1:13:49

No, we'll just go and get some meat from Goody Butcher and go down. Oh no, he was hung last week. Oh OK, so we need to call the police. Let's call Goody Copper. Oh no, he was hung like two months ago, so there must have been a point where they were. Like you know what? We're just going to wipe out our whole village.

Speaker 1: 1:14:14

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:14:14

Soon everyone's going to be a witch and everyone's going to be dead. And obviously there must have been a lot of fear as well. Like everybody in the village must have been living in fear, thinking, geez, you could be accused of being a witch at any point and hung that's it, and nobody that was accused of being a witch was found not guilty.

Speaker 1: 1:14:35

No. So as soon as someone pointed the finger and said you're a witch, they kind of knew their fate.

Speaker 2: 1:14:40

Yeah, yeah, they knew that it was just going to lead to death. Yeah, yeah, creepy, creepy time. And obviously, as we said earlier, I've been to Salem and I've obviously done the tour of all the locations and things like that. And the jail cells, you know, it's all very well to say they were, they were put in jail. These jail cells are made with stone walls, so it was. It was very sort of like in the basement of the courthouse and they're smaller than phone boxes and they were. They were made like that so that the people that were in there, the prisoners that were in there, the witches, would not be able to sit down, let alone lay down, so they had to stand the whole time. Oh, my goodness, it's hideous, absolutely hideous, you know, and some of the, some of the women that were put in jail before they were executed were in there for a long time. They were in there for a long, long time. Yeah, imagine standing up and even if you want to lean, you're leaning against a cold, wet wall.

Speaker 1: 1:15:54

Yeah, I think you'd kind of welcome being hung, wouldn't you? If you're in there for that amount of time you can't even sit down. At least it'll be over.

Speaker 2: 1:16:01

Yeah well, thank you for that. It was a great episode. I really enjoyed it. My, my potions nearly done, so that's warming up nicely. Yeah, nice, happy Halloween everyone. Happy Halloween To my bitch witch, that's me. Are you happy Halloween and catch you all next week.

Speaker 1: 1:16:27

If you have enjoyed listening to our episodes, make sure you rate us and leave us a review, on whatever platform you are listening.

Speaker 2: 1:16:35

We absolutely love hearing from you guys, so you can also help support our show by donating to our Buy Me a Coffee link. We will make sure that you get a massive shout out and a big thank you in our next week's episode.

Speaker 1: 1:16:49

You can also follow us on social media at Perplexed Podcasts. We're on Facebook, Instagram and if you want to see more videos and blooper reels, subscribe to our TikTok and YouTube channels.

Speaker 2: 1:17:03

You can also email us your stories at perplexedpodcastscom.

Speaker 1: 1:17:09

And you can find all the relevant links in the episode descriptions. Thanks for listening, bye, bye.

Speaker 2: 1:17:33

I mean, I mean I'll shut up. Yeah, just keep quiet. I'm sorry what the fuck just happened, Shh.