Part 11

14. There was one very strange thing more, with which the Court was newly entertained. As this Woman was under a guard, passing by the great and spacious Meeting House of Salem, she gave a look towards the House; and immediately a Dæmon invisibly entring the Meeting House, Tore down a part of it; so that tho there were no person to be seen there, yet the People at the Noise running in, found a board which was strongly fastened with several Nails, transported unto another quarter of the House.

FOOTNOTES:

There are four Indictments recorded. The Witnesses to the first correspond with the Records. Those to the second differ by the Omission of "John Bligh, and Rebeckah, his Wife; Samuell Shattuck, and Sarah, his Wife; William Bligh, William Stacey; John Loader."

These correspond with the Original, with some very slight Difference in the Orthography; and so of those to the fourth Indictment.

It will be seen that much the same Set of Witnesses figure in most of the Cases; and it is surprising that such stereotype Testimony should have been so long imposed upon the Judges.

The Answers of Bridget at her Examination were Common-sense-like, and carried with them such honest Simplicity, that it is Matter of Astonishment the Judges could not distinguish between the most puerile Absurdities and Truth. It appears that she had had a Husband, named Oliver; hence she is often called Bridget Bishop, alias Oliver. During her Examination, the Afflicted apparently suffered excessive Torture. One "Sam. Gold" afterwards asked her if she was not troubled to see them so tormented. He reported that her Answer was "No. She was not troubled for them." This was viewed as strong Evidence against her.

Among all the hard swearing, that of "Sus. Sheldon" was perhaps equal to any. She was about 18 Years old. At one Time, June 2d, 1692, she saw the "Apperishtion" of Bridget Bishop, and immediately came two little Children, Twins, which told her (Bridget) to her Face that she had murdered them by setting them into Fits, whereof they dyed. One John Cooke, aged 18, swore about an Apple which jumped out of his Hand. John Blye and his Wife, about a Sow of theirs being bewitched, and they "Judged Bishop bewitched said Sow." Elizabeth Balch of Beverly, aged about 38, Wife of Benj. B. Juʳ, "being at Salem ye very Day that Capt George Corwin was buried, and in ye Euening of said Day coming from sd. Salem vnto sd. Beuerly, on Horseback, with her Sister, then known by the Name of Abigail Woodburie, now Abigail Waldron lieuing in Wenham, Wife vnto Nathaniell Waldron, riding behinde her; and were come so far as Crane Riuer Common soe called, Edward Bishop and his Wife ouertook vs (on horseback) who are both now in Prison vnder Suspition of Witchcraft." Bridget complained of her Husband for riding into the Water, and of riding too fast. Whereupon an Altercation arose, and hard Words were bandied between them. "And then sd. Bishop directed his Speech vnto vs as we rode along, and sd. that she had been a bad Wife vnto him euer since they were marryed, and reckoned vp many of her Miscarriages towards him; but now of late she was worse than euer before (and that the she Devill did come bodyly vnto her, and that she was familiar with the Deuil, and that she sate vp all ye Night long with ye Deuill) or Words to that Purpose. Said Bishop's Wife made very little Reply."--Records S. W., i, 167-8.

"Sus. Sheldon," in additional Testimony said, that "on the fourth Day, at Night, came Goody Olliuer, Mrs. English, Goodman Corie, and a black Man with a hi crowned hatt, with Books in their Hands. Goody Olliuer bid me touch her Book. I would not;" told me she had been a Witch twenty Years. "Then there came a streacked Snake, creeping ouer her Shoulder, and creep into her Bosom. Mrs. English had a Yello Bird in her Bosom, and Goodman Corie had two Turcles hang to his Coat, and he opened his Bosom and put his Turcles to his Brest and gave them suck. Then Goodm. Core and Goody Oliuer kneeled downe before the Black Man and went to prayer. The Black Man told me Goody Olliver had been a Witch 20 years and an half. Then they all set to biting mee, and so went away. Goodwife Core told me she lived in osston Prison. Then she pulled out her brest and the Black Man gave her a thing like a blake Pig. It had no Hairs on it. Shee put it to her brest and gave it suck. Goody Olliver told mee shee had killed four Women. Two of them were the Fosters Wifes and John Traskes Wife, and did not name the other. Then they did all bite mee."--Records S. W. ii, 169-170. Then follows the "Death Warrant" of Bridget Bishop, dated at Boston, June the 8th, 1692, signed by Lieutenant Governour Stoughton.

Her Testimony, as recorded, may be read in the Records as above cited, i, 148-9. It is a Tissue of Contradictory Nonsense; and if at all relied upon would excite no Wonder, in view of what had gone before.

John Cooke was a young Man of some 18 years of Age. It should be remembered that these accounts of Evidence are Dr. Mather's Version. He has omitted the most important Item in Cook's Testimony. He swore, that after Goodwife Bishop had struck him on the side of the Head, he saw her go out under the end Window at a little Crevice about as large as one could thrust his hand into. See Records S. W. i, 165.

Gray gave his age as about 42 Years. His Testimony is pretty fully and fairly given above. See Records, Ibid, 152-3. He is noticed in Savage's Dictionary, ii, 299.

This Testimony was given June 2d, 1692. The Blighs gave other Testimony, also, on the same Day. John Blye, Senior, aged about 57, and William Blye, aged about 15 Years. These testified concerning the finding of Poppitts, as given in Volume i, Page 173-4.

Coman gave his Age as about 32 years. His Nightmare Story is here a good deal abridged. The curious Reader must go to the Records, as published by Woodward, Vol. i, 163-4.

Shattuck's Testimony occupies three and an half of Mr. Woodward's quarto Pages. His Age was 41. A part of his Story reminds one of the Man who appeared among his friends with an awfully bruised Face. On being asked how it happened, replied that the Stones in the Road flew up and struck him as he was walking along. Poor Shattuck was unquestionably injured in the same way.

John Louder gave his Age "about thirty two." He said he lived with Mr. John Gedney in Salem about seven or eight Years since. He was doubtless afflicted by the same Agents as Samuel Shattuck was, and saw quite as much if not hurt as much. A black Pig seemed determined to keep him Company; but there were some other Things equally nondescript. See Records, i, 160-1.

Stacy was of Salem, aged thirty six, or thereabouts. He goes back fourteen Years, which was the time of the Money Transaction. So that Dr. Mather's version of the Affair, as though it had just happened, is not a fair one. Stacy was often in the same Predicament of Shattuck and Louder, only Stone Fences, Stumps and other odd things knocked him about in a manner, which if it surprised the Magistrates, it probably surprised nobody who might be better acquainted with him. See Wonders, Vol. i, 172.

This Evidence has been referred to in a previous Note.

It was no difficult matter, during a long and tedious Examination, so to bewilder and confound Persons of firmer nerves than an aged Matron, and thus make them contradict themselves, not knowing what to say and hardly what was said to them. Respecting the Jury of Women, who searched her, the Reader may consult the Records, if his Patience is equal to his Curiosity.

It would be much more satisfactory if the matter of the Dæmon had been well attested. If a Noise, and the Transportation of that Board is all the Evidence that could be adduced that the Devil was at work there, it can hardly be said to amount to much. Besides, if the Devil had had any ill will towards the Meeting House, he could easily have set fire to it. His Enmity to M. Houses is generally admitted.

The Indictment of Susanna Martin.

THE Jurors for our Soveraign Lord and Lady the King and Queen, present, That Susanna Martin of Amesbury in the County of Essex, Widow, The second Day of May, in the fourth Year of the Reign of our Soveraign Lord and Lady William and Mary, by the Grace of God, of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, King and Queen, Defenders of the faith, &c. And divers other days and times, as well before as after, certain detestable Arts, called Witchcrafts, and Sorceries, Wickedly and Felloniously hath used, practised, and exercised, at and within the Township of Salem, in the County of Essex aforesaid, in, upon, and against one Mary Wolcott of Salem-Village, in the County of Essex, Single-Woman, by which said wicked Arts the said Mary Wolcott, the Second Day of May, in the fourth Year aforesaid, and at divers other days and times, as well before as after, was and is Tortured, Afflicted, Pined, Consumed, Wasted and Tormented; as also for sundry other Acts of Witchcraft, by said Susanna Martin, committed and done before and since that time, against the Peace of our Soveraign Lord and Lady, William and Mary, King and Queen of England; Their Crown and Dignity, and against the Form of the Statute, in that Case made and provided.

Return'd by the Grand-Jury, Billa Vera.

Witnesses--Sarah Vibber, Mary Wolcott, Mr. Samuel Parris, Elizabeth Hubbard, Mercy Lewis.

The Second Indictment was for afflicting Mercy Lewis. Witnesses--Samuel Parris, Ann Putnam, Sarah Vibber, Elizabeth Hubbard, Mary Wolcott, Mercy Lewis.

The Trial of Susanna Martin, June 29, 1692. As is Printed, in Wonders of the Invisible World, from p. 114 to p. 116.

1. SUSANNA Martin, pleading not Guilty, to the Indictment of Witchcrafts brought in against her; there were produced the Evidences of many persons very sensibly and grievously bewitched; who all complained of the Prisoner at the Bar, as the person whom they believed the cause of their Miseries. And now as well as in the other Trials, there was an extraordinary endeavour by Witchcrafts, with cruel and frequent Fits, to hinder the poor Sufferers, from giving in their Complaints; which the Court was forced with much patience to obtain, by much waiting and watching for it.

There was now also an Account given, of what had passed at her first Examination before the Magistrates. The cast of her Eye then striking the Afflicted People to the Ground, whether they saw that cast or no: There were these among other Passages between the Magistrates and the Examinate.

Magistrate. Pray, what ails these People?