Part 14

There was such Apparitions of Ghosts testified by some of the present Sufferers, and the Ghosts affirmed that this How had murdered them: which things were fear'd, but not proved.

3. This How had made some attempts of Joining to the Church at Ipswich, several Years ago; but she was denied an Admission into that holy Society, partly thro a suspicion of Witchcraft, then urged against her. And there now came in Testimony of preternatural Mischiefs, presently befalling some that had been Instrumental to debar her from the Communion whereupon she was intruding.

4. There was a particular Deposition of Joseph Safford, that his Wife had conceived an extream Aversion, to this How, on the reports of her Witchcrafts; but How one day taking her by the hand, and saying, I believe you are not Ignorant of the great scandal, that I lye under, by an Evil report raised upon me. She immediately, unreasonably, and unperswadeably, even like one Inchanted, began to take this Womans part. How being soon after propounded, as desiring an Admission to the Table of the Lord, some of the Pious Brethren were unsatisfied about her. The Elders appointed a meeting to hear matters objected against her; and no arguments in the World could hinder this Goodwife Safford from going to the Lecture. She did indeed promise with much ado that she would not go to the Church-meeting; yet she could not refrain going thither also. How's affairs there were so canvassed, that she came off rather Guilty, than cleared; nevertheless Goodwife Safford could not forbear taking her by the Hand, and saying, Tho you are condemned before Men, you are justified before God. She was quickly taken in a very strange manner; Frantick, Raving, Raging, and crying out, Goody How must come into the Church; she is a precious Saint, and tho' she be condemned before Men, she is justified before God. So she continued for the space of two or three hours; and then fell into a Trance. But coming to herself, she cried out, Ha! I was mistaken! afterwards again repeated, Ha! I was mistaken! being asked by a stander by, Wherein? she replied, I thought Goody How had been a precious Saint of God, but now I see she is a Witch: she has bewitched me and my Child, and we shall never be well, till there be Testimony for her, that she may be taken into the Church.

And How said afterwards, That she was very sorry to see Safford at the Church-meeting mentioned. Safford after this, declared herself to be Afflicted by the shape of How, and from that shape she endured many miseries.

5. John How, Brother to the Husband of the Prisoner testified that he refusing to accompany the Prisoner unto her Examination as was by her desired, immediately some of his Cattle, were bewitched to Death, leaping Three or four Foot high, turning about, squeaking, falling and dying at once; and going to cut off an Ear, for an use, that might as well perhaps have been omitted, the Hand wherein he held his Knife was taken very Numb; and so it remained, and full of pain for several Days; being not well at this very time. And he suspected this Prisoner, for the Author of it.

6. Nehemiah Abbot testified, that unusual and mischievous accidents would befall his Cattle, whenever he had any difference with this Prisoner. Once particularly she wished his Ox choaked, and within a little while, that Ox was choaked with a Turnip in his Throat. At another time, refusing to lend his Horse, at the request of her Daughter, the Horse was in a preternatural manner abused. And several other odd things of that kind were testified.

7. There came in Testimony that one Goodwife Sherwin, upon some difference with How was bewitched, and, that she died, charging this How of having an hand in her Death. And that other People had their Barrels of Drink unaccountably mischiev'd, spoiled, and spilt upon their displeasing her.

The things in themselves were trivial; but there being such a course of them, it made them the more to be considered. Among others, Martha Wood gave her testimony, that a little after, her Father had been employed in gathering an account of this How's Conversation, they once and again lost great quantities of Drink, out of their Vessels, in such a manner, as they could ascribe to nothing but Witchcraft. As also that How giving her some Apples, when she had eaten of them, she was taken with a very strange kind of a maze, insomuch that she knew not what she said or did.

8. There was likewise a Cluster of Depositions, that one Isaac Cummings, refusing to lend his Mare, unto the Husband of this How; the Mare was within a Day or two taken in a strange condition. The beast seemed much abused; being bruised, as if she had been running over the Rocks, and marked where the Bridle went, as if burnt with a red hot Bridle. Moreover one using a Pipe of Tobacco for the cure of the Beast, a blew flame issued out of her, took hold of her hair, and not only spread and burnt on her, but it also flew upwards towards the Roof of the Barn, and had like to have set the Barn on fire. And the Mare dy'd very suddenly.

9. Timothy Perly and his Wife, testified, not only that unaccountable Mischiefs befel their Cattle, upon their having of differences with this Prisoner; but also that they had a Daughter destroyed by Witchcrafts; which Daughter still charged How, as the cause of her Affliction; and it was noted that she would be struck down, whenever How were spoken of. She was often endeavoured to be thrown into the Fire, and into the Water, in her strange Fitts; tho her Father had corrected, for charging How with bewitching her, yet (as was testified by others also) she said she was sure of it, and must dye standing to it. Accordingly she charged How to the very death; and said, Tho How could Afflict and Torment her Body, yet she could not hurt her Soul, and that the truth of this matter would appear when she should be dead and gone.

10. Francis Lane testified, that being hired by the Husband of this How to get him a parcel of Posts and Rails, this Lane hired John Pearly to assist him. This Prisoner then told Lane that she believed the Posts and Rails would not do, because John Pearly helped him; but that if he had got them alone without John Pearly's help, they might have done well enough. When James How came to receive his Posts and Rails of Lane, How taking them up by the Ends, they, tho good and sound yet unaccountably broke off, so that Lane was forced to get Thirty or Forty more. And this Prisoner being informed of it, she said, She told him so before: because Pearly helped about them.

11. Afterwards there came in the Confessions of several other (penitent) Witches, which affirmed this How to be one of those who with them had been baptized by the Devil in the River, at Newberry-Falls: before which he made them there kneel down by the Brink of the River, and Worship him.

FOOTNOTES:

The Indictment does not appear in the Records, probably for the Reason that it had been given to or taken by Dr. Mather, and never returned. Mrs. How was of Topsfield, Wife of James How of that Town. Ephraim Wildes was the Constable who apprehended her. Her Examination was on the 30th of May, 1692, occupies two Pages, and was taken down by Mr. "Sam. Parris."

The Author has not taken up the respective Parties who gave Evidence. Among others, no Notice is taken of that of two Ministers, namely, Mr. Samuel Phillips and Mr. Edward Payson, both of Rowley. Mr. Phillips gave his Age as about 67. Mr. Paison did not state his. Their Testimonies were passed over undoubtedly because they did not in the least criminate Mrs. How; nor did they pretend that they had seen any Thing like Witchcraft.

They were not only not proved, but there are no Testimonies recorded containing these Ghost Stories. The following Witnesses are not noticed by Dr. Mather, viz.: Samuel Perley, aged about 52, and his Wife about 46. Deborah Hadley, aged about 70 Years; had lived near Elizabeth How ("ye Wife of James How, Jr. of Ipswich 24 year.") She gave her a good Character. Mrs. Hadley testified on the 24th of June. The next Day Daniel Warner, Sen. gave in his Testimony. It was of the same tenor of Mrs. Hadley's. John Warner, Senʳ. also signed the same Evidence. They had been well acquainted with Mrs. How "aboue 20 yeers." So Simon Chapman and his Wife testified. Simon gave his Age as about 48--"hath ben aquainted with the Wiuef of James How, iunʳ. as a Naybar for this 9 or 10 Yers;" never knew any harm of her, and "found hur joust in hur delling, faythfooll," &c.

Against such gratuitous, and to say the least, hearsay Testimony, the Doctor should, in fairness, have noticed such Evidence as that referred to in the last Note. A few others must not be overlooked. Joseph Knowlton stated that he had been acquainted with Mrs. How, as a Neighbor, and sometimes boarded in the House at his first coming to live in these Parts, which was about ten Years ago. He and his Wife Mary both gave her a good Character. His Age was "forty tu," and his Wife's "thurty-tu."

James How, Sen., aged about 94, testified that he had lived by Elizabeth, the Wife of James How, Junʳ, for about thirty Years; and, "setting a side humain Infurmity," she always behaved well, becoming her Place as a Daughter and Wife in all Relations.

Respecting the Church Difficulty, referred to in the Text, one Jacob Foster, aged about 29, swore, that "some Years agoe," as Goodwife How was about to join the Church, his Father was a Means of preventing it. Whereupon his Mare was lost for several Days. When found she looked as if she had been miserably beaten and abused. Sworn June 30th, 1692. Thomas Andrews of Boxford, aged about 50, told a more ridiculous Story about a Mare, belonging to Josiah Comings, Senʳ of Topsfield.

Joseph Safford gave his Age about 60.

John How gave his Age as about 50. The Doctor has made some wretched Mistakes in his Abstract of this Testimony. It was his Sow that "leaped up about three or foure foot hie," and fell down dead. The squeaking belonged to the Swine, and not to the Cattle.

I do not find any Note of Nehemiah Abbot's Evidence in the Records.

This has reference, perhaps, to the Ghost Stories darkly hinted at by the Dr. Mather in a previous Page.

I have not noticed Martha Wood's Evidence among the Records. The "great Quantities of Drink" reported lost, was probably found by some of the Witnesses already noticed.

Cummin's Testimony occupies above two solid Pages. His Age was about sixty Years. His Christian Name was mistaken by Mather, being Isaac instead of Josiah, as appears by the Records.

Timothy Perley and his Wife Deborah testified, June 1st, 1692, that he was about 39 Years of Age, and his Wife about 33. The Abstract above is exceedingly defective. See the Records, ii, 73-4.

Francis Lane gave his Age as about 27, and said that the Time the Witches afflicted the Rails was about "seauen" Years ago, and makes a long Story out of it; but it is of a Piece with most of the Evidence. Lane's Parentage has not been traced.

They affirmed that many of those wretched Souls had been Baptized at Newberry Falls; and at several other Rivers and Ponds; and as to the Manner of Administration, the Great Officer of Hell took them up by the Body, and putting their Heads into the Water, said over them, Thou art mine, and I have full Power over the: And thereupon they engaged and covenanted to renounce GOD, CHRIST, their sacred Baptism, and the whole Way of Gospel Salvation; and to use their utmost Endeavours to oppose the Kingdom of CHRIST, and to set up and advocate the Kingdom of Satan.--Lawson, Second Edition, 118. See, also, Vol. I, Page 102-3.