Part 15

The Indictment of Martha Carryer.

THE Jurors for our Soveraign Lord and Lady the King and Queen, present, That Martha Carryer, Wife of Thomas Carryer of Andover, in the County of Essex, Husbandman, The Thirty first 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, Single Woman, in the County of Essex aforesaid; by which said wicked Arts the said Mary Wolcott, the Thirty first 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; 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.

Witnesses--Mary Wolcott, Elizabeth Hubbard, Ann Putnam.

There was also a Second Indictment for afflicting Elizabeth Hubbard, by Witchcraft. Witnesses--Elizabeth Hubbard, Mary Wolcott, Ann Putnam, Mary Warrin.

The Trial of Martha Carryer, August 2, 1692. As may be seen in Wonders of the Invisible World, from P. 132, to 138.

1. MArtha Carryer was indicted for the bewitching of certain persons according to the form usual in such Cases: Pleading not Guilty to her Indictment; there were first brought in a considerable number of the Bewitched persons; who not only made the Court sensible of an horrid Witchcraft committed upon them, but also deposed, That it was Martha Carryer, or her shape, that grievously tormented them by biting, pricking, pinching and choaking them. It was further deposed that while this Carryer was on her Examination before the Magistrates, the poor People were so tortured, that every one expected their Death upon the very spot; but that upon the binding of Carryer they were eased. Moreover the looks of Carryer then laid the Afflicted People for dead, and her Touch, if her Eyes at the same time were off them, raised them again. Which things were also now seen upon her Tryal. And it was testified, that upon the mention of some having their Necks twisted almost round by the shape of this Carryer, she replied, Its no matter, tho their Necks had been twisted quite off.

2. Before the Tryal of this Prisoner, several of her own Children had frankly and fully confessed not only that they were Witches themselves, but that this their Mother had made them so. This confession they made with great shows of Repentance, and with much Demonstration of Truth. They related Place, Time, Occasion; they gave an Account of Journeys, Meetings, and Mischiefs by them performed; and were very credible in what they said. Nevertheless, this Evidence was not produced against the Prisoner at the Bar, in as much as there was other Evidence enough to proceed upon.

3. Benj. Abbot gave in his Testimony, That last March was a Twelve month, this Carryer was very angry with him, upon laying out some Land near her Husbands. Her expressions in this Anger were, That she would stick as close to Abbot, as the Bark stuck to the Tree; and that he should repent of it afore seven Years came to an end, so as Doctor Prescot should never cure him. These words were heard by others, besides Abbot himself, who also heard her say, She would hold his Nose as close to the Grind-stone as ever it was held since his name was Abbot. Presently after this he was taken with a swelling in his Foot, and then with a Pain in his Side, and exceedingly tormented. It bred unto a Sore, which was lanced by Dr. Prescot, and several Gallons of Corruption ran out of it. For six Weeks it continued very bad; and then another Sore bred in his Groin, which was also lanced by Dr. Prescot. Another Sore bred in his Groin which was likewise Cut, and put him to very great misery. He was brought unto Death's door, and so remained until Carryer was taken and carried away by the Constable. From which very day he began to mend, and so grew better every day, and is well ever since.

Sarah Abbot also his Wife testified, that her Husband was not only all this while Afflicted in his Body; but also that strange, extraordinary and unaccountable calamities befel his Cattle; their Death being such as they could guess at no Natural Reason for.

4. Allin Toothaker testified, that Richard the Son of Martha Carryer, having some difference with him, pull'd him down by the Hair of the Head, when he rose again, he was going to strike at Richard Carryer, but fell down flat on his back to the ground, and had not power to stir Hand or foot, until he told Carryer he yielded; and then he saw the shape of Martha Carryer, go off his Breast.

This Toothaker had received a wound in the Wars, and he now testified, that Martha Carryer told him, He shall never be cured. Just afore the apprehending of Carryer, he could thrust a Knitting-Needle into his wound four Inches deep, but presently after her being seized, he was thoroughly healed.

He further testified, that when Carryer and he sometimes were at variance, she would clap her Hands at him and say, He should get nothing by it. Whereupon he several times lost his Cattle, by strange Deaths, whereof no natural causes could be given.

5. John Roger also testified, that upon the threatning words of this malicious Carryer, his Cattle would be strangely bewitched; as was more particularly then described.

6. Samuel Preston testified, that about two Years ago, having some difference with Martha Carryer, he lost a Cow in a strange, preternatural, unusual manner; and about a Month after this, the said Carryer, having again some difference with him, she told him, He had lately lost a Cow, and it should not be long before he lost another! which accordingly came to pass; for he had a thriving and well kept Cow, which without any known cause quickly fell down and died.

7. Phebe Chandler testified, that about a Fortnight before the Apprehension of Martha Carryer, on a Lords Day, while the Psalm was singing in the Church, this Carryer then took her by the Shoulder, and shaking her, asked her, Where she lived? she made her no Answer, altho as Carryer, who lived next door to her Father's House, could not in Reason but know who she was. Quickly after this, as she was at several times crossing the Fields she heard a Voice that she took to be Martha Carryers, and it seem'd as if it were over her head. The Voice told her, She should within two or three Days be Poison'd: Accordingly within such a little time, one half of her Right Hand became greatly swollen and very painful; as also part of her Face; whereof she can give no Account how it came. It continued very bad for some days; and several times since she has had a great pain in her Breast; and been so seized on her Legs that she has hardly been able to go. She added that lately, going well to the House of God, Richard the Son of Martha Carryer, look'd very earnestly upon her, and immediately her Hand which had formerly been Poisoned, as is abovesaid, began to pain her greatly, and she had a strange burning at her Stomach; but was then struck deaf, so that she could not hear any of the Prayer, or Singing, till the two or three last words of the Psalm.

8. One Foster, who confessed her own share in the Witchcraft, for which the Prisoner stood Indicted, affirmed, that she had seen the Prisoner at some of their Witch-meetings, and that it was this Carryer, who perswaded her to be a Witch. She confessed that the Devil carried them on a Pole to a Witch-meeting, but the Pole broke, and she hanging about Carryer's Neck, they both fell down, and she then received an hurt by the fall, whereof she was not at this very time recovered.

9. One Lacy, who likewise confessed her share in this Witchcraft, now testified that she and the Prisoner, were once bodily present, at a Witch-meeting in Salem-Village, and that she knew the Prisoner to be a Witch, and to have been at a Diabolical Sacrament, and that the Prisoner was the undoing of her and her Children, by enticing them into the Snare of the Devil.

10. Another Lacy, who also confessed her share in this Witchcraft, now testified that the Prisoner was at the Witch meeting in Salem-Village, where they had Bread and Wine administred unto them.

11. In the time of this Prisoners Tryal, one Susanna Shelden in open Court, had her Hands unaccountably tied together, with a Wheel-band, so fast, that without cutting, it could not be loosed. It was done by a Spectre; and the Sufferer affirm'd, it was the Prisoners.

Memorandum. This Rampant Hag, Martha Carryer, was the person of whom the Confessions of the Witches and of her own Children, among the rest, agreed, that the Devil had promised her, she should be Queen of Hell.

Thus far the Account given in Wonders of the Invisible World; in which setting aside such words as these, in the Tryal of G. B. viz. [They (i. e.) the Witnesses were enough to fix the character of a Witch upon him.]

In the Tryal of Bishop, these words, [but there was no need of them] i. e. of further Testimony.

In the Tryal of How, where it is said, [and there came in Testimony of preternatural Mischiefs, presently befalling some that had been instrumental to debar her from the Communion, whereupon she was intruding.] Martin is call'd [one of the most impudent, scurrilous, wicked Creatures in the World.] In his Account of Martha Carryer, he is pleased to call her [a Rampant Hag,] &c.

These Expressions as they manifest, that he wrote more like an Advocate than an Historian; so also that those that were his Imployers were not mistaken in their choice of him for that work, however he may have mist it in other things.

As in his owning (in the Tryal of G. B.) That the Testimony of the bewitched, and confessors was not enough against the Accused, for it is known that not only in New-England, such Evidence has been taken for sufficient, but also in England, as himself there owns, and will also hold true of Scotland, &c. they having proceeded upon such Evidence, to the taking away of the Lives of many, to assert that this is not enough, is to tell the World that such Executions were but so many Bloody Murders; which surely was not his intent to say.

FOOTNOTES:

Complaint was made against Martha Carrier on the 28th of May, by Joseph Houlton and John Wallcott, both of Salem. John Ballard, Constable, arrested her. John Bayley, Assistant Constable of Andover, summoned the Witnesses. See Records S. W. ii, 54, 55, &c.

Martha Carrier underwent the usual Examination, which occupies two Pages, and the Original is in the Hand of Mr. Samuel Parris. The above is but a very unsatisfactory Abridgement of it.