The Salem Witch Trials

The one incident that has forever

marked the Puritans as incurably
devilish is, ironically, their opposition
to the devil in Salem. The Salem witch
trials have become the epitome of
Puritanism -- typical and symbolic of
all that the Puritans were and did. Let
me be quick to say that this incident
was, in many ways, deplorable (as will
be shown below). Godly men of that
day and this have condemned it for the
injustices allowed and excesses
condoned. But it does serve again to
illustrate the bias of unbelieving
historians against Christianity in this
country. This incident has become
inseparably joined with Puritanism (if
you say "puritan" they say "witch
nials"). Strangely, one seldom hears
of the "witch-hunting" frenzy that
gripped Europe long before (and after)
this incident in Massachusetts. The
contrast between the tWo incidents is
quite revealing:
The entire Salem episode lasted
less than a year (1692). There was no
"witch-hunting frenzy" prior to 1692
Conly 12 people wete ever tried for
witchcraft). By contrast, the witch
hunting which occurred in Europe
lasted oyer two hundred years.
The Salem "hysteria" of 1692 did
not see hundreds burned at the stake
as is often imagined. Only 23 people
died as a direct result of the trials.
Three died in prison, one was crushed
to death during questioning, and
nineteen were hung (no one was
burned). Contrast this with the
thousands who were burned at the
stake in Europe for witchcraft during
the Inquisition alone. For example,
between the years 1516 and 1517 in
Geneva, over 500 persons were burned
for witchcraft. Over a thousand
individuals were executed in the
district of Como, Spain, in the year
1524 (and for several years afterWards
the average number of victifIls
exceeded a hundred). One inquisitor
named Remingius took credit fot
having convicted and burned 900
accused witches. In France during the
year 1520, fires for the execution of
witches blazed in almost every town.
Danaeus, in his Dialogues oj Witches,
says the burnings were so numerous
22 ~ ~ H COUNSEL of Chalcedon t September, 1994
that it is impossible to know the
number of people killed. (Charles
Mackay, Extraordinary Popular
Delusions and the Madness oj Crowds, p.
482)
In all, only around 100 people were
ever accused of witchcraft in Salem, of
whom 50 (by some counts) confessed
their guilt. Some of these confessions
were coerced and others may have
been motivated by self-interest, as
confessors were not tried or executed.
Still, the fact remains, that many were
in fact guilty of occult practices. (Kirk
House, "The Salem Witch Trials",
Journal oj Christian Reconstruction,
winter, 1978-79, vol. V., no. 2).
This, however, is hardiy the picture
in the minds of most people when you
mention Salem. Anti"Puritan biases
control the views of the Salem incident.
There are a number of observations
that help us gain a more accurate
perspective on what occurred.
1. There was a large amount of
occult experimentation at this time.
Cotton Mather notes that many began
to dabble in occult practices out of
curiosity:
"It is to be confessed and bewailed,
that rnanyinhabitants of New England,
and young people especially, had been
led away with little sorceries, wherein
they 'did secretly those things that
were not right against the Lord their
God;' ... Wretched books had stolen
into the land, wherein fools were
instructed how to become able
fottune-tellers: ... and by these books,
the minds of many had been so
poisoned, that they studied this finer
witchcraft; uutil 'tis wen if some of
them were not betrayed into what is
grosser, and more sensible and capital.
Although these diabolical divinations
are more ordinarily committed perhaps
all over the whole world, than they are
in the country of New England, yet,
that being a country devoted unto the
worship and service of the Lord]esus
Christ above the rest of the world, he
signalized his vengeance against these
wickednesses, with such extraordinary
dispensations as have not been often
seen in other places." (Cotton Mather,
MagnaJ!a Christi Amel1cana, vol. I, p.
205)
Mather and others were convinced
the whole affair was God's judgment
on the people of New England for their
"sorceries, discontent, unbelief and
slighting of the Savior."
2. There were a number of
seemingly inexplicable events which
took place. The Puritans were'
convinced that much of this was the
result of demonic activity. Many
reponed being haunted by "spectres"
(visible apparitions taking the fonn of
well-known citizens). Others were
affticted with "fits" which included
bizarre behavior and speaking with
other voices. Mather records some of
the things that were reported:
"The afflicted wretches were
horribly distorted and convulsed; they
were pinched black and blue: pins
would be run every where in their
flesh; they would be scalded until they
had blisters raised on them; and a
thousand otherthings before hundreds
of witnesses were done unto them,
evidently preternatural . . .
"Also, it is well known, that these
wicked spectres did proceed so fur as
to steal several quantities of money
from divers people, part of which
individual moneywas dropt sometimes
out of the air, before sufficient
spectators, into the hands of the
afflicted, which the spectres were
urging them to subscribe their covenant
with death ...
"Yet more: the miserable have
complained bitterly of burning rags
run into their forceably distended
mouths; and though nobody could see
any such cloths, or indeed any fires in
the chambers, yet presently the scalds
were seen plainly by everybody on the
mouths of the complainers, and not
only the smell, but the smoke of the
burning sensibly filled the chambers."
(Mather, op. cit., pp. 206,207)
Whether these repoltS were accurate
or, as is more likely the case, greatly
exaggerated, they served to heighten
the anxiety of all, transforming
otherwise cautious and reasonable
people into true funatics. The repons
produced an environment where
anything out of the ordinary or a bit
unusual was seen as demonic activity.
The emotional state of the people
(coupled with their lack of theological
discernment) unquestionably made
things to appear worse than they were.
3. There were excesses allowed
and errors committed during the
trials. It is probably correct to say that
few if any of those accused received a
fair trial. The faults of the trials can be
traced to a number of false
assumptions:
First, that Satan, when allowed by
God to afftict another, does so through
the instrumentality of other humans.
This led to the assumption that when
children or others were afflicted, a
warlock or witch must be involved.
Natural causes of the "fits" or other
incidents were not suffiCiently
considered.
Second, that demons could not
assume the fonn ofinnocent people. It
was assumed that if the "spectre" of a
person was seen, that one must be in
league with the devil.
Third, that "spectral evidence" was
legitimate. That is, if one accused
another of being a witch or warlock
based upon seeing his or her "spectre,"
that testimony was admitted and
weighed against the accused (even
though the "spectre" was only visible
to the accuser). Obviously, to admit
such evidence is to admit evidence
which cannot be confinned or denied.
Founh, if the accused "caused" the
accusers to go into "fits" when he or
she looked at them, the accused was
assumed to be in covenant with the
devil. Often during the trials those
testifying fell into "fits" when the one
accused of witchcraft glanced at them.
The judges were greatly affected by
this:
"The judges questioning also reveals
their attitude. Prisoners were not asked
whether they tonnented the afflicted,
but why and how they did so. Mrs.
Nathaniel Cary was ordered to stand
with her arms outstretched, to prevent
her from inflicting sympathetic harm.
When Cary asked permission to
support his wife, he was told that if she
had strength to torment the afflicted,
she had strength to stand by herself."
(House, Journal of Christian
Rec01Istruction, vol. V., no. 2, p. 139)
Guilt or innocence notwithstanding,
the accused did not have a fair hearing
under these circumstances. As House
points out, "Indeed, a legally sworn
complaint ... almost inevitably meant
indictment, and, in time,
imprisonment." (Ibid.)
It became evident to many that the
trials were producing excesses. The
ministers in the area were the first to
realize the problems, "They [the clergy
of New England] now saw, that the
more the afflicted were harkened unto,
the more the number of the accused
increased; until at last many scores
were cried out upon, and among them,
some who, by the unblameableness --
yea, and serviceableness -- of their
whole conversation, had obtained the
just reputation of good people among
all that were acquainted with them.
The character of the afflicted likewise
added unto the common distaste; for
though some of them too were good
people, yet others of them, and such of
them as were most flippant at accusing,
had a far other character." (Mather,
Magnalia, vol. I., p. 210) To be
concluded next issue.
September, 1994 THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon 23