The Last Witchcraft Trial on This Day in History

This day in history: The last witchcraft trial held in the United States began on this day in 1878. The Salem witchcraft trial of 1878, also known as the Ipswich witchcraft trial and the second Salem witch trial, was an American civil case held in May 1878 in Salem, Massachusetts, in which Lucretia L. S. Brown, an adherent of the Christian Science religion, accused fellow Christian Scientist Daniel H. Spofford of attempting to harm her through his "mesmeric" mental powers. By 1918, it was considered the last witchcraft trial held in the United States. The case garnered significant attention for its startling claims and the fact that it took place in Salem, the scene of the 1692 Salem witch trials. The judge dismissed the case.

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The First "Witch" Executed During the Salem Witch Trials on This Day in History

This Day in History: Bridget Bishop was hanged at Gallows Hill near Salem, Massachusetts, for "certaine Detestable Arts called Witchcraft and Sorceries" on this day in 1692. She was in fact the first person executed for witchcraft during the Salem witch trials. Altogether, about 200 people would be tried, and 18 others were executed, including 5 men and a 6 year old girl.

Bridget Bishop was examined due to her accusation of suspicion of "sundry acts of witchcraft". Bishop was accused of bewitching five young women, Abigail Williams, Ann Putnam, Jr., Mercy Lewis, Mary Walcott, and Elizabeth Hubbard, on the date of her examination by the authorities, 19 April 1692.

An examination during sentencing discovered a third nipple on Bridget Bishop's body (a sure sign of witchcraft). If you have such a mark on your body, please turn yourself into the proper authorities. Moles, scars, birthmarks, sores and tattoos also quality as marks of witchery. Please do the proper thing...we're all in this together.

Exodus 22:18

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Witch-hunter John Hale on This Day in History

 

This Day in History: Puritan pastor John Hale was born on this day in 1636. He was one of the most prominent and influential ministers associated with the Salem witch trials, being noted as having initially supported the trials and then changing his mind and publishing a critique of them.

His book, A Modest Enquiry Into the Nature of Witchcraft was published posthumously, two years after his death. The book provides an alternative Christian theory for what actually happened in Salem in 1692, with Hale theorizing that demons impersonated the accused and appeared in their forms to the afflicted. He most likely changed his views about those executed for "being witches" due to the fact that his own wife was accused as being a witch, though never prosecuted.

As a child, Hale had witnessed the execution of Margaret Jones, the first of 15 people to be executed for witchcraft in New England, between 1648–1663. He was present at the examinations and trials of various people who were accused of witchcraft in the Salem witch trials of 1692, and supported the work of the court. However, on November 14, 1692, 17-year-old Mary Herrick accused his second wife, Sarah Noyes Hale, and the ghost of executed Mary Eastey of afflicting her, but his wife was never formally charged or arrested. A later commentator on the trials, Charles Upham suggests that this accusation was one that helped turn public opinion to end the prosecutions, and spurred Hale's willingness to reconsider his support of the trials.

After the trials Hale began writing his book "A Modest Inquiry into the Nature of Witchcraft", in which he suggested the fear of witchcraft was so great that it impaired the judgment of everyone involved in the trials, possibly resulting in the death of innocent people. Hale died at the age of 63 in 1700, and the book was published two years later.

John and his wife Sarah Hale are the Great Grandparents of U.S. patriot Nathan Hale.

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Witch-Hunter Cotton Mather on This Day in History

The Wonders of the Invisible World, Tryals of the New England Witches

This Day in History: American minister Cotton Mather died on this day in 1725, who was known famously for being at the heart of the Salem Witch Trials. Many have heard of the Witch Dunk test to determine whether someone was a witch, but there was also the Lord's Prayer test.

"George Burroughs, the only minister to be executed during the Trials, ran across this problem. He was standing at the gallows to be executed when he recited the Lord's Prayer to prove his innocence—it was believed that a witch (or warlock, in this case) would be unable to utter the holy words. People were momentarily convinced that the jury had wronged him, until...Cotton Mather told the crowd that the Devil allowed George Burroughs to say that prayer to make it seem as if he was innocent." ~Mental Floss

Nineteenth-century historian Charles Wentworth Upham put the blame on both Cotton and his father Increase Mather for the Salem Witch Trials:

"They are answerable… more than almost any other men have been, for the opinions of their time. It was, indeed a superstitious age; but made much more so by their operations, influence, and writings, beginning with Increase Mather's movement, at the assembly of Ministers, in 1681, and ending with Cotton Mather's dealings with the Goodwin children, and the account thereof which he printed and circulated far and wide. For this reason, then in the first place, I hold those two men responsible for what is called 'Salem Witchcraft.'"

However, Cotton Mather did believe in inoculation against the small pox epidemic whilst most did not. His scientific writings would go on to inspire Benjamin Franklin. It's too bad that the good he had done will always be overshadowed by the superstition that doomed the lives of many.

See also:

The Occult History of America by Lewis Spence 1920
https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-occult-history-of-america-by-lewis.html

200 Books on DVDROM about Satan the Devil & Witchcraft
https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2015/09/100-books-on-dvdrom-about-satan-devil.html

"Witches" and their Medicine on This Day in History

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This Day in History: Margaret Jones became the first person to be executed for witchcraft in Massachusetts Bay Colony on this day in 1648, decades before the Salem Witch Trials. Jones, who resided in Charlestown, now a section of Boston, was a midwife who practiced medicine. "Witches," much like the Alchemists of old, made useful contributions to medicine. The foxglove plant used by Witches contains digoxin and is still used as the active ingredient in some heart and blood pressure medications. Witches used willow bark, and aspirin today contains a chemical found in the willow tree. Witches promoted garlic which is now widely known for its medicinal value. Henbane contains hyoscine, which is now used to treat motion sickness and stomach cramps (Native Americans used a hyoscine-rich plant called thorn apple as a local anesthetic). Nightshade contains atropine, a muscle relaxant that is sometimes used to calm patients going into surgery. While Hemlock is a very poisonous plant, hemlock leaves, root, and seeds are used to make medicine. It is used for breathing problems including bronchitis, whooping cough, and asthma; and for painful conditions including teething in children, swollen and painful joints, and cramps.

A History of Women in Medicine: Cunning Women, Physicians, Witches

After Jones was put to death, her husband, Thomas, tried to leave the colony on a ship. However the ship, which had a heavy load of cargo, had trouble keeping its balance in fair weather. When it was found out that the husband of a condemned witch was on board, he was promptly arrested and put back in prison. Upon his arrest, it was claimed, the ship immediately righted itself.

See also Plants in Witchcraft By T. F. Thiselton Dyer 1889

Plants of the Witches by Richard Folkard 1884

Heinz Schmitz

The Salem Witch Trials on This Day in History

This Day in History: Bridget Bishop was hanged at Gallows Hill near Salem, Massachusetts, for "certaine Detestable Arts called Witchcraft and Sorceries" on this day in 1692. Bridget Bishop was considered a woman of loose morals as she was married several times. After her second husband died, Bishop was accused of bewitching him to death. She was in fact the first person executed for witchcraft during the Salem witch trials. Altogether, about 200 people would be tried, and 18 others were executed, including 5 men and a 6 year old girl. During the trials, two dogs were killed on suspicions of witchcraft.

"The town of Oudewater, Netherlands, used to sell certificates to suspected witches (in the 16th century). These certificates 'officially' proved the women were heavier than air (according to their town scales) and as a result were unable to fly. Women who couldn't fly were less likely to be considered witches.

Women would travel long distances to purchase these certificates, since the usual test of whether a person was a witch was to throw her in deep water. If she drowned, she was innocent of witchcraft. If she didn't drown, she was considered to be a witch and put to death." ~Mary Schons

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

The most famous witch in history was a German woman named Merga Bien in the early 17th century. "Marga Bien was a wealthy German heiress. She murdered her second husband and her children with him, and attended Sabbaths held by Satan. Or at least that's what she was forced to confess while being tortured in prison. She was pregnant, but that didn't save her from execution, as the court believed she was carrying a baby fathered by the Devil. The Fulda Witch Trials led to the execution of 250 suspects over three years. Merga Bien was the most famous of them all, and the first to be burned alive at the stake."~Octavia Drughi

Belief in witchcraft is still widespread. A 2005 poll of Canadians and people from the United Kingdom found that 13 percent believed in witches. For Americans, that number was 21 percent. Witch trials still occur, particularly in places like Africa, Asia and Papua New Guinea.

Back to Bridget Bishop: An examination during sentencing discovered a third nipple on Bridget Bishop's body (a sure sign of witchcraft). If you have such a mark on your body, please turn yourself into the proper authorities. Moles, scars, birthmarks, sores and tattoos also quality as marks of witchery. Please do the proper thing...we're all in this together.

Exodus 22:18

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See also Witches, Witchcraft and Demonology - 120 Books on DVDrom

For a list of all of my disks and Ebooks (PDF and Amazon) click here

Heinz Schmitz