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See a local listing for it here
For a list of all of my disks, and ebooks (PDF and Amazon) click here
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.
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.
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