Page 74 - September 2022 Magazine - Bumper Edition

The Shame
of Salem
We wrote this piece a couple of years ago for our She was a 71-year-old devout Christian held in
Facebook page so a few of you may have seen it but it’s such a shocking example of injustice it’s always worth reminding ourselves of what took place.
As this year is the 330th anniversary of these shocking events, we had intended to include it in the July edition. We’ve chosen to include it in this August edition, as these events should never be forgotten...
A poignant date in July is the 19th. - It’s the day (in 1692) when Rebecca Nurse was hanged.
The name may not ring bells with everyone, but the Salem Witch Trials are familiar to most people or they have at least heard of them.
Of the 200 people accused of practising witchcraft, 20 were executed by hanging.
The case against Rebecca Nurse was the most preposterous. The twists and turns of the case are truly bizarre.
great esteem by the deeply religious community. However, she had for some time been involved in a land dispute with her neighbours. (The Putman family).
She was accused by a few girls of being a practising witch and had put a hex on them - causing them to have visions and fits. Her primary accuser (Anne Putnam) was the daughter of the landowners with whom Rebecca was in dispute.
Despite a petition signed by many villagers in Rebecca’s defence, the trial went ahead. Not surprisingly, the jury found her not guilty.
What happened next was truly outrageous.
The Magistrate (presumably aware of the huge publicity surrounding the trials, which had thrust the previously unheard of town of Salem into the spotlight) actually instructed the Jury to reconsider!
74 | The Flickering Cauldron® Magazine - The Shame of Salem