The Salem Witch Trails

Day 4 - The Salem Witch Trials, Hawthorne and the New England Aquarium

The town of Salem is pretty historical with cemeteries, statues and museums. One of the most horrible events that took place there was the Salem Witch Trials. The trials were held there, of course, but we took a deeper look at the innocent people who died here. People convicted of being witches would lose all of their property, belongings and even their name. Twenty people were convicted of being witches. On Sept. 19, Giles Corey was convicted of witchcraft, but he was not hung. Giles suffered death by being pressed with boulders because he would not say that he was a witch. As they put more boulders on him, he would say with his last breaths, “More weight, more weight.” Corey did not want his family to suffer the consequences of his admission. After the cemetery, we went to the Salem Museum. We watched a 15-minute video about how Salem came to be. It all started when two people discovered there were thousands of fish in the ocean near Salem. Soon the town became a center for the fishing industry. Not all good things last; there were very few fish, so the fishing industry died. Salem moved on to the lumber industry because there were acres of trees, but that also died out. After our Salem 101 history class, we went to the famous House of Seven Gables, the setting for the Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book, “The House of Seven Gables.” It is called the House of Seven Gables because the house actually has seven gables. The house was built by John Turner. He made the ceiling low because it was easier and cost less to heat during the winter. The best description is that there is a cylindrical 200,000-gallon tank in the center of the building that holds the giant sea turtles, huge fish, eels and more. A walkway winds its way to the top to a four-story coral reef exhibit. In some areas we saw fish that looked like Dory and Gill from “Finding Nemo.” All I could think was, “Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. What you do is keep swimming…” Did you know that Boston has a Holocaust Memorial? That is where we headed next. There are six glass towers, which are engraved with each serial number tattooed on the prisoners from the Holocaust. The six towers represent the six concentration camps. On the sides of the tower are quotes from survivors. At each end, there is a plaque that tells of the events that happened between 1933 and 1945.

Salem witch trials spark interesting probate perspective – Estate ...

) Appeared to the witness in a dream or vision (for example, a black cat or wolf). The dream or vision was admitted as evidence. Thus, witnesses (who were often the accusers) would testify that “Goody Proctor bit, pinched, and almost choked me,” and it would be taken as evidence that the accused were responsible for the biting, pinching and choking even though they were elsewhere at the time.

Thomas Brattle, a merchant of Salem, made note that “when the afflicted do mean and intend only the appearance and shape of such an one, say G. Proctor, yet they positively swear that G. Proctor did afflict them; and they were allowed to do so; as though there was no real difference between G. Proctor and the shape of G. Proctor.”

The Defendants were allowed no legal representation and instead left with two options:  plead guilty and be released or plead innocent and be hung.  A guilty plea meant automatic forfeiture of one’s property to the government as also did a conviction.

One man, Giles Corey, refused to enter a plea and was punished with a process called pressing in which a person was stripped, laid on the ground in a pit and covered with boards on which heavy stones were then placed.  Corey is said to have three times refused to plead innocent or guilty to witchcraft.  On the third day of his torture, Corey died but with refusing to enter a plea, he retained full possession of his estate – instead of allowing government confiscation – which was then passed on to his family in accordance with his will.

This is admittedly a cursory accounting of the Salem witch trials, but a more in-depth look seems to confirm how religious extremism and government tyranny was used for multiple purposes including perpetration of an atrocious money/land grab.

A corrupt legal process operated by self-interested public officials and their associates aptly describes many actions seen in today’s probate venues.  After eight months, the people of Salem began questioning the nature and process of the witch trials.  It’s been 300+ years and exploitative legal practices are once again rampant – this time in connection with many probate issues.  Hopefully the public will once again recognize a dangerous looming threat and demand reform.

Here’s a creepy tale from The Oklahoman.

Thx for the heads-up! “@: History channel : Salem Witch Trails on Netflix ! Stoked!!”

Haunted History – Haunted Histories Collection (Hauntings / Vampire Secrets / Salem Witch…

The Salem witch trials, a day-by-day chronicle of a community under siege

The Salem Witch Trials is based on over twenty-five years of original archival research (including the author's discovery of previously unknown documents), as ...

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Discusses the witchcraft trials in Salem in 1692, the events leading up to them, and how the trials have been viewed by different historians since then.

The Salem witch trials, a primary source history of the witchcraft trials in Salem, Massachusetts

Uses primary source documents, narrative, and illustrations to recount the history of the witch hunt and trials that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts, in the ...

The Salem witch trials, a reference guide

Thematic essays, biographical sketches, and primary document excerpts explore the Salem witch trials, a tumultuous episode in American social, religious, and ...

The Salem witch trials reader

Contains primary source material.