The Witchcraft Delusion in New England: Its Rise, Progress, and Termination (Vol 3 of 3). Calef Robert
such a Pious thankfulness unto God, for Justice being so far executed among us, I shall rejoice that God is glorified; and pray that no wrong steps of ours may ever sully any of his glorious works.
George Burrough's Tryal.
The Indictment of George Burroughs.58
Essex ss.
THE Jurors for our Sovereign Lord and Lady the King and Queen present, That George Burroughs, late of Falmouth, in the Province of the Massachusetts-Bay, in New-England, Clerk.
The 9th Day of May, in the fourth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord and Lady William and Mary, by the Grace of God, of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, King and Queen Defenders of the Faith, &c. And divers other days and times, as well before as after, certain detestable Arts, called Witchcrafts, and Sorceries, Wickedly and Feloniously hath used, practised, and exercised, at and within the Township of Salem, in the County of Essex aforesaid, in upon, and against one Mary Wolcott of Salem-Village, in the County of Essex, Single-woman, by which said wicked Arts the said Mary Wolcott, the Ninth Day of May, in the fourth Year abovesaid, and divers other days and times, as well before as after, was and is Tortured, Afflicted, Pined, Consumed, Wasted and Tormented, against the Peace of our Sovereign Lord and Lady, the King and Queen, and against the Form of the Statute in that Case made and provided.
There was also a second Indictment for afflicting Elizabeth Hubbard, the Witnesses to the said Indictment were Elizabeth Hubbard, Mary Wolcott, and Ann Putnam.
The third Indictment was for afflicting Mercy Lewis: the Witnesses, the said Mercy Lewis, Mary Wolcott, Elizabeth Hubbard, and Ann Putnam.
The fourth for acts of Witchcraft on Ann Putnam, the Witnesses, the said Ann Putnam, Mary Wolcott, Elizabeth Hubbard, and Mary Warren.60
The Tryal of G. B. as Printed in Wonders of the Invisible World, from P. 94 to 104
GLAD should I have been, if I had never known the name of this Man; or never had this occasion to mention so much as the first Letters of his name. But the Government requiring some Account of his trial, to be inserted in this Book, it becomes me with all obedience to submit unto the Order.
1. This G. B. was Indicted for Witchcrafts; and in the Prosecution of the Charge against him, he was Accused by five or six of the Bewitched, as the Author of their Miseries; he was accused by Eight of the confessing Witches, as being an head Actor at some of their Hellish Randezvouzes, and who had the promise of being a King in Satan's Kingdom, now going to be erected; he was accused by Nine persons, for extraordinary lifting, and such feats of strength as could not be done without a Diabolical Assistance. And for other such things he was accused, until about Thirty Testimonies61 were brought in against him; nor were these judg'd the half of what might have been consider'd for his Conviction: however they were enough to fix the Character of a Witch upon him, according to the Rules of Reasoning, by the judicious Gaule, in that case directed.
The Court being sensible, that the Testimonies of the Parties Bewitched, use to have a Room among the Suspicions, or Presumptions, brought in against one Indicted for Witchcraft, there were now heard the Testimonies of several Persons who were most notoriously bewitched, and every day tortured by Invisible hands, and these now all charged the Spectres of G. B. to have a share in their Torments. At the Examination of this G. B. the bewitched People were grievously harrassed with preternatural Mischiefs, which could not possibly be dissembled; and they still ascribed it unto the Endeavours of G. B. to kill them. And now upon his Trial, one of the bewitched persons testified, That in her Agonies a little Black-haired Man came to her, saying his name was B. and bidding her set her hand unto a Book, which he shewed unto her; and bragging that he was a Conjuror above the ordinary Rank of Witches; that he often persecuted her, with the offer of that Book, saying, she should be well, and need fear nobody, if she would but sign it: but he inflicted cruel pains and hurts upon her, because of her denying so to do.62 The Testimonies of the other Sufferers, concurred with these; and it was remarkable, that whereas Biting, was one of the ways, which the Witches used, for the vexing of the Sufferers, when they cry'd out of G. B. biting them, the print of his Teeth would be seen on the Flesh of the Complainers; and just such a set of Teeth as G. B's. would then appear upon them, which could be distinguished from those of some other Mens.
Others of them testified, that in their Torments G. B. tempted them to go unto a Sacrament, unto which they perceived him with a sound of Trumpet summoning of other Witches; who quickly after the sound would come from all quarters unto the Randezvous. One of them falling into a kind of Trance, afterwards affirmed, that G. B. had carried her into a very high Mountain, where he shewed her mighty and glorious Kingdoms, and said he would give them all to her, if she would write in his Book; but she told him, They were none of his to give; and refused the Motions; enduring of much misery for that refusal.63
It cost the Court a wonderful deal of trouble to hear the Testimonies of the Sufferers; for when they were going to give in their Depositions, they would for a long while be taken with Fits, that made them uncapable of saying any thing. The chief Judge asked the Prisoner, who he thought hindered these Witnesses from giving their Testimonies? and he answered, He supposed it was the Devil. That Honourable person then replied, How comes the Devil so loth to have any Testimony borne against you? Which cast him into very great confusion.64
3. It hath been a frequent thing for the bewitched People, to be entertained with Apparitions of Ghosts of murdered People, at the same time that the Spectres of the Witches trouble them. These Ghosts do always affright the beholders, more than all the other Spectral Representations; and when they exhibit themselves, they cry out of being murdered by the Witchcrafts or other Violences of the persons who are then in Spectre present. It is further considerable, that once or twice these Apparitions have been seen by others, at the very same time they have shown themselves to the bewitched; and seldom have there been these Apparitions, but when something unusual and suspected hath attended the death of the Party thus appearing. Some that have been accused by these Apparitions, accosting of the bewitched People, who had never heard a word of any such persons ever being in the World, have upon a fair Examination, freely and fully confessed the Murders of those very persons, although these also did not know how the Apparitions had complained of them. Accordingly several of the bewitched had given in their Testimony, that they had been troubled with the Apparitions of two Women, who said they were G. B's two Wives; and that he had been the death of them; and that the Magistrates must be told of it, before whom, if B. upon his Tryal denied it, they did not know but that they should appear again in the Court. Now G. B. had been infamous, for the barbarous usage of his two successive Wives, all the Countrey over. Moreover, it was testified, the Spectre of G. B. threatning of the Sufferers told them he had killed (besides others) Mrs. Lawson and her Daughter Ann. And it was noted, that these were the Vertuous Wife and Daughter of one, at whom this G. B. might have a prejudice, for being serviceable at Salem-Village, from whence himself had in ill terms removed some Years before, and that when they dy'd, which was long since, there were some odd circumstances about them, which made some of the Attendants there suspect something of Witchcraft, though none imagined from what quarter it should come.
Well G. B. being now upon his Tryal, one of the bewitched persons was cast into horror at the Ghosts of B's. two deceased Wives, then appearing before him, and crying for vengeance against him. Hereupon several of the bewitched
As this Indictment does not appear to be among the Records, its absence is accounted for as has been remarked of other similar Documents before noticed; being taken from the Files and never returned.
This Name as has been mentioned already, is doubtless
Of these abandoned Witnesses, we have already had sufficient.
About twenty appear in the Records, which see, Vol. II, Pages 109,
Ann Putnam swore, that on the 20th of April, 1692, she saw the
Simon Willard, aged about 42 Years, was at the House of Mr. Robert Lawrence, of Casco Bay, in Sept., 1689; saw Mr. Burroughs show where he took hold of the Gun of about seven foot Barrel, which was behind the Lock; and Mr. B. said he held it out with one Hand by so taking it, but the Deponent did not see him do it. Willard commanded the Fort at Casco.
Thomas Greenslett, aged about 40 Years, said he was at Capt. Joshua Scottow's at Black Point, about the breaking out of the late Indian War, where he saw Mr. B. lift a Gun of six foot Barrel or there-about, by putting the Forefinger of his right Hand into the Muzzle; holding it out at Arm's Length. Lieut. Richard Hunnewell and John
Several of those Girls before mentioned, swore to about the same thing.
The Girl who made oath to this was Mercy Lewis. It took place on the 9th of May, 1692, as she said: "Mr. Burroughs carried me up to an exceeding high Mountain and shewed me all the Kingdoms of the Earth, and told me he would give them all to me if I would writ in his Book, and if I would not, he would thro me down and break my Neck: but I tould him they were none of his to give, and would not writ if he throde me down on a hundred pichforks." —
This is only Dr. Mather's Abridgment of the Record, it will be remembered. "Sus. Sheldon testifyed that Burroughs two Wives appeared in their Winding-sheets, and said that Man killed them. He was bid to look upon Sus. Sheldon. He looked back and knockt down all (or most) of the afflicted who stood behind him." —