Case Facts
On the evening of November 27, 1692 many townsfolk reported to have
witnessed Sabitha Salazar committing multiple acts of witchcraft during,
before, and after the Thanksgiving Day Festival held in the town square.
Three separate witnesses have come forward to report Salazar's acts of
witchcraft throughout the day.
Salazar has given the court a statement as to her whereabouts during the day
of the 27th.
Witness statements have been collected from all involved parties. These
statements are certified and are the only sources from which
information can be used as evidence in the trial. Statements include the
witness's relation to Salazar as well as what event was witnessed.
Defendant Statement:
Sabitha Salazar
I am a seamstress who recently moved here from the town of Weymouth
Massachusetts. I have had trouble meeting very many people outside of work,
and I feel as though I am a bit of an outcast in society.
Myrtle is a friend who I met through my work as a seamstress. She had invited
myself and a few others for breakfast Thursday morning. We had a great time
discussing the construction of the new church building. We had so much extra
food at the end of breakfast that our pockets were literally overflowing with
leftovers. We then made our way to the town square.
I do not especially like being close to strangers for fear of sickness so I spent
most of the evening on the outskirts of the town square, keeping my distance
from the others. I remember that I couldn’t bear to watch the mayor pick the
first turkey to be slaughtered, so I had to walk away. While I was wandering
around I noticed that someone had left out milk and eggs for the pie making. I
could feel the heat radiating off of them, which obviously meant they were
spoiled. So I went to go tell someone.
After the festival I returned home, where I had some housework to get done
before going to bed. I had a large pile of dead branches and leaves that needed
to be burned in the fire pit out back. After I had lit the fire, the wind picked up
like crazy, the flame was so intense that at one point, a piece of bark exploded
and covered my feet in hot embers.
Witness Statement
Myrtle Adams
I work at the fabric store as a seamstress and Sabitha is one of my co-workers
This Thursday, I invited her and some other co-workers to my house for
breakfast. We had such a delightful time at breakfast that we continued
visiting with each other, walking and talking about our favorite verses from
the Bible. I remember my favorite topic of discussion was about who is the
author of the first few books of the Bible. Sabitha informed me that no one
knows and they will probably never figure it out.
After that we all went to the Town's Thanksgiving day celebration together. I
could hear whispers of some others and I could have swore I heard them bring
up Sabitha’s name.
Witness Statement:
Albert Eaton
I am the brother of Minister Eaton, the head of our community's local Puritan
Church.
This morning while I was out working in my garden, I saw Sabitha Salazar
marching around the town, commanding some of her fellow witches. The
group even had a black cat following them. I was able to overhear Sabitha
saying something to the other witches along the lines of, “They’ll never figure
out.” She was probably bragging about some sort of mischief she was
responsible for. Did you know that Salazar isn’t even wed to anyone? I heard
from someone at the marketplace that being unmarried is an indicator that
someone is a witch.
Witness Statement:
Sampson Humphry
I run a local fabric store as well as a tailor service.
I was one of the volunteers who helped prepare the Thanksgiving feast that
the town had put on. While the mayor was picking out the turkey that the
town was going to spare, I saw Sabitha Salazar sneak around the outside of the
picnic area up to where the appetizers were stored, and whisper some sort of
spell, while her hands were held open and extended. I didn’t think anything of
it at first, but after I spoke to Boris Moore the next day, who told me what he
had seen earlier, I realized what had really happened! Salazar being a witch
would explain why I did not see her at church last Sunday!
Witness Statement:
Boris Moore
I live across the street from Salazar. I stayed at the festival much later than
everyone else because I was on the crew who was in charge of cleaning up the
town square after the festival. When I passed Salazar's house on my way home
something caught my attention. Through the paneled fence, I could see
someone dancing around a fire in Salazar’s backyard. It was a terrifying sight,
watching the roaring wind fuel the fire to a massive blaze as that witch
screamed and danced. I have long suspected that Salazar is a witch. My crops
had been the best in town for over a decade, but the season that Salazar
comes, my crops are stuck by disease? The only explanation is that she is a
witch.
Prosecution Roles (6)
Attorney 1
Attorney 2
Attorney 3
Albert Eaton
Sampson Humphry
Borris Moore
Defense Roles (5)
Attorney 1
Attorney 2
Attorney 3
Sabitha Salazar
Myrtle Adams
Jury Members (8)
Bailiff
Timekeeper
Clerk
Rubric
Name:
Work Quality
Role
Insufficient
__Completes little to
no work sufficiently
in a timely manner
Average
___Completes most
work sufficiently and
in a timely manner
Above and Beyond
___Completes all
work sufficiently and
in a timely manner
___Students spends
little time being
productive, needs
constant prompting
___Student spends
most time being
productive without
prompting
___Students is
productive without
prompting from
teacher
___Complete little
original work
___Some ideas are
borrowed from
teacher or
classmates
___Arguments are
mostly relevant to
the case
___Work is original
and thoughtful
___Student partially
embodied character
___Students strongly
embody their
character in speech,
dress, and
perspective.
___Arguments
made were
insignificant and
irrelevant to the
facts of the case
_____Role was
historically
inaccurate
___Role was
partially accurate
_____Student
broke character
Group
Contribution
___Arguments made
are thoughtful and
fact based
___Role is very
accurate to given
characters
____Spends most
time not working
____Spends most in
class time working
___ Uses in class time
very effectively
____Prevents a
productive work
environment
____Is neutral in
class disruption
___Helps others
perform better
____Helps group
move forward
___Takes leadership
role
____Make little to
no contributions to
group