November 11, 1692
8
Thirty Seconds
I must say that I cannot
believe that I, a member of the
church and a farmer in the
community, have been accused of
witchcraft by Ann Putnam. I
think it is preposterous and I
refuse to condemn myself for a
crime of which I have taken no
part. I will choose execution
under the stones, but I feel no
need to say that I am guilty for
something of which I have not
done.1
Giles Corey
Salem Village
I am not a witch. I may
have said previously that I was,
but I am not and I know it. I have
no association with witchcraft or
the devil. I know I may seem
strange, but the extraordinary
things that I do simply come from
the fact that I am of a different
culture than you all. I have not
bewitched any of you, and I do
not deserve to be accused of such
things.2
Tituba
Salem Village
They are all witches, every
last one of them! Can you not see
the unspeakable acts and fits that
they send me into? I do not do
this on my own, I have been
bewitched by forces beyond my
control. We need to get rid of all
the witches in the Salem area can continue ridding Salem of
before we are all transformed into your horrid kind!5
the devil’s people!3
Samuel Parris
Ann Putnam Jr.
Salem Village
Salem Village
As a county judge and a
The trials have now religious man, I take the
reached a point where the witchcraft accusations very
number of accusations being seriously. Witchcraft is the devil’s
received by the courts is way of possessing people and
becoming ridiculous! There have using them to do harm unto other
been hundreds of people accused people, and this must be put to an
of this “witchcraft”, even my own end! If you have any information
wife, Mary, has been accused! about any possible witches, or
And what do we have to prove you, yourself, are a witch, you
any of this? A few girls waling must not hesitate to let us know!6
and throwing fits in the
John Hathorne
courtrooms? We need to stop
Salem Town
hanging possibly innocent people
and find more concrete, material
I don’t know how it could
evidence before we convict happen that I have been
people in the courts!4
convicted of witchcraft. Even the
Governor William Phips people in my community have
Boston told me that I am one of the most
unlikely people in this area to be
As a Reverend in the local a witch! I am a very religious
church, I find the witchcraft that woman, and it pains my heart to
has been set forth upon the Salem know that, because of false
area to be outrageous and these accusations from local children, I
acts must be stopped. We must have been excommunicated from
not allow ourselves to become the the church, a punishment that
Devil’s advocates. I know that my hurts more than anything else
own servant, Tituba, has had at ever could. God, please put an
least some responsibility for the end
to
these
senseless
recent commotion in Salem, and accusations.7
for this I apologize and have
Rebecca Nurse
begun to take action, but please,
Salem Town
if you are a witch, confess so we
November 11, 1692
1 "Giles Corey." UMKC School of Law. Web. 02 Mar. 2012.
<http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SAL_BCOR.HTM>.
2 "Tituba." UMKC School of Law. Web. 08 Apr. 2012.
<http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/ASA_TIT.HTM>.
3 "Ann Putnam, Jr." UMKC School of Law. Web. 25 Mar. 2012.
<http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/ASA_PUT.HTM>.
4 "Sir William Phips." UMKC School of Law. Web. 25 Mar. 2012.
<http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SAL_BPHI.HTM>.
5 "Samuel Parris." UMKC School of Law. Web. 25 Mar. 2012.
<http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/ASA_PAR.HTM>.
6 "John Hathorne." UMKC School of Law. Web. 25 Mar. 2012.
<http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SAL_BHAT.HTM>.
7 "Rebecca Nurse." UMKC School of Law. Web. 04 Mar. 2012.
<http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SAL_BNUR.HTM>.
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