The Witches of Salem

These last few days before Halloween seem to be an appropriate time to reflect upon the horrors in our history associated with the subject of witches – along with a "haunting" twist for you. The most infamous witchcraft scare in the United States occurred in Salem, Massachusetts. In 1692, 134 people were accused of witchcraft. Twenty-four of them died as accused witches; nineteen of them were hanged, one man was pressed to death, and four others died in jail awaiting trial. Despite popular folklore, none of the Salem witches was ever burned at the stake.

Actually, the witch-hunt started in Salem Village, not in Salem Town. Boundary lines were redrawn in later years, and what was once known as Salem Village has since become part of the town of Danvers. Only 10 the 134 who were accused and were held in Salem's Jail were from Salem Town. The complete count was:

Andover..........38
Boxford.............2
Boston...............1
Amesbury..........1
Billerica..............6
Beverly...............6
Charlestown.......3
Chelmsford.........1
Gloucester..........3
Haverhill.............3
Great Island........1
Marblehead........2
Lynn...................7
Malden................1
Reading...............4
Rowley................1
Romney Marsh (today called Revere)..1
Salisbury.............1
Salem.................10
Salem Village (today part of Danvers and Peabody)..30
Topsfield & Ipswich...7
Wells, Maine..........1
Woburn................3

This notoriety has created a business opportunity for present-day merchants of Salem, Massachusetts. Each year the town seems to become a tourist Mecca, peddling tourist schlock associated with Halloween. In fact, the town is proclaimed as the "Witch City," a slogan that appears even on the town’s police cars. The town also seems to attract many people who believe in the occult; the city of 38,000 people claims to be host to 2,000 practicing witches.

We sometimes paint mental images of distant ancestors as kind and gentle people. Unfortunately, history teaches us that the citizens of the 1600s were often cruel to their own neighbors. Hanging seems like a horrible way to die, but Giles Cory suffered an even worse fate. During his trial, Cory refused to stand or to even acknowledge the proceedings in the courtroom. He was found guilty, and the penalty for refusing to stand for trial was pressing under heavy stones.

On September 19, 1692, the elderly Corey was stripped naked, a board placed upon his chest (some accounts claim that it was the front door from his house), and then, while his neighbors watched, six men lifted heavy stones, placing them one by one on his stomach and chest. Giles Corey did not cry out, which perplexed Sheriff Corwin, whose duty it was to squeeze a confession from the old man.

"Do you confess?" the Sheriff cried over and over. More and more rocks were piled onto him, and from time to time, the Sheriff would stand on the boulders staring down at Corey's bulging eyes. Robert Calef, who was a witness along with other townsfolk, later said, "In the pressing, Giles Corey's tongue was pressed out of his mouth; the Sheriff, with his cane, forced it in again."

Three mouthfuls of bread and water were fed to the old man during his two and a half days of pain. Finally, Giles Corey cried out at Sheriff Corwin, "Damn you. I curse you and Salem!" Giles Corey died a few seconds later. Giles' wife, Martha, was hanged at Gallows Hill three days later.

Robert E. Cahill, former Essex County Sheriff and Keeper of the Salem Jail, wrote a book in the 1970s about the Salem Witch Trials. Sheriff Cahill points out that Giles’ curse may have had an effect on Sheriff Corwin and all of his successors. In his book, Cahill claims that all the High Sheriffs of Essex County from Corwin in the 1690s through modern times either died in office from heart problems or retired with an ailment of the blood. Cahill did not offer citations to prove his claims, however. After writing those words in his book, Sheriff Cahill himself was forced into retirement in 1978 following a heart attack and stroke. He was also diagnosed as suffering from a rare blood disease.

Most of the witches accused at Salem had children. Hundreds of thousands of people today can claim descent from the witches of Salem. For instance, it is estimated that Rebecca Nourse, just one of the victims put to death unjustly, has more than 30,000 living descendants. Alison D'Amario, Director of Education at the Salem Witch Museum said, "There are many descendants of those accused during the Salem witch trials still living in the Salem area and actually around the country." As to what their descendants think of their ancestors, D'Amario observed, "We get many requests from them concerning information about their ancestors."

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