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Bridget Bishop, Elizabeth Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, and others are convicted of witchcraft in Salem and hung on Gallows Hill.
New Charter Allows Witch TrialsBy May of 1692, the jails were overflowing with men, women, and at least one child, who had been accused, examined, and sent to jail for witchcraft. The situation was that Massachusetts had no legal right to try these persons in a court of law. The colonial charter that the original Pilgrims had brought with them had been revoked in 1684. By 1692, it had yet to be restored. However, that was soon to be rectified. On May 14, Increase Mather, father of Cotton Mather, arrived from London. With him was the new charter, as well as a new Massachusetts governor, Sir William Phipps. Now the Witch Trials could begin, and little time was wasted in doing so. Bridget Bishop HangedOn June 2, Bridget Bishop, with William Stoughton the deputy governor, serving as chief judge, was tired. Bishop was convicted of witchcraft. She was sentenced to death. Seven days later, on June 10, Bridget Bishop was hanged on Gallows Hill. But like a plague, the accusations of witchcraft continued to spread. Soon they jumped the boundaries of Salem Village and Salem Town. Like a fire out of control the accusations now spread to the towns of Andover, Ipswich, Gloucester, and other outlying areas. Convictions and Hangings ContinueOn June 29, Sarah Good, Rebecca Nurse, Susannah Martin, Elizabeth Howe, and Sarah Wildes were tried for witchcraft. Rebecca Nurse faired better than her sister-accused, though only briefly. At first she was acquitted but the judges, not liking the verdict, asked the jury to once again consider the case. The jury found her guilty on their second consideration. But again the fates seemed to be with Nurse when the governor reprieved her. Then, again, the tide turned against her when he withdrew his reprieve. All five of these persons who were tried for witchcraft were found guilty and sentenced to death. On July 19, they were all taken to Gallows Hill and hanged. The Witch Trials continued into late summer when, on August 5, George Burroughs, John and Elizabeth Proctor, John Willard, George Jacobs, and Martha Carrier stood trial for witchcraft. On August 19, all but Elizabeth Proctor were hanged. Elizabeth was spared because she was pregnant. And still the accusation, examinations, trials, convictions, and hangings continued. The Salem Inquisition Begins: continues with: The Conviction of Giles Cory: Torture to the Extreme in Salem. Previous: Martha Cory Jailed for Witchcraft: Some Thirty-Nine Accused. Recommended Reading:The Devil Walked Among Them: Puritans, Witches, and Demons in Salem.
The copyright of the article Death on Gallows Hill in American History is owned by Mary Trotter Kion. Permission to republish Death on Gallows Hill in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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