In Salem Village, terror was unleashed as specters of suspected witches were seen numerous times. Often these specters were in the form of Sarah Goodwho languished in prison except for the four days that the questioning of Good, Sarah Osborne and Tituba continued.
Elizabeth Proctor Accused of Witchcraft
On March 3, Ann Putnam, Jr. saw the apparition of Elizabeth Proctor who was with the other three witches. Elizabeth Proctor was the wife of John Proctor. Proctor was a successful farmer and tavern keeper who lived on the outskirts of Salem Town, not in or about Salem Village. The naming of witches was now spreading beyond Salem Village. On March 6, Ann saw the real Elizabeth Proctor in the meetinghouse and, after claiming that she had not known her by sight until that very day, declared that she was her latest tormentor. Ann claimed that Proctor "bit, pinched, and almost choked her."
On March 5, the questioning of Good,Osborne, and Tituba ended. They were sent to Boston jail where Good and Osborne were placed in chains. Tituba, because she had admitted to witchcraft, was held without the manacles. It was hoped that now that the accused witches were locked away that the girls' fits would stop. They did not, except for those performed by little Elizabeth Parris.
Elizabeth Parris Ceases Fits
The Parris girl was sent away to stay with the Stephen Sewall family in Salem Town. Away from the other afflicted girls, Elizabeth Parris' fits slowly subsided, then stopped after she had confessed to John Hale about the fortune telling that had started them.
The other girls, had they too been separated one from another might have also ceased having fits. But that did not happen. They continued to meet at one or the other's home, in the meetinghouse or at Ingersoll's tavern. Their fits continued and grew worse and more women of the community were named as witches.
Martha Cory Accused of Witchcraft
Again, Ann Putnam, Jr. found cause to "call out" against another matron. Like Elizabeth Proctor, Martha Cory was the wife of a prosperous farmer and landowner, Giles Cory. Sixty-five-year-old Martha and her husband were staunch members of the Salem Village church.
The Salem Inquisition Begins: continues with: Martha Cory Jailed for Witchcraft: Some Thirty-Nine Accused.
Previous: Hysteria and Terror in Salem: Flying Women and Spectrals Abound.
