The Salem Bewitchings Begin

Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams Under a Spell

Oct 28, 2006 Mary Trotter Kion

Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams begin having violent fits. A doctor declares that they have been bewitched.

Guilt and Hysteria

Throughout the time that a small group of Salem Village girls were meeting in the Parris home and telling fortunes, little Elizabeth Parris perhaps felt guilty over this seemingly simple form of entertainment that she knew her minister father would highly disapprove of.

When the palm reading method of telling fortunes advanced to the dropping of egg whites into a glass of water, for the same purpose, her guilt may have deepened. Surely her guilt reached a near hysterical level when the white of one egg, dropped into the water, took the shape of a coffin.

Ann Putnam Makes a Threat

Ann Putnam, a strong-willed member of this group of girls, made it plain to Elizabeth Parris, and the other girls involved, that she had no desire to find herself in trouble by Elizabeth tattling to her father. Ann also threatened that Elizabeth would be in terrible trouble herself if she told. Ann, always being the one to boss the other girls around and get her way, left no doubt of her seriousness in the other girls' minds.

No matter how guilty they may have felt they dared not confess the truth of what they had done or were doing. And so the guilt that Elizabeth Parris felt was held in, waiting, like a time bomb ready to explode. And explode it did, with her cousin Abigail Williams following right along.

Violent Fits and Babbling

At first the two girls began acting strangely by "crawling into holes, making odd gestures, and babbling." These antics soon advanced into seeing visions. Soon, their "fits" became violent. Their arms, necks and backs began to twist. The twisting was so extreme that it took on positions that were not normal. The girls appeared to be unable to speak due to choking, then would complain that invisible pins were being stuck into their flesh.

When their condition worsened doctors were called in. One doctor made the declaration that "the girls were 'under an evil hand."

Sources:

Hill, Frances. A Delusion of Satan: The Full Story of the Salem Witch Trials. De Capo Press, 1995.

The copyright of the article The Salem Bewitchings Begin in American History is owned by Mary Trotter Kion. Permission to republish The Salem Bewitchings Begin in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.