The Witchcraft Delusion in New England: Its Rise, Progress, and Termination (Vol. 3 of 3)Mather, Cotton
History
The Witchcraft Delusion in New England: Its Rise, Progress, and Termination (Vol. 3 of 3)
Mather, Cotton
Witchcraft -- New England
This Examination, more, perhaps, than any of the rest, exhibits the
atrocious Method employed by the Examinant of causing the poor,
ignorant Accused to own and acknowledge Things put into their Mouths
by a manner of questioning as much to be condemned as Perjury itself;
inasmuch as it was sure to produce that Crime. In this Case the
Examined was taken from Jail and placed upon the Stand, and was soon
so confused that she could scarcely know what to say; while it is
evident that all of her Answers were at first true, because direct,
straightforward, and reasonable. The Strangeness of the Questions
and the long Persistence of the Questioners could lead to no other
result but the confounding of what little Understanding the Accused was
at best possessed of. Hence this Record of incoherent Nonsense here
submitted; and of the same tenor was nearly all the Evidence used,
which took away the Lives of numbers of innocent People.
The Examination was before Messrs. Hathorne and Corwin. The Former
took down the result, which is all in his peculiar Chirography. The
first Proceeding printed in Mr. Woodward's Collection, having relation
to the Witchcraft affair, is a Warrant for the Apprehension of Sarah
Good, and is dated Feb. 29th, 169½.[188] On the next Day, March 1st,
the Constable, George Locker, made Return, that he had brought the said
"Saragh Good," &c. Whether she were present at Tituba's Examination,
does not appear; while the Documents show that the Apprehension of
Sarah Good, and the Examination of Tituba were on the same Day.
Tittube the Indian Woman Examined, March. 1. 169½.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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