_We whose Names are under written, Inhabitants of_ Andover, _when as that horrible and tremendous Judgment beginning at_ Salem-_Village, in the Year_ 1692, _(by some) call'd Witchcraft, first breaking forth at Mr._ Parris's _House, several Young persons being seemingly afflicted, did accuse several persons for afflicting them, and many there believing it so to be; we being informed that if a person were sick, that the afflicted persons could tell, what or who was the cause of that sickness._ Joseph Ballard _of_ Andover _(his Wife being sick at the same time) he either from himself, or by the advice of others, fetch'd two of the persons call'd the afflicted persons, from_ Salem-_Village to_ Andover: _Which was the beginning of that dreadful Calamity that befel us in_ Andover. _And the Authority in_ Andover, _believing the said Accusations to be true, sent for the said persons to come together to the Meeting-house in_ Andover _(the afflicted persons being there.) After Mr._ Bernard[54] _had been at Prayer, we were blindfolded, and our hands were laid upon the afflicted persons, they being in their Fits, and falling into their Fits at our coming into their presence (as they said) and some led us and laid our hands upon them, and then they said they were well, and that we were guilty of afflicting of them; whereupon we were all seized as Prisoners, by a Warrant from the Justice of the Peace, and forthwith carried to_ Salem. _And by reason of that suddain surprizal, we knowing ourselves altogether Innocent of that Crime, we were all exceedingly astonished and amazed, and consternated and affrighted even out of our Reason; and our nearest and dearest Relations, seeing us in that dreadful condition, and knowing our great danger, apprehending that there was no other way to save our lives, as the case was then circumstantiated but by our confessing ourselves to be such and such persons, as the afflicted represented us to be, they out of tender love and pitty perswaded us to confess what we did confess. And indeed that Confession, that it is said we made, was no other than what was suggested to us by some Gentlemen; they telling us, that we were Witches, and they knew it, and we knew it, and they knew that we knew it, which made us think that it was so; and our understanding, our reason, and our faculties almost gone; we were not capable of judging our condition; as also the hard measures they used with us, rendred us uncapable of making our Defence; but said any thing and every thing which they desired, and most of what we said, was but in effect a consenting to what they said. Sometime after when we were better composed, they telling of us what we had confessed, we did profess that we were Innocent, and Ignorant of such things. And we hearing that_ Samuel Wardwell _had renounced his Confession, and quickly after Condemned and Executed, some of us were told that we were going after_ Wardwell.