1692 Before and After

06/02/2026

06/02/2026

The Salem Witch Trials
On This Day, June 2, 1692

Ann Putnam Sr. awoke to a terrifying vision, the ghosts of Samuel Fuller and Lydia Wilkins stood before her, warning that they would harm her if she did not tell Magistrate Hathorne that it was John Willard who had murdered them. They threatened that if Hathorne refused to believe her, they would appear before him in court. Soon after, the specter of Willard himself appeared, boasting about the many victims he and William Hobbs had killed. According to the apparition, most of the victims were local children, including her infant.

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06/02/2026

The Salem Witch Trials
On This Day, June 2, 1692

The Court of Oyer and Terminer convened with Chief Justice William Stoughton presiding, joined by Justices Samuel Sewall, John Hathorne, and six others. The first to stand trial was Bridget Bishop. As she was escorted through town to the courthouse, she passed the meeting house and happened to glance toward it. At that very moment, a loud crash echoed from inside.

Later, it was discovered that a wooden board had mysteriously fallen and landed far from where it should have dropped.

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06/02/2026

The Salem Witch Trails
On This Day, June 2, 1692

Bridget Bishop, who had pleaded not guilty during her earlier examination, now stood trial. One by one, the afflicted gave emotional and dramatic testimony against her. They claimed she had urged them to sign the Devil’s book, that she had snatched one girl from her spinning wheel and nearly drowned her, and that the ghosts of her victims now haunted them. They also accused her of attending the Devil’s sacrament in Reverend Parris’s fpost.

Though no concrete evidence of witchcraft could be proven, the justices relied heavily on the testimony of the afflicted, believing them to be uniquely capable of seeing into the invisible world, especially as many were actively experiencing fits in the courtroom. When the jury retired to deliberate, Chief Justice Stoughton advised them not to be swayed by the apparent good health of the afflicted. The jury returned with a verdict: Bridget Bishop was found guilty.

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06/01/2026

The Salem Witch Trials
On This Day, June 1, 1692

The magistrates visited Mary English in jail, where she revealed that a month earlier, Mary Warren had repeatedly admitted that she and the other afflicted were so "distempered and distracted" during their fits that they didn't know what they were saying. The magistrates also spoke with Susanna Churchill, who confessed to both them and Attorney General Thomas Newton that she had signed Ann Pudeator's book. Churchill explained that before signing, she had been afflicted and unable to work, which angered George Jacobs. When Pudeator brought her the book, Jacobs beat her until she signed it. Pudeator then forced her to stick pins into a poppet.


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05/31/2026

The Salem Witch Trials
On This Day, May 31, 1692

William Proctor was the last to be examined, accused of tormenting Elizabeth Hubbard and Mary Warren. He firmly insisted on his innocence, but the court ordered that he be bound neck and heel and kept that way for 24 hours. However, when he began bleeding from the nose, someone removed his restraints.

Everyone who was examined on this day were sent to jail and held for trial.


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05/31/2026

The Salem Witch Trials
On This Day, May 31, 1692

As Martha Carrier was led out, Wilmot Read was brought into the room, prompting the afflicted to fall into fits once again. Several claimed that read had offered them the Devil's book and frequently tormented them. Ann Putnam Jr. testified that she had seen Read Afflict others, though she herself had never been harmed by her. When the magistrates questioned Read about the Cause of the girls' suffering and whether she believed they were bewitched, she simply replied, "I cannot tell," and added, "
My opinion is they are in a sad condition."


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05/31/2026

The Salem Witch Trials
On This Day, May 31, 1692

As Marth Carrier was led into the room, the afflicted immediately convulsed and cried out, identifying her as their tormentor. Susanna Sheldon shouted. "She bites me, pinches me, and tells me she would cut my throat if I did not sign her book!" The magistrates instructed Carrier to look directly at the afflicted to see if they would fall down. She scoffed at the notion, replying, "They will dissemble if I look upon them." Even as several collapsed the moment she turned her gaze. Sheldon went on to accuse her of murdering twelve people in Andover, and suddenly all the afflicted screamed, claiming to see thirteen ghosts. Carrier responded defiantly. "It is a shameful thing that you should mind these folks that are out of their wits."


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