Following a private interrogation by the four magistrates, George Burroughs was escorted into a room filled with the so-called afflicted witnesses. Upon his entrance, these individuals exhibited signs of distress and torment. Susannah Sheldon claimed she had been visited by the spirit of Burroughs’s deceased wife, accusing him of their murders. When commanded by the court to face Susannah, she dramatically collapsed as though physically struck by Burroughs. The atmosphere intensified as Mercy Lewis’s testimony was introduced, with her experiencing a severe and prolonged episode of distress at Burroughs’s glance. The reading of statements from Mary Walcott, Elizabeth Hubbard, and Ann Putnam Jr. prompted similar physical reactions from each, underscoring the tense and charged nature of the proceedings. Judge Hathorne’s inquiry into Burroughs’s thoughts on these events elicited a response of bewilderment and reflection on the peculiar nature of the accusations, particularly noting the accusers’ struggle to articulate his name directly.

As further accusations were aired, the apparent suffering of the afflicted prompted their removal from the courtroom. Testimonies expanded to include allegations of Burroughs’s use of poppets for witchcraft, his recruitment methods, and leadership of a diabolical gathering in Reverend Parris’s field. Additional claims by Captain Simon Willard and others about Burroughs’s supernatural strength and abilities, such as single-handedly aiming a heavy gun or lifting a full barrel, were presented despite the lack of direct witnesses. Burroughs rebutted these tales, particularly clarifying how he might have handled the gun, emphasizing a logical explanation over the alleged supernatural feat.