June 1692

Day-By-Day chronicle of events during the Salem Witch Trials

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1
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.
2
The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 2, 1692 Bridget Bishop, who had pleaded not guilty during her earlier examination, now stood trial. She was granted the right to challenge any juror she believed might be biased. 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, nearly drowned another, and that the ghosts of her victims now haunted them. They also accused her of attending the Devil’s sacrament in Reverend Parris’s field. 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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The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 10, 1692 In the late morning hours, Sheriff George Corwin escorted Bridget Bishop from the Salem Town Jail to face execution. As this was the first capital crime tried in Salem Town, there was no official site for hangings. Town officials selected a patch of common pasture on the outskirts of town—secluded from the daily bustle but still visible to those passing by. Bridget was placed in a horse-drawn cart, flanked by officers on foot, with mounted guards following behind. As the grim procession moved through the streets, curious townspeople gathered and began to follow, forming a silent crowd behind her. Several of her accusers stood among those at the execution site. Before the noose was placed around her neck, Bridget declared her innocence one final time—then was hanged.
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The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 15, 1692 As the General Court convened to determine which existing laws would be upheld under the new charter, Governor Phips sought guidance from the Congregational ministers on the matter of witchcraft and the unseen forces of the invisible world. While they acknowledged the genuine suffering of the afflicted and recognized the authority of the magistrates tasked with handling the accusations, the ministers cautioned strongly against the use of spectral evidence. They emphasized that the appearance of an accused person’s specter, as seen by the afflicted, was not reliable proof of guilt—for the devil, they warned, could assume the shape of the innocent. The ministers also rejected the use of folk tests and urged that court proceedings be conducted calmly, with equal consideration given to both the accused and the accusers.
16
The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 16, 1692 After spending 28 days in Boston Jail, Roger Toothaker died while still in custody. A coroner’s jury was dispatched to examine his body at the jail, and they concluded that he had died of natural causes.
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The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 21, 1692 At the home of Daniel Rea, his 11-year-old daughter, Jemima, was reportedly afflicted by the specters of Rebecca Nurse, Sarah Cloyse, and their neighbor, Goody Black. Those present claimed to witness Jemima speaking aloud to the invisible tormentors. “What? You cannot do it alone, so you brought this woman to help you? Why do you bring her? She was never complained of.” Her family struggled to hold her steady as she endured six or seven violent seizures. Once she regained her senses, Jemima identified the previously unknown woman as Goody Black, and then declared that the Devil himself had revealed to her that Goody Cloyse was indeed a witch.
The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 21, 1692 Neighbors discovered Susanna Sheldon convulsing inside William Shaw’s house, her hands bound tightly. After she was freed and had recovered from the fit, she claimed that the specter of Sarah Dustin was responsible for the attack.
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The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 24, 1692 The specter of John Proctor appeared to Abigail Hobbs, presenting her with a book and urging her, “Better to afflict than be afflicted.” He promised that if she signed, she would be spared from the gallows. According to Abigail, he forced her to touch the book, then handed her a poppet and a thorn. He told her the doll represented Ann Putnam Jr. and instructed her to drive the thorn into it. The specter of John Proctor appeared to Abigail Hobbs, presenting her with a book and urging her, “Better to afflict than be afflicted.” He promised that if she signed, she would be spared from the gallows. According to Abigail, he forced her to touch the book, then handed her a poppet and a thorn. He told her the doll represented Ann Putnam Jr. and instructed her to drive the thorn into it.
25
The Salem Witch Trials On this day June 25, 1692 Governor Phips and his council received two petitions authored by Boston’s Baptist minister, Reverend William Milborne. Both petitions strongly objected to the use of spectral evidence in the prosecution of accused witches, warning that such testimony risked condemning the innocent. Milborne wrote, “A woeful chain of consequences will undoubtedly follow,” and pleaded, “We request that the validity of specter testimony may be weighed in the balance of your grace and solid judgments, it being the womb that hath brought forth inextricable damage and misery to this province, and to order by your votes that no more credence be given thereto than the word of God alloweth.” The council, offended by what they viewed as an unsolicited and inflammatory critique, described the petitions as “very high reflections upon the administration of public justice.” In response, Governor Phips issued a warrant for Reverend Milborne, accusing him of circulating a “scandalous and seditious paper.” Milborne admitted to writing both petitions and signing one of them. He was arrested, required to post bond, and ordered to appear before the Superior Court at its next session.
26
The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 26, 162 Susanna Sheldon was found choking on the floor, her head wedged behind a chest and her hands bound tightly with a wheel band that had to be cut to release her. This time, she claimed it was the specter of Sarah Good that had attacked her.
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The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 28, 1692 Sarah Good was brought into the courtroom for her trial at nine o’clock. The chamber was crowded with spectators and afflicted girls. The same complaints made against her during her earlier examination were repeated. During the trial, one of the afflicted girls, upon recovering from a fit, claimed that Good had stabbed her in the breast with a knife, breaking the blade in the process. A sliver of metal was then found in her clothing. A young man in the audience stood and testified that he had broken a knife the day before in the presence of the same girl and had discarded the broken piece. He handed the intact portion of the knife to the court, and when compared to the sliver, it was a clear match. Despite this, the magistrates dismissed the young man with only a warning to "speak truthfully" and allowed the afflicted girl to continue her testimony. After all the afflicted had given their accounts, the jury retired to deliberate. When they returned, they delivered their verdict: Sarah Good was found guilty on three counts of afflicting Sarah Bibber, Elizabeth Hubbard, and Ann Putnam Jr.
29
The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 29, 1692
The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 29, 1692
The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 29, 1692
30
The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 30, 1682
The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 30, 1692
1st
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.
2nd
The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 2, 1692 Bridget Bishop, who had pleaded not guilty during her earlier examination, now stood trial. She was granted the right to challenge any juror she believed might be biased. 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, nearly drowned another, and that the ghosts of her victims now haunted them. They also accused her of attending the Devil’s sacrament in Reverend Parris’s field. 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.
8th
10th
The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 10, 1692 In the late morning hours, Sheriff George Corwin escorted Bridget Bishop from the Salem Town Jail to face execution. As this was the first capital crime tried in Salem Town, there was no official site for hangings. Town officials selected a patch of common pasture on the outskirts of town—secluded from the daily bustle but still visible to those passing by. Bridget was placed in a horse-drawn cart, flanked by officers on foot, with mounted guards following behind. As the grim procession moved through the streets, curious townspeople gathered and began to follow, forming a silent crowd behind her. Several of her accusers stood among those at the execution site. Before the noose was placed around her neck, Bridget declared her innocence one final time—then was hanged.
15th
The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 15, 1692 As the General Court convened to determine which existing laws would be upheld under the new charter, Governor Phips sought guidance from the Congregational ministers on the matter of witchcraft and the unseen forces of the invisible world. While they acknowledged the genuine suffering of the afflicted and recognized the authority of the magistrates tasked with handling the accusations, the ministers cautioned strongly against the use of spectral evidence. They emphasized that the appearance of an accused person’s specter, as seen by the afflicted, was not reliable proof of guilt—for the devil, they warned, could assume the shape of the innocent. The ministers also rejected the use of folk tests and urged that court proceedings be conducted calmly, with equal consideration given to both the accused and the accusers.
16th
The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 16, 1692 After spending 28 days in Boston Jail, Roger Toothaker died while still in custody. A coroner’s jury was dispatched to examine his body at the jail, and they concluded that he had died of natural causes.
18th
21st
The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 21, 1692 At the home of Daniel Rea, his 11-year-old daughter, Jemima, was reportedly afflicted by the specters of Rebecca Nurse, Sarah Cloyse, and their neighbor, Goody Black. Those present claimed to witness Jemima speaking aloud to the invisible tormentors. “What? You cannot do it alone, so you brought this woman to help you? Why do you bring her? She was never complained of.” Her family struggled to hold her steady as she endured six or seven violent seizures. Once she regained her senses, Jemima identified the previously unknown woman as Goody Black, and then declared that the Devil himself had revealed to her that Goody Cloyse was indeed a witch.
The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 21, 1692 Neighbors discovered Susanna Sheldon convulsing inside William Shaw’s house, her hands bound tightly. After she was freed and had recovered from the fit, she claimed that the specter of Sarah Dustin was responsible for the attack.
24th
The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 24, 1692 The specter of John Proctor appeared to Abigail Hobbs, presenting her with a book and urging her, “Better to afflict than be afflicted.” He promised that if she signed, she would be spared from the gallows. According to Abigail, he forced her to touch the book, then handed her a poppet and a thorn. He told her the doll represented Ann Putnam Jr. and instructed her to drive the thorn into it. The specter of John Proctor appeared to Abigail Hobbs, presenting her with a book and urging her, “Better to afflict than be afflicted.” He promised that if she signed, she would be spared from the gallows. According to Abigail, he forced her to touch the book, then handed her a poppet and a thorn. He told her the doll represented Ann Putnam Jr. and instructed her to drive the thorn into it.
25th
The Salem Witch Trials On this day June 25, 1692 Governor Phips and his council received two petitions authored by Boston’s Baptist minister, Reverend William Milborne. Both petitions strongly objected to the use of spectral evidence in the prosecution of accused witches, warning that such testimony risked condemning the innocent. Milborne wrote, “A woeful chain of consequences will undoubtedly follow,” and pleaded, “We request that the validity of specter testimony may be weighed in the balance of your grace and solid judgments, it being the womb that hath brought forth inextricable damage and misery to this province, and to order by your votes that no more credence be given thereto than the word of God alloweth.” The council, offended by what they viewed as an unsolicited and inflammatory critique, described the petitions as “very high reflections upon the administration of public justice.” In response, Governor Phips issued a warrant for Reverend Milborne, accusing him of circulating a “scandalous and seditious paper.” Milborne admitted to writing both petitions and signing one of them. He was arrested, required to post bond, and ordered to appear before the Superior Court at its next session.
26th
The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 26, 162 Susanna Sheldon was found choking on the floor, her head wedged behind a chest and her hands bound tightly with a wheel band that had to be cut to release her. This time, she claimed it was the specter of Sarah Good that had attacked her.
28th
The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 28, 1692 Sarah Good was brought into the courtroom for her trial at nine o’clock. The chamber was crowded with spectators and afflicted girls. The same complaints made against her during her earlier examination were repeated. During the trial, one of the afflicted girls, upon recovering from a fit, claimed that Good had stabbed her in the breast with a knife, breaking the blade in the process. A sliver of metal was then found in her clothing. A young man in the audience stood and testified that he had broken a knife the day before in the presence of the same girl and had discarded the broken piece. He handed the intact portion of the knife to the court, and when compared to the sliver, it was a clear match. Despite this, the magistrates dismissed the young man with only a warning to "speak truthfully" and allowed the afflicted girl to continue her testimony. After all the afflicted had given their accounts, the jury retired to deliberate. When they returned, they delivered their verdict: Sarah Good was found guilty on three counts of afflicting Sarah Bibber, Elizabeth Hubbard, and Ann Putnam Jr.
29th
The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 29, 1692
The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 29, 1692
The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 29, 1692
30th
The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 30, 1682
The Salem Witch Trials On this day, June 30, 1692
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