Pros And Consequences Of The Salem Witch Trials

“A WITCH! A WITCH!” (20) common knowledge may let people to believe that Salem was the only place where witch hunts took place, but as Godbeer explains in his book, Stamford and other towns also experienced cases of witchcraft. The author not only demonstrates that the locations may vary, but also the methods of prosecution. The ministers of Stanford tried to bring the case to justice using the proper procedures. Instead of using force or other alternative methods to make the witches confess, Goodbeer destroys the stereotypical witch hunt.

Katherine Branch’s fits are presented by Goodbeer in an objective manner. He provides evidence from both sides of the argument. Abigail Wescot stated that “she neither liked nor trusted [Kate],” (15) giving

Other similar altercations were declared by the neighbors gaining support for the Wescot case. There could be a natural explanation for both sudden deaths, but the timing of the two situations increased suspicion. The ministers had this and more evidence for the case, but unlike the Salem witch trials, they wanted to treat the case fairly and bring justice to the people with enough proof to convict the witches as such. Mister Jones had a guide called “Grounds for Examination of a Witch” (91), which listed seven items for “legitimate grounds for formal inquiry following an accusation of witchcraft.” (91) Proper investigations were processed to determine the veridity of the facts presented at court. People had different ideas on how to prove witchcraft. One of the methods was “ducking [which] involved binding suspects and then throwing them into water to see if they sank or not.” (97) This was a common method, at the time, to determine whether or not the accused was guilty of witchcraft. Both women failed to sink. Nevertheless, the method was not approved by the court of Stanford. As they reasoned, they came to the conclusion that the devil may have had invention and “the devil may represent an innocent person.” (100) The men in