Salem Witch Trials Daily

May 28, 1692: Eleven New Accusations and a Wave of Arrest WarrantsEleven new witchcraft accusations land at once, and with trials looming, the danger is immediate—three of today’s newly named suspects, Martha Carrier, Wilmot Redd, and Elizabeth How, will ultimately be hanged. We track the sweeping complaint filed by Jonathan Walcott and John Holten, aimed at a wide-ranging set of people from Andover to Boston, and tied to alleged attacks on Salem Village’s afflicted, while highlighting how even basic details like first names were missing in Judge John Hathorne’s record. Our deep dive connects families and rivalries—Carrier’s ties to the Toothakers, the Ingalls network, and minister Francis Dane’s far-reaching kin—alongside high-profile targets like Captain John Alden. Arrest warrants fly, constables move in across multiple towns, and the panic’s widening footprint reaches even Stamford, Connecticut.00:00 11 New Accusations00:39 Complaints Filed Today01:57 May 26 Spectral Attacks02:29 Martha Carrier Background04:17 Ingalls and Dane Connections05:09 Other Accused Profiles06:20 Warrants and Arrests07:31 More Warrants and Outcomes07:55 Connecticut Case and Records

May 27, 1692: Oyer and Terminer Rises as Jails OverflowWe’re at a turning point on Friday, May 27, 1692, as the new charter transforms Massachusetts into a royal province, wipes out the old legal system, and forces new courts and laws aligned with England—just as overcrowded jails strain under at least 51 witchcraft prisoners and rising “jail fever.” Governor Phips moves fast, creating the special Court of Oyer and Terminer under Chief Justice William Stoughton and a roster of elite, largely non-Salem judges—wealthy merchants, landowners, and doctors—some with prior witch-trial experience. We track the key appointments that will shape Essex County, including young, well-connected George Corwin becoming sheriff, and we follow the wider panic as Connecticut’s Katherine Branch accusations spark examinations and trials of Elizabeth Clawson and Mercy Disborough.00:00 New Phase Begins00:26 Charter Changes Courts01:05 Overcrowded Jails Crisis02:03 Oyer and Terminer Formed02:16 Meet the Justices04:01 Earlier Witch Trial Experience05:17 Court Scope and Reforms06:24 Essex Sheriff Shift06:46 Connecticut Case Update

Today was a fast day across the Massachusetts colony. Essex County Marshall George Herrick and Constable Joseph Neal saw several people be afflicted by supposed specters. Mary Walcott, Ann Putnam Jr., Mercy Lewis, and a Mrs. Mary Marshall of Reading, who was reported as afflicted for the very first time, claimed that Mary Bradbury of Salisbury, Sarah Rice of Reading, Wilmot Redd of Marblehead, and Elizabeth Fosdick of Malden had harmed them through witchcraft. Mrs. Mary Marshall, the wife of Edward Marshall of Reading, likely knew Sarah Rice, who was from the same town. But the Salem Village afflicted, on the other hand, expanded their net to include people they'd never met in communities distant from their home. And today, May 26th is significant, because in 1647, the very first person in the American colonies was hanged for witchcraft. That was Alice Young of Windsor, Connecticut. She was executed in Hartford, May 26th, 1647. It's up to all of us to remember Alice Young. As you may know, Connecticut does not have a witch memorial for the state. So any tribute that you're able to offer her in her name, remembering the day that she died, helps honor her innocence.

Chest Pain on the Road Past Procter’s HouseWe track Salem on May 25, 1692, as magistrates John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin push paperwork forward with a mittimus transferring prisoners to Boston Jail—despite those prisoners already being there. Then our attention turns to a tense ride from Newbury to Boston: Priscilla Bailey and her husband Joseph pass through Salem Village and near John Procter’s house, where Joseph is suddenly struck by crushing pains, momentarily loses his speech, and believes he sees John and Elizabeth Procter at the house even though they are jailed in Boston. Priscilla sees only a “little maid,” and later Joseph’s vision of an approaching woman dissolves into a cow. The road quiets, but back in Newbury, Joseph reports invisible pinching and nipping that won’t let him go.00:00 Welcome and Date00:13 Magistrates Paperwork00:27 Baileys Pass Procter House01:13 Speechless on the Road01:26 Second Blow and Apparition01:49 Aftermath Back in NewburyLinks

Mary Esty: Victim of the Salem Witch Hunt with Mary Bingham: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mary-esty-victim-of-the-salem-witch-hunt/id1643770324?i=1000637013845Salem Witch Trials History YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCliis4vjMIUgg3wcA0pXeYQ/

⁠Salem Witch Trials Daily Hub: https://aboutsalem.com/salem-witch-trials-daily/⁠

⁠The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials: https://aboutsalem.com⁠

⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts: https://aboutwitchhunts.com⁠

⁠Bernard Rosenthal, ed., Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9781107689619⁠

Emerson W. Baker and John G. Reid, The New England Knight: Sir William Phips, 1651-1695: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780802081711

⁠Emerson W. Baker, A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience: 

https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780190627805⁠

⁠Marilynne K. Roach, The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9781589791329⁠

High Quality Scans of Original Court Documents - Peabody Essex Museum Salem Witch Trials Collection: https://pem.quartexcollections.com/collections/salem-witch-trials-collection

We take you straight into Tuesday, May 24, 1692, as Boston’s leadership gathers at the Town House and the governor and council wrangle over who will hold the colony’s key civil offices—sheriffs, justices, and more—while Governor Phips also sets June 8 for the next General Court session. Then we head to Salem Village, where Mary Warren, seemingly trapped in a trance, confronts a chilling demand to sign the devil’s book and describes a specter’s grisly threats involving a coffin, winding sheet, and grave clothes. Another specter—Mary Ireson’s—joins in, afflicting Warren nearly to death, tying the day’s political maneuvers to the escalating fear and accusation surrounding the crisis.

May 23, 1692: Surprise Examinations, New Warrants, and 51 SuspectsWe race through a packed Monday as accusations explode across Salem: Elizabeth Booth alleges nighttime torment from Mary DeRich and the Procters while officials move fast with fresh complaints, sweeping warrants, and three arrests delivered to Salem for questioning. Our biggest jolt comes from Captain Nathaniel Cary’s firsthand account of how magistrates and accusers turned a supposed meeting into a trap—forcing Elizabeth Cary into a painful, staged “test” before seizing her and sending her to jail in shackles. Meanwhile, testimony stacks up against Mary Esty, John Willard, Mary Whittredge, Dorcas Hoar, Roger Toothaker, and others, even reaching back to the long-dead Sarah Osburn. By day’s end, prisoners are shuffled to Boston and Salem, and Hathorne’s tally shows the crisis has swelled to 51 suspects.00:00 Welcome and Date00:15 New Accusations Filed01:05 Warrants and Arrests01:33 Examinations Begin02:01 Missing Records Explained02:31 Elizabeth Cary Trap03:52 Cary Arrest Aftermath04:10 Testimony Roundup05:26 Prisoner Transfers Count05:42 Fifty One Suspects

Increase Mather Returns as the Witchcraft Crisis BuildsWe’re in Boston on Sunday, May 22, 1692, as Reverend Increase Mather preaches at the North Church just eight days after returning from London with a new charter, choosing Psalm 121:8 to mark his “going out” and “coming in.” Drawing on Cotton Mather’s notes, we follow Increase as he warns the congregation that “a power of devils” is in the air seeking harm, yet insists God will protect His people—an unmistakable signal of how deeply the witchcraft crisis has gripped the colony. With fear rising and the hunt accelerating, tomorrow brings a fresh wave of suspects, accusations, and wild allegations, ending with nine more people behind bars.00:00 Welcome and Hosts00:11 Increase Mather Returns00:41 Sermon Warning of Devils01:06 Tomorrow’s Witch Hunt Escalation

Mary Esty Shackled as New Accusations and Philip English’s Threats EscalateWe pick up on Saturday, May 21, 1692, with Mary Esty imprisoned and shackled as Mercy Lewis reportedly begins to recover from violent fits and Magistrates John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin start examining Esty. While the court pauses and prepares to resume, new complaints from John and Thomas Putnam target Susannah Roots, Sarah Bassett, and Sarah Procter for allegedly afflicting multiple afflicted girls. The tension spikes with Susanna Sheldon’s deposition describing spectral assaults and a chilling confrontation involving Philip English, a knife, and demands to keep silent about the ghost of Joseph Rabson’s accusation of murder at sea—followed by threats reaching as far as Boston and even the governor. We also spotlight fresh testimony from Elizabeth Hubbard tying familiar names back to the prior day’s fear and fits.00:00 Welcome and Setup00:22 Mary Esty Examined00:54 New Accusations Filed01:18 Susanna Sheldon Attacked01:31 Philip English Threats01:43 Joseph Rabson Story02:07 Tell Hathorne Tomorrow02:24 More Threats and Depositions02:51 Podcast Plug and Wrap

Midnight Deadline: Mercy Lewis, Mary Esty, and the May 20 Panic

Mercy Lewis lies bedridden and voiceless in the Putnam home, terrified by alleged specters—identified as Mary Esty, John Willard, and Mary Whittredge—who threaten her to “sign the devil’s book” or die before midnight, even displaying a winding sheet and coffin. As Ann Putnam Jr., Abigail Williams, and others claim to witness the assault, Mercy pleads for her soul and says Esty will kill her for not clearing her. With fear heightened in a household recently marked by a baby’s death blamed on witchcraft, Constable John Putnam Jr., Marshal George Herrick, and Benjamin Hutchinson race through the night to secure a warrant from magistrate John Hathorne, seize Esty from Isaac Esty Jr.’s home, and haul her to Salem—yet Mercy’s fits continue. The day’s accusations expand to multiple other alleged attackers, foreshadowing the deadly arc that ends with Esty’s hanging on September 22, 1692.

00:00 Midnight Threat

00:36 Meet the Hosts

00:48 Who Are the Specters

01:09 Mary Esty Freed

01:48 Mercy Near Death

02:51 Visionaries Identify Mary

04:14 Winding Sheet Warning

05:06 Night Ride for Warrant

06:05 Mary Esty Re Arrested

06:30 Affliction Continues

07:02 Aftermath and Meaning

07:52 Other Accusations Roundup

08:31 Closing and Next Episode

Mary Esty: Victim of the Salem Witch Hunt with Mary Bingham: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mary-esty-victim-of-the-salem-witch-hunt/id1643770324?i=1000637013845Salem Witch Trials History YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCliis4vjMIUgg3wcA0pXeYQ/

⁠Salem Witch Trials Daily Hub: https://aboutsalem.com/salem-witch-trials-daily/⁠

⁠The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials: https://aboutsalem.com⁠

⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts: https://aboutwitchhunts.com⁠

⁠Bernard Rosenthal, ed., Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9781107689619⁠

Emerson W. Baker and John G. Reid, The New England Knight: Sir William Phips, 1651-1695: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780802081711

⁠Emerson W. Baker, A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience: 

https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780190627805⁠

⁠Marilynne K. Roach, The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9781589791329⁠

High Quality Scans of Original Court Documents - Peabody Essex Museum Salem Witch Trials Collection: https://pem.quartexcollections.com/collections/salem-witch-trials-collection

Prison Lane and a Lingering Accusation: Mercy Lewis Targets Mary EstyWe trace a tense morning on May 19, 1692, as guards breakfast at Ingersoll’s Tavern, collect prisoners from the Salem Village watch house, and escort John Willard, Elizabeth Hart, Roger Toothaker, and Thomas Farrar Sr. by cart and horseback to Boston Prison on Prison Lane (today’s Court Street). We set the grim destination in stark relief with John Dunton’s 1686 description of the Boston jail—a filthy, hellish place where minds and jailers gnaw at the living—where Sarah Osborne died and where Toothaker’s fate soon looms. Meanwhile, Mercy Lewis, now at Constable John Putnam Jr.’s home amid the Putnams’ afflictions, insists she’s tormented by the specter of Mary Esty, newly released after a month in jail, the only accused witch freed before the Court of Oyer and Terminer begins.00:00 Welcome and Date00:13 Prisoners to Boston Jail00:40 Inside the Boston Prison01:19 Mercy Lewis Relocates01:36 Mary Esty Haunts Again01:55 Release and Trials Ahead02:19 Tomorrow’s Dramatic Tease