Salem Witch Trials Daily

April 28, 1692: Susannah Shelden’s Torment and John Willard AccusedWe’re back in Salem on Thursday, April 28, 1692, where Susannah Shelden’s account turns physical and threatening: Giles Cory and Mary English urge her not to eat, and Susannah says Cory strikes her, nearly chokes her, and holds her hands shut while mocking her. Philip English then appears demanding she sign his book, biting her when she refuses. At the same time, Ann Putnam Jr. reports a brutal assault by John Willard’s specter, including threats to kill her unless she writes in his book, and claims his apparition confessed to murdering her infant sister Sarah—followed by Sarah Putnam’s own ghost crying for vengeance. We also hear Lydia Wilkins, in a winding sheet, accusing Willard of involvement in her death.

00:00 Daily Intro and Date

00:15 Susannah Shelden Accusations

00:56 Ann Putnam vs John Willard

01:25 Putnam Baby Death Mention

01:36 Lydia Wilkins Appears

01:46 Subscribe and More Podcasts

Statement of Susannah Shelden v. Philip English, Sarah Buckley, Mary Whittredge, Bridget Bishop, Giles Cory, Mary English, and Martha Cory: https://pem.quartexcollections.com/Documents/Detail/statement-of-susannah-shelden-v.-philip-english-sarah-buckley-mary-whittredge-bridget-bishop-giles-cory-mary-english-and-martha-cory/4696

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

Susannah Shelden Faces Bridget Bishop and . . . SatanWe follow Susannah Shelden deeper into the week-long string of spectral encounters she reported, landing on Wednesday, April 27, 1692, when Bridget Bishop, Philip English, Giles Cory, Mary English, and a black man in a high-crowned hat—identified as the Devil—arrive with books and pressure Susannah to touch and sign. Susannah resists, questions Bridget directly, and hears claims that Bridget has been a witch for more than 20 years, echoed again with even sharper precision. The scene turns unsettling as a snake crawls over Bridget, yellow birds and turtledoves are held to chests to suckle, and Bridget and Giles kneel to pray before Satan. The specters and the Devil bite Susannah and vanish, leaving a chilling snapshot of accusation, coercion, and vivid omen-like detail.00:00 Welcome to the Show00:11 Susannah's Week of Visions00:38 Bridget Bishop's Book01:01 Witch for 20 Years01:13 Snakes Birds and Doves01:30 Kneeling to Satan01:45 Bites and Farewell01:50 Subscribe and More Podcasts

Devil Books and a Ride from Hell: Susannah Shelden Names Her Tormentors

Mysterious specters harass Susannah Shelden with the Devil’s Book. The strangers then identify themselves as Sarah Buckley, her daughter Mary Whitteredge, and another woman calling herself Goodwife Whits, insisting she touch and sign. Our story turns grotesque as Susannah reports Sarah Buckley confessing to ten years of witchcraft and describing the Devil giving her two cat-like creatures to suckle. Refusal brings pinching, blows, and escalating threats until Sarah Buckley’s specter silences Susannah and carries her nearly a mile, claiming power over her and promising death if she won’t comply. A sudden, frantic rescue follows when William Shaw hears terrified cries in the woods and finds Susannah screaming and struggling. We trace it all to Susannah’s May 17, 1692 statement preserved in the Peabody Essex Museum’s Salem Witch Trials Collection.

00:00 Kittens And Devil Books

00:47 Buckley Confession Tale

02:04 Strangers Name Themselves

02:38 Pinching And Abduction

03:21 Rescue In The Thicket

03:43 Sources And Subscribe

Statement of Susannah Shelden v. Philip English, Sarah Buckley, Mary Whittredge, Bridget Bishop, Giles Cory, Mary English, and Martha Cory

April 25, 1692: A Deal with John Willard—and Philip English’s SpecterWe lean into sports report energy while tracking the Salem crisis on Monday, April 25, 1692, and teasing our newly recorded conversation about an ESPN podcast released for the 50th anniversary of the Ergot Theory, soon arriving Saturday night on The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials. Two striking claims anchor the day: Susannah Shelden later deposes that Philip English’s specter pinched and threatened to kill her if she refused to touch the Devil’s book, and Ann Putnam Jr. later testifies that John Willard came to her house in person, denied hurting her, and heard an extraordinary offer—stop harming her and she wouldn’t complain. We highlight this as the lone instance we’ve found of an afflicted accuser proposing to let an accused witch off the hook.00:00 Sports Day Intro00:08 Ergot Theory Episode Tease00:32 Date and Hosts00:37 Philip English Specter Claim00:50 Ann Putnam Confronts Willard01:00 Recorder Date Confusion01:10 A Rare Offer of Mercy

Specters in the Pews: April 24, 1692Drawing on 1692 records, we trace how Dorcas Hoar is said to begin afflicting Elizabeth Hubbard on the night of April 24 and is linked by multiple witnesses to claims about choking her first husband, while Ann Putnam Jr. also reports being tormented that day. Susannah Shelden describes a startling scene in the Salem Town meetinghouse where Philip English’s specter allegedly pinches her alongside a Boston woman called Goody Wy, then follows her home with a black man carrying a book and offering relief if she will touch it. The day’s accusations culminate with Ann Putnam Jr. naming John Willard for grievous afflictions.00:00 Show Intro00:11 Sabbath Specter Disruption00:29 Dorcas Hoar Accusations00:56 Philip English in Meetinghouse01:17 The Devil’s Book Offer01:43 John Willard Afflicts Ann

Confessions, Fits, and a Red Communion: April 22–23, 1692We revisit two volatile days in Salem, as Deliverance Hobbs is brought in under a ruse, identified by Ann Putnam Jr., and pressured into a confession that names Sarah Wilds, Sarah Osborne, poppets, pins, and a “tall man” in a high-crowned hat—while the afflicted abruptly fall quiet. We track the court’s fixation on marks, rapiers, and spectral claims, then watch Sarah Wilds deny everything as the fits return and accusations multiply. William Hobbs faces both staged torment and a pointed turn toward religious suspicion before being sent to jail alongside others. Our timeline then shifts to April 23, where jailhouse questioning spins out a pasture meeting near Parris’s home: Burroughs preaching, red bread and wine, coercion to sign the Devil’s book, and Abigail Hobbs’s terrifying fit—setting up testimony that will echo for months.00:00 Two-Day Setup00:33 Deliverance Hobbs Examined02:08 Confession and Evidence03:59 Sarah Wilds in Court04:53 William Hobbs Questioned06:48 Depositions and Missing Records07:55 April 23 Witches Meeting09:31 Sabbath Details and Fallout09:47 Looking Ahead Testimony

A Day of Fits, Specters, and a Rare Release in SalemStep into April 22, 1692, as our Salem Witch Trials daily dive follows reports of a massive witches’ sabbath, complete with claims that minister specters like George Burroughs rallied companies of witches to topple New England churches. We track nine new arrests and a courtroom shocker: Nehemiah Abbott Jr. faces the afflicted, only to be cleared and released on the spot when daylight scrutiny dissolves their identification. The tension spikes with Mary Black’s examination, where a pinning “experiment” triggers cries of stabbing and sends her to jail. Wild testimony escalates as Benjamin Hutchinson recounts a spectral sword-and-fork rampage through Ingersoll’s Tavern. Finally, Mary Esty’s steadfast denials collide with violent fits and damning depositions—ending with her committed to jail alongside her sisters.00:00 Witches Sabbath Claims00:49 Show Intro and Arrests01:06 Nehemiah Abbott Twist03:25 Mary Black Pin Test04:42 Forks Rapiers and Specters07:13 Mary Esty Examined08:53 Depositions and Wrap Up

Nine New Accused and Thomas Putnam’s “Wheel Within a Wheel” Letter (April 21, 1692)We race through April 21, 1692 as accusations explode with nine new witchcraft suspects—William and Deliverance Hobbs, Nehemiah Abbott Jr., Mary Esty, Sarah Wildes, Edward Bishop Jr., Sarah Bishop, Mary Black, and Mary English—pushing the total accused to 23 and prompting Hathorne and Corwin to issue arrest warrants for examination at Ingersoll’s Ordinary. We also follow the chaotic jail questioning of Mary Warren as her story shifts about the Proctors, the “book,” coercion, fits, spectral pressure, and an alleged greenish ointment tied to the Bassett family. Elsewhere, Samuel Appleton summons witnesses in the Rachel Clinton matter. The day’s strangest turn is Thomas Putnam’s dramatic, scripture-laced letter to Corwin and Hathorne—widely read as aimed at George Burroughs—invoking “a wheel within a wheel” and “ears shall tingle.”00:00 Nine New Accused00:39 Meet the Suspects03:19 Arrest Warrants Issued03:55 Mary Warren Recants06:25 Spectral Evidence Debate07:14 Poppets and Ointment08:03 Other Court Business08:26 Putnam’s Bizarre Letter09:05 Biblical Clues and Burroughs

Jailhouse Confessions and Two Georges in the DarkWe take you straight into Salem jail on April 20, 1692, where Abigail Hobbs doubles down after her confession and names apparitions, a “witches’ sabbath,” and the Devil’s image-magic used to afflict the girls. Then the pressure shifts to Mary Warren as she describes signing the book, explosive claims about the Proctors, and the tense, live-wire moment when Giles Cory is brought in and her fits erupt as he turns to face her. The night turns even darker as two new specters surface: former minister George Burroughs in Ann Putnam Jr.’s terrifying encounter, and elderly farmer George Jacobs Sr. in Mercy Lewis’s midnight testimony. Our best hook: the claustrophobic, fast-moving jailhouse intrigue where accusations multiply and the next wave of suspects is already closing in.00:00 Confessions Continue00:20 Abigail Hobbs Details01:21 Devil’s Images and Sabbath01:57 Mary Warren Questioned03:08 Giles Corey Jailhouse Drama04:31 Specter of George Burroughs06:14 George Jacobs Appears06:58 Tomorrow’s New Suspects

April 19, 1692: Confessions, Specters, and the Salem Village ExaminationsWe head straight into the packed courtroom at Ingersoll’s Ordinary as magistrates John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin arrive from Salem Town to interrogate Giles Cory, Bridget Bishop, Mary Warren, and Abigail Hobbs—while Ezekiel Cheever and Samuel Parris take notes and the afflicted erupt. Two of the accused confess and two refuse, and then the witness statements begin: reports of spectral visits, pinching, choking, and relentless pressure to sign the devil’s book—followed by the striking moment when the afflicted claim relief as soon as a confession starts. Depositions from Benjamin Gould, Priscilla Chub, Elizabeth Hubbard, Margaret Knight, Mercy Lewis, Lydia and Elizabeth Nichols, and Mary Walcott drive the day’s narrative and reveal how quickly accusations spread from one name to the next. For the full examinations, our weekly podcast goes deeper into what unfolded on April 19, 1692.00:00 Welcome and Setup00:10 April 19 Court Examinations01:12 Witness Depositions Begin01:28 Gould Accuses Cory and Procter02:00 Hobbs Confession Stories03:40 Confession Stops Afflictions04:16 Nichols Sisters Testify05:08 Mary Walcott Sees Specter05:54 Hubbard vs Warren and Bishop06:51 Podcast Plug and Wrap