Salem Witch Trials Daily

Samuel Parris Declares a “War with the Lamb” as Salem Condemns Six and Excommunicates Martha Cory

On Sunday, September 11, 1692, minister Samuel Parris noted that six people had recently been condemned to die for witchcraft, including Martha Cory (a member of Parris’s church), Mary Esty, Ann Pudeator, Dorcas Hoar, Mary Bradbury, and Alice Parker.

Today, Parris used Revelation 17:14 as the basis of a sermon on spiritual warfare. He declared that even the most civil and devout regions were “pestered” by witches, some of whom were church members. 

Parris framed Salem’s crisis as part of a much larger war between god and the antichrist. He told his congregation they were all on one side or the other, and it was best to be on the side of god. Parris  equated questioning the magistrates with rebellion against God. 

After the worship service, the church voted to excommunicate Martha Cory, who Parris considered to be at war with god, and who would be hanged September 22nd.

Chapters00:00 Daily Introduction

00:08 Condemned for Witchcraft

00:25 Revelation Text Chosen

01:08 War Between Christ and Satan

02:17 History and Politics in Sermon

03:15 Reassurance of Final Victory

03:52 Four Uses of the Text

04:20 Witches Among Churchgoers

05:12 Two Sides Only

06:08 Afternoon Warning Against Rebellion

06:38 Disobedience as War on Christ

07:44 Endure as Soldiers of Christ

08:08 Martha Cory Excommunicated

09:24 Why the Sermon Mattered

09:43 Invitation to More Accusations

10:15 Closing Reflection 

LinksSalem Witch-Hunt Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/salemwitchhunt

Salem Witch Trials History YouTube: https://youtube.com/@aboutwitchhunts

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

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

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

Sentences, Warrants, and Grand Jury Indictments: Salem Witch Trials Daily — September 10, 1692

We follow a pivotal day in the Salem Witch Trials as the Court of Oyer and Terminer condemns Martha Cory, Mary Esty, Ann Pudeator, Dorcas Hoar, Mary Bradbury, and Alice Parker to hang, while new warrants and accusations widen the panic across Essex and Suffolk counties. A third arrest warrant targets the elusive Elizabeth Colson, backed by vivid testimony from Mary Marshall, and Henry Bragg seeks the arrests of Sarah Cole and Hannah Carroll for allegedly afflicting his son. Our coverage also tracks grand jury action against Abigail Hobbs—indicted for covenanting with the devil and afflicting Mercy Lewis—and Rebecca Jacobs, indicted for afflicting Elizabeth Hubbard but not for covenanting. A Gloucester complaint against Joan Penny and a mother’s urgent petition to Judge Stoughton about unreliable jailhouse “confessions” expose how rumor, mental distress, and shifting execution timelines shaped 1692 justice.

Chapters:

00:00 Daily Introduction

00:07 Sentences and Warrants

00:53 Grand Jury Indictments

02:04 Colson Spectral Attacks

02:49 Pudeator After Conviction

03:12 Rebecca Jacobs Petition

04:25 September Convictions Shift

Links:

Salem Witch-Hunt Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/salemwitchhunt

Salem Witch Trials History YouTube: https://youtube.com/@aboutwitchhunts

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

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

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

September 9, 1692: Mary Bradbury Convicted, Giles Corey Pressed, Mary Esty SentencedWe take you inside Salem’s town house on Friday, September 9, 1692, as the Court of Oyer and Terminer drives the Salem witch trials forward with grand jury hearings and trials for Mary Bradbury, Giles Corey, and Mary Esty. Our focus follows the testimony that fueled convictions—spectral torment, claims of murder and livestock destruction, and bizarre stories like the “blue boar” sighting and maritime misfortunes tied to Bradbury—ending in her conviction and later jail escape. We also trace the accusations that led Giles Corey to refuse a plea, triggering the brutal peine forte et dure that would kill him. Mary Esty’s case brings the courtroom’s imbalance into sharp relief through her petition with Sarah Cloyce seeking counsel, sworn character witnesses, and skepticism toward afflicted and confessor testimony, even as Esty is convicted and condemned.Chapters00:00 Daily Trials Overview00:31 Bradbury Pleads Innocence01:36 Afflicted Testify Against Bradbury05:16 Carrs and Endicotts Strange Tales10:06 Bradbury Convicted and Escapes11:00 Giles Corey Accusations13:03 Refusal to Plead and Pressing14:05 Mary Esty Trial Begins15:22 Esty and Cloyce Petition Judges16:03 Conviction and Final Hangings

Links

Salem Witch-Hunt Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/salemwitchhunt

Salem Witch Trials History YouTube: https://youtube.com/@aboutwitchhunts

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

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

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

Andover’s Mass Touch Test and Martha Cory’s Conviction — September 8, 1692

The Andover phase of the witch-hunt escalates with a rare mass “touch test” at the Andover meetinghouse, where suspects are blindfolded, made to touch the afflicted, and then arrested under a warrant from Justice Dudley Bradstreet before being taken to Salem for examination. 

Using later declarations and Increase Mather’s reporting, we trace how women such as Mary Osgood, Deliverance Dane, and others described relentless pressure from authorities and family that drove confessions and later recantations, while examinations raised troubling questions about spectral evidence and consent. We also track major court developments: William Procter faces the grand jury and receives ignoramus findings on two indictments, and Martha Cory is tried, convicted on witchcraft charges grounded in depositions and affliction testimony, and sentenced to hang on September 22, shortly after Giles Cory’s death by pressing.

00:00 Daily Overview

00:25 Andover Mass Touch Test

02:01 Confessions Under Pressure

04:43 Deliverance Dane Spectral Claims

05:47 Mary Osgood Examination

08:44 Recantations And Family Pressure

09:16 Other Court Business

10:41 Martha Cory Trial Evidence

17:16 Verdict And Sentencing

September 7, 1692: Divination, Spectral Claims, and Guilty Verdicts for Alice Parker and Ann PudeatorWe take you straight into September 7, 1692, as Salem Witch Trials history turns on examinations, divination, and courtroom spectacle. Our hosts follow Rebecca Johnson Sr. and Henry Salter as “sieve and scissors” and “Bible and key” methods are treated as witchcraft, while afflicted witnesses collapse, recover at a touch, and swear they see the devil. The action intensifies with nine witnesses accusing Alice Parker of choking, poppets, and fatal bewitchments—claims that end in indictment, conviction, and her September 22 hanging. We also track the grand jury’s case against Ann Pudeator, from eerie flight-like sightings to Ann Putnam Jr.’s testimony, leading to another guilty verdict and execution. Along the way, we spotlight rare defense testimony for Mary Bradbury and a revealing court summons tied to the Towne family’s “strange fits” in the shadow of Rebecca Nurse’s relatives.00:00 Daily Trials Overview00:13 Rebecca Johnson Examined01:34 Henry Salter Under Scrutiny02:49 Summons and Grand Jury Moves03:03 Alice Parker Accusations04:03 Poppets and Deadly Confessions05:05 Fits and Prophecies07:22 Chickens and Confrontation09:59 Verdict and Execution10:08 Ann Pudeator Convicted11:14 Mary Bradbury Defense13:08 Mary Towne Summons13:30 Andover Allegations Wrap Up

September 6, 1692: Ann Pudeator’s Grand Jury Evidence and Dorcas Hoar’s Guilty VerdictStep into September 6, 1692, as we track a pivotal day in the Salem witch trials: Alice Parker is re-examined, the Court of Oyer and Terminer summons witnesses against Mary Esty, and the grand jury presses forward on Ann Pudeator with accusations from Sarah Churchill, Mary Warren, Elizabeth Hubbard, Ann Putnam Jr., Sarah Bibber, and Mary Walcott. Then the focus shifts to Dorcas Hoar’s witchcraft trial, where testimonies from Beverly—including Mary Gage and minister John Hale—center on fortune-telling, a mysterious “book” of palmistry, threats, and ominous predictions. Depositions from multiple witnesses culminate in a guilty verdict and a scheduled execution, but a last-minute ministers’ petition secures a stay that ultimately spares Dorcas Hoar as spectral evidence is later barred and the court winds down. Keywords: Salem witch trials, Court of Oyer and Terminer, Ann Pudeator, Dorcas Hoar, John Hale, spectral evidence.00:00 Welcome and Setup00:05 Alice Parker Reexamined00:53 Ann Pudeator Accusations02:45 Dorcas Hoar Trial Begins02:53 Mary Gage Deposition04:08 John Hale Testimony06:45 Fortune Book Mystery07:53 More Depositions and Threats10:07 Guilty Verdict and Reprieve10:41 Aftermath and Release

Touch Tests and Confessions: September 5, 1692 at Salem CourtWe take you straight into the Salem Witch Trials on September 5, 1692, as arrests in Gloucester bring Elizabeth Dicer and Margaret Prince before the Salem justices alongside Jane Lilly, Mary Colson, and Mary Taylor. Our account follows the courtroom chaos of fits, the notorious touch test, and escalating accusations tied to the deaths of William Hooper and Edward Marshall and the burning of Hooper’s house—complete with testimony about funeral wine, shouting, and alleged witch meetings. As spectral evidence and a “dangerous eye” shape the examinations, denials collide with mounting pressure until a dramatic confession shifts the day’s momentum. We also track new complaints, threatening specters, and urgent summonses to the Court of Oyer and Terminer, ending with rare prison testimony supporting Mary Esty’s sober, civil behavior.00:00 Daily Intro and Date00:05 Jane Lilly Examined01:17 Hooper Fire Accusations03:06 Mary Colson and Touch Test04:21 Explaining Effluvia Theory04:55 Margaret Prince in Court06:02 Mary Taylor Denials07:55 Mary Taylor Confession08:51 New Complaints Filed09:28 DeRich Testimony and Specters11:17 Summonses and Esty Defense

Constable Parker’s Arrests and Elizabeth Colson’s Escape — September 4, 1692We follow Reading Constable John Parker as he arrests Mary Colson, Mary Taylor, and Jane Lilly, including a chilling remark attributed to Taylor about Mrs. Marshall facing a fate like Mary Warren’s and a “hotter pot” hereafter. The search intensifies when Parker tries to seize Elizabeth Colson, long complained of, and with William Arnall and Arnall’s dog tracks her to Lydia Dustin’s house—only to watch Elizabeth bolt across fields, vanish behind a stone wall, and leave the men grasping at rumors and a suspicious cat. The day’s fear and violence continue as Mary Walcott later says Henry Salter nearly choked her to death. Salem Witch Trials Daily brings the Salem witch trials, 1692, into sharp focus with compassion for victims and survivors.00:00 Daily Salem Update00:08 Arrests in Reading00:14 Mary Taylor Statement00:41 Hunt for Elizabeth01:04 The Strange Escape01:34 Cat and Vanishing01:51 Salter Accusation

Salem Witch Trials Daily: Gloucester Accusations Spark Arrest Warrant (Sept 3, 1692)We take you to Gloucester on Saturday, September 3rd, 1692, where the Salem Village afflicted girls are brought in to witness chilling spectral attacks targeting Eleanor Babson and her neighbor Mary Sargent. Their accusations point to Elizabeth Dicer and Margaret Prince as the unseen assailants, pushing Ebenezer Babson to file a formal complaint. With Salem’s justices moving swiftly to issue an arrest warrant, this chapter of the Salem Witch Trials shows how fear, testimony, and authority collide—tightening the net around the accused and extending the crisis beyond Salem Village into coastal Massachusetts.00:00 Daily Introduction00:08 Gloucester Spectral Attacks00:25 Warrant for Arrests

Mary Parker Stands Firm as Salem Court Erupts, and Cotton Mather Seeks to Vindicate the TrialsWe go to Salem, Massachusetts on September 2, 1692, as justices examine Mary Parker and the courtroom chaos ignites the moment her name is spoken—afflicted girls fall into fits, then briefly recover when she touches them, even as she refuses to confess and denies the devil’s snare. Our account follows pointed accusations from Martha Sprague, William Barker, and Mercy Wardwell, plus Mary Warren’s violent fit and the shocking pin incident that spills blood, intensifying claims of spectral evidence and witchcraft. We also track a pivotal behind-the-scenes move in the Salem witch trials: Cotton Mather sends an early version of Wonders of the Invisible World to Chief Justice William Stoughton, seeking to vindicate the judges and juries of the Court of Oyer and Terminer—and Stoughton approves the project.00:00 Welcome and Hosts00:05 Mary Parker Examined00:27 Afflicted Fits and Accusations00:50 Mary Warren Pin Incident01:09 Cotton Mather Sends Manuscript01:30 Stoughton Approves Account