Salem Witch Trials Daily

Ruth Wilford Delivered to Salem: A Missing Examination and a Confessor’s AccusationOn Monday, August 22, 1692, Ruth Wilford—widow of Gilbert Wilford of Haverhill—was arrested and taken to Salem during the Salem Witch Trials. A note on her arrest warrant indicates she was examined that day, yet the examination record is missing, leaving only the warrant and unanswered questions. The accusations claim she afflicted Timothy Swan, Mary Walcott, and Ann Putnam Jr., but with no surviving testimony or documentation, there’s no evidence to weigh—only absence. The lone surviving claim comes from confessor Susannah Post, who alleged Ruth attended a witches’ sabbath, an implication of a covenant with the devil that could transform suspicion into a death sentence.00:00 Show Introduction00:05 Ruth Wilford Arrested00:23 Sparse Case Records00:37 Accused by Confessor

August 21, 1692: Jane Hutchinson Afflicted and the Englishes Escape Salem CustodyWe follow the Salem Witch Trials on Sunday, August 21, 1692, as Benjamin Hutchinson testifies that his wife, Jane (daughter of Salem Village tavern keeper Walter Phillips), suffers violent pains and believes an “evil hand” is upon her in the wake of the August 19 executions. Benjamin borrows afflicted girl Mary Walcott, who claims to see neighbors Mary Whittredge and Sarah Buckley upon Jane; the specters then turn on Mary. Benjamin appeals to Sheriff George Corwin, who orders the jailed women restrained with chains, after which Jane is said to improve. In Boston, Mary and Philip English escape custody and head for New York, reportedly aided by Reverends Joshua Moody and Samuel Willard, forfeiting Philip’s £4,000 bond and losing more than £1,183 in confiscated goods.00:00 Daily Introduction00:08 Jane Hutchinson Afflicted00:49 Specters at the House01:08 Appeal to Sheriff Corwin01:29 The Englishes Escape01:44 Bonds and Confiscations

Margaret Jacobs Recants as Spectral Dishes Vanish: Salem Witch Trials Daily — August 20, 1692We recount August 20, 1692, when jailed teenage confessor Margaret Jacobs wrote to her father, George Jacobs Jr., saying her May 11 confession was false and that she had recanted before judges who still believed her original statement; expecting death, she asked for prayers and described her mother Rebecca as distraught while George and Daniel Andrew hid away, leaving it uncertain whether her letter reached him, and noting George was absent when his father was hanged. They also cite testimony dated September 5 from 16-year-old John DeRich claiming the specter of Giles Corey borrowed and returned serving dishes for a feast, with Hannah Small and Martha Adams saying the platters were missing. Finally, Ruth Wilford was arrested in Haverhill by Constable William Starling after a warrant issued August 18.00:00 Daily Introduction00:07 Margaret Jacobs Recants00:31 Family in Hiding00:57 Spectral Dishes Tale01:27 Floating Platters Visualized01:44 Ruth Wilford Arrested

Salem Witch Trials Daily: August 19, 1692 — Martha Carrier, George Burroughs, John Procter, John Willard, and George Jacobs Sr Hanged for WitchcraftOn Friday, August 19, 1692, Salem executed five people—Martha Carrier, George Burroughs, John Procter, John Willard, and George Jacobs Sr.—bringing the witch-hunt death toll to 14 by that date, with 6 people previously executed and jail deaths including Sarah Osburn, Sarah Good’s infant daughter, and Roger Toothaker. We trace how the crisis began in January 1692 in Samuel Parris’s household, escalated through widening accusations, and intensified after Governor William Phips formed the Court of Oyer and Terminer under William Stoughton, which accepted spectral evidence. We highlight the Andover panic’s spread through the Ingalls-Dane-Carrier family network, including coerced confessions from Carrier’s children and Elizabeth Johnson Jr., and notes Ann Foster’s claim of hundreds of witches and the death of afflicted Elizabeth Phelps Ballard. Using Robert Calef’s account, it recounts Burroughs’ prayer, Cotton Mather’s intervention, harsh treatment of the condemned, and unrecorded final words for most.00:00 Daily Intro and Date00:20 How the Trials Began01:36 Andover Panic Spreads03:31 Ballard Death and Escalation03:59 August 19 Executions Remembered05:10 Calef’s Hanging Account05:27 Burroughs Prayer and Mather06:47 Procter’s Final Pleas07:41 Closing and More Episodes

August 1692: Warrants for Ruth Wilford and Frances Hutchins, and a Prison Apology Before Burroughs’ ExecutionWe track the Salem Witch Trials as August 1692 accelerates: on August 18, Timothy Swan accuses Haverhill residents Ruth Wilford and Mrs. Frances Hutchins of afflicting him, Mary Walcott, and Ann Putnam Jr., prompting Andover justice Dudley Bradstreet to issue arrest warrants and Swan to post bond for prosecution. Constable William Sterling arrests Hutchins on August 19 and Wilford on August 20, then delivers both women to the Salem justices. From Robert Calef’s More Wonders of the Invisible World, we also recount Margaret Jacobs visiting fellow prisoner George Burroughs on the eve of his execution, admitting she lied in her confession and seeking forgiveness for implicating Burroughs, John Willard, and George Jacobs Sr., with Burroughs reportedly forgiving her and praying. Testimony dated August 27 adds claims of Burroughs officiating a witch meeting in Andover at John Chandler’s house.00:00 Welcome and Hosts00:05 Warrant for Wilford and Hutchins00:30 Arrests and Transfer to Salem00:45 Margaret Jacobs Recants01:07 Burroughs and Andover Meeting01:19 Testimony and Wrap Up

Cotton Mather Warns Against Spectral Evidence: Salem Witch Trials Daily (Aug 17, 1692)We pick up after a quiet August 16, 1692—no new Salem witch trials court records and no contemporary reports—when local dignitaries, including justices of the Court of Oyer and Terminer, attended Reverend Nathaniel Gookin’s funeral amid extreme heat requiring same-day burial. Then the focus shifts to Cotton Mather’s August 17 letter to Justice John Foster, where he concedes spectral evidence alone is insufficient for conviction because the devil can assume any shape, yet argues spectral impressions are valuable for investigation and for strengthening other presumptions. He claims judges have not convicted without additional evidence, supports bail when only spectral evidence exists, and insists the central legal question is proving communion with a familiar spirit—once proved, “the business is done.”00:00 Daily Intro August 17 169200:07 Quiet Day in Salem00:55 Cotton Mather Writes Foster01:05 Spectral Evidence Limits01:38 Using Spectral Impressions02:19 Bail and Devil Impersonation02:33 Familiar Spirits and the Law03:11 Mather's Assurances and Praise

August 15, 1692: Wardwell and Scott Accused of Afflicting Martha Sprague and Sarah ColemanWe take you to Monday, August 15, 1692, as accusations intensify in the Salem Witch Trials: Samuel Wardwell and Margaret Scott are alleged to have afflicted Martha Sprague and Sarah Coleman. Wardwell’s later September 14 indictment claims he harmed Sprague on this date, and his September 1 examination includes his statement that he afflicted her by pinching his coat and buttons while discontented, saying the devil gave him the power. From Rowley, Coleman’s September 15 deposition accuses Scott of tormenting her three or four times that day by pricking, pinching, and choking. Both Wardwell and Scott were convicted in September and hanged on September 22, 1692, among the final witchcraft executions in New England.00:00 Daily Introduction00:08 Wardwell Accusations00:15 Wardwell Indictment Details00:32 Coleman Accuses Scott00:43 Verdicts and Executions

Salem Village Tensions: Parris Confronts Absent Church Members (August 14, 1692)We take you straight into Salem Village on Sunday, August 14, 1692, as the Salem Witch Trials fracture the community even after worship ends. Minister Samuel Parris keeps church members behind to address a growing problem: people refusing to attend services because their relatives have been jailed on witchcraft accusations. A committee is formed—Parris, Nathaniel Ingersoll, Nathaniel Putnam, and Edward Putnam—planning direct visits to those staying away. The stakes are personal and volatile, tied to families connected to Sarah Cloyce and Rebecca Nurse, including Peter Cloyce, Samuel Nurse, and John Tarbell, and to the mounting blame placed on Parris for his role in the witch trials.00:00 Show Introduction00:05 Church Meeting August 169200:22 Committee Visits Absent Members00:39 Why They Stayed Away00:51 Who The Absentees Were

Daniel Eames Examined: Touch Tests, Poppets, and Andover Accusations (Aug. 13, 1692)We follow the Salem witch trials record on August 13, 1692, as Salem justices examine Daniel Eames of Boxford, with John Higginson Jr. taking notes, amid dramatic claims from afflicted witnesses. Elizabeth Johnson Jr. repeats her accusation that Eames helped afflict Phelps’ child using poppets and pins, while Mary Lacey Jr., Mary Walcott, Ann Putnam Jr., and Mary Warren describe attacks, fits, and injuries to others in Andover. The court’s “touch test” is performed, with afflicted persons falling upon Eames’ gaze and recovering at his touch. Eames denies any covenant with the devil and frames key allegations as a resisted dream, while testimony links him to Five Mile Pond and names additional suspected witches, including Dane Robinson and a wider Andover network.00:00 Welcome and Setup00:05 Accusations Begin00:55 Courtroom Fits01:43 Touch Test Drama02:09 Devil Horse Tale02:57 The Rum Non Sequitur03:32 Neighbors Testify04:03 Dane Robinson Named04:45 Witches Company Revealed

George Jacobs Sr.’s New Will and Daniel Eames’ Andover Afflictions (August 12, 1692)We trace the legal and personal fallout of the Salem witch trials on August 12, 1692, as George Jacobs Sr. replaces his January will, granting his homestead to his wife Mary only while she remains unmarried, then passing it to grandson George Jacobs III after George Jr. fled. Our account follows Jacobs removing daughter Ann and son-in-law John Andrews, while rewarding granddaughter Margaret with 10 pounds in silver after she recanted and repented of accusing him. We also examine Sheriff George Corwin’s seizure of more than 79 pounds of goods and livestock—including Mary Jacobs’ wedding ring—and how English common law treated forfeiture, land, and a widow’s dower. In Andover, Mary Walcott alleges Daniel Eames’ specter afflicted multiple victims, leading to later grand jury review in 1693 that found insufficient evidence for trial.00:00 Daily Intro and Headlines00:15 Jacobs Rewrites His Will00:23 Inheritance and Family Changes00:53 Confiscated Estate and Dower Rights01:23 Daniel Eames Andover Afflictions01:39 Grand Jury Outcome