Salem Witch Trials Daily

Gloucester Sighting, July 11, 1692: John Brown and Ebenezer Babson Spot Three StrangersWe take you straight to Gloucester on Monday, July 11, 1692, where John Brown and Ebenezer Babson spot three unknown men a gunshot away from the garrison and try to fire, only to be thwarted as the figures dart between corn and bushes. Guided by Cotton Mather’s Decennium Luctuosum, we highlight a tense, fast-moving moment on the fringes of the Salem Witch Trials era—perfect for listeners drawn to 1692 Massachusetts history, colonial New England fear, and primary-source true crime. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to Salem Witch Trials Daily (Josh Hutchinson & Sarah Jack) 00:08 Gloucester, July 11, 1692—three unknown men sighted 00:18 The attempted shot and the chase through corn and brush00:00 Welcome to the Show00:06 Gloucester Sighting Begins00:14 Cotton Mather Account

Gloucester’s Phantom Thuds: War Paranoia Meets the Salem Witch TrialsWe head to Gloucester on Cape Ann on July 10, 1692, when loud thuds echo near a fortified garrison house, sounding like men hurling stones at a barn. With King William’s War fueling dread of attacks by the French and their Wabanaki allies, garrison houses—private homes strengthened with thick walls, gun ports, and overhanging second stories—stand as emergency shelters amid constant fear. Our story tracks how this wartime anxiety erupted into reports of supernatural, invisible forces pelting homes with rocks, and how local war paranoia blended into the wider Massachusetts witchcraft panic. Gloucester enters the Salem witch hunts late, but afflicted individuals are brought into town and accusations ultimately spread to about nine Gloucester women.00:00 Welcome to the Show00:05 Mysterious Thuds in Gloucester00:22 Garrison Houses and War Fears00:49 From War Panic to Witchcraft01:08 Gloucester Enters the Witch Hunts

July 8, 1692: Timothy Swan and Elizabeth Ballard Targeted by Salem SpectersWe race into July 8, 1692, when Timothy Swan is reportedly set upon by a terrifying lineup of specters—Mary Bradbury, the Laceys, Ann Foster, and the Carriers—while the same eerie presence also turns on Elizabeth Ballard. Join us on Salem Witch Trials Daily as we follow the chilling claims of spectral attack at the height of the Salem Witch Trials, where fear, accusations, and the supernatural collide in colonial Massachusetts. Chapters: 0:00 Welcome to Salem Witch Trials Daily 0:06 July 8, 1692 spectral attack report 0:12 Names accused as specters 0:18 Elizabeth Ballard also reportedly attacked00:00 Welcome to the Show00:02 Hosts Introduction00:06 July 8 1692 Attacks00:16 Elizabeth Ballard Targeted

Blood in Salem, Fire in Boston: July 5, 1692We track a chilling July 5, 1692 as Salem Village suspicion turns physical: Bray Wilkins suffers painful bladder trouble and urinates blood shortly after a heated argument over John Willard’s alleged witchcraft, with Bray citing the afflicted testimony and the coroner’s inquest into Daniel Wilkins’ death as proof. Meanwhile in Boston, we follow Mercy Short’s disturbing fits as Cotton Mather and neighbors observe her descriptions of the devil—short, black, tawny-skinned, straight-haired, in a high-crowned hat, with a cloven hoof—and record her defiant warning about Boston burning. By night, a major North End fire erupts, starting at the King’s Head Tavern and burning 20 buildings, with Mather’s account implying Mercy’s words came before the blaze.00:00 Daily Introduction00:08 Wilkins Blames Willard00:55 Mercy Short Observed01:02 Devil Description01:22 Prophecy And Fire01:45 Boston North End Blaze

July 7, 1692: A New Attorney General and Strange Specters in Topsfield and GloucesterWe take you straight into Thursday, July 7, 1692, as Anthony Checkley is appointed King’s Attorney General, replacing Thomas Newton after Newton leaves the Court of Oyer and Terminer for a role as Secretary of New Hampshire. From there, our Salem Witch Trials timeline turns unsettling: in Topsfield, Mary Esty’s specter allegedly appears to Margaret Reddington with fresh meat—only to vanish after being told it wasn’t fit for dogs. In Gloucester, Ebenezer Babson reports two men fleeing his home into a swamp, prompting him to move his family to a garrison house, where they still hear people outside before Babson sees the men run again toward the swamp.00:00 Welcome and Hosts00:05 New Attorney General00:18 Mary Esty Specter Tale00:29 Babson Swamp Scare

Rebecca Nurse Excommunicated: Salem Town Church Vote, July 3, 1692We take you straight into Salem Town on Sunday, July 3, 1692, where the Salem Witch Trials collide with Puritan worship as church members vote unanimously to excommunicate Rebecca Nurse, convicted of witchcraft just days earlier. Brought from jail to the meetinghouse, Rebecca hears Minister Nicholas Noyes declare her spiritually unclean and unfit for the sacraments, echoing the hardline belief Samuel Parris preached in March: no one can be both saint and devil, and a suspected witch cannot approach the Lord’s table. This episode spotlights the tense church discipline, communion controversy, and religious logic driving the Salem witchcraft crisis. Chapters: Morning worship service (00:00); Church vote on Rebecca Nurse (00:20); Noyes delivers excommunication (00:45); “Devil and saint” theology explained (01:15).00:00 Daily Introduction00:10 Rebecca Nurse Excommunicated00:26 Noyes Declares Her Unclean00:42 Devil or Saint Doctrine00:58 Banned From Communion

Candy’s Poppets Ignite the Salem Courtroom (July 4, 1692) — Plus Rebecca Nurse ReprievedWe take you into the Salem Witch Trials courtroom on July 4, 1692, where magistrates Bartholomew Gedney and John Hathorne examine Candy and her enslaver Margaret Hawkes and the proceedings erupt into chaos when Candy produces “poppets” made of knotted cloth—triggering fits, claims of pinching, and reactions when the court burns and dunks the items in water, later described by Beverly minister John Hale. We also trace the urgent effort to save Rebecca Nurse after her June 29 conviction, including jury foreman Thomas Fisk’s explanation for reversing an initial acquittal, Nurse’s appeal about misunderstood testimony in a noisy courtroom, and a petition signed by 39 supporters that leads Governor William Phips to grant her a reprieve.00:00 July 4 Court Opens00:18 Candy Accused00:54 Poppets In Evidence01:49 Hale Records Aftermath02:22 Hathorne Name Note02:33 Nurse Appeal Effort03:23 Phips Grants Reprieve

July 2, 1692: Ann Pudeator Examined, Dorcas Hoar Indicted, Sarah Wilds ConvictedWe head straight into the courtroom drama of the Salem Witch Trials on July 2, 1692, as magistrates press Ann Pudeator over accusations tied to the devil’s book, suspicious “ointments,” and the death of Jeremiah Neal’s wife—then the afflicted girls’ fits abruptly stop when Pudeator is ordered to touch their wrists. Next, Dorcas Hoar faces the grand jury on charges of afflicting Elizabeth Hubbard and Mary Walcott, with testimony describing choking, biting, and pinching during Hoar’s earlier examination, and both indictments come back billa vera (true bill). Finally, the trial of Sarah Wilds unfolds through years-old grudges, livestock losses, spectral assaults, and eerie fits, even as family testimony defends her—ending with a guilty verdict and her looming execution on July 19. Keywords: Salem Witch Trials, July 1692, Ann Pudeator, Dorcas Hoar, Sarah Wilds, billa vera, grand jury, spectral evidence.00:00 Daily Overview00:15 Ann Pudeator Examined01:40 Ointments and Fits02:36 Dorcas Hoar Indicted04:28 Sarah Wilds Trial Begins05:27 Old Grudges and Specters08:50 Paralysis and Pain Testimony10:49 Defense Witnesses12:02 Verdict and Execution

Salem Witch Trials Daily — July 1, 1692: Candy Examined, Mare “Blue Flame” Deposition, Martha Carrier IndictedSix months into the Salem Witch Trials, dozens remain jailed, one execution has occurred, and trials and convictions continue. On July 1, 1692, John Putnam Jr. and Thomas Putnam filed a complaint accusing Margaret Hawkes and Candy of afflicting Mary Walcott, Mary Warren, and Ann Putnam Jr., leading to both women’s arrests; no further action is recorded for Hawkes, but Candy’s detailed examination record survives. That same day, Thomas Andrews testified against Elizabeth How, expanding on the notorious “mare incident” previously described on June 27, claiming a lit pipe applied to a mare produced a blue flame that ignited its hair before they ended the experiment to protect a barn. Also, prosecutors presented two indictments of Martha Carrier to the grand jury for allegedly afflicting Mary Walcott and Elizabeth Hubbard, and the jury indicted her on both, though her trial would not occur until August 3.00:00 Six Months In00:43 Complaint Against Candy01:10 Blue Flame Mare Tale02:08 Martha Carrier Indicted02:24 Trial Date Teaser

June 30, 1692: New Depositions, Indictments, and Convictions in the Salem Witch TrialsJosh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack recount Thursday, June 30, 1692, when the Salem court schedule overflowed with new testimony, indictments, and verdicts. A late deposition against already-convicted Susannah Martin revisited earlier accusations from 1669 and linked her to reports of a threatening “she-devil” warning and a spectral cat attack, emphasizing claims of hidden knowledge. Elizabeth How’s proceedings continued with multiple witnesses connecting disputes to livestock misfortunes and damaged goods; the grand jury indicted her for allegedly afflicting Mary Walcott and Mary Lewis, and the trial jury convicted her. The grand jury heard extensive spectral and ghost testimony against Elizabeth Procter and John Procter; Elizabeth was convicted but spared immediate execution due to pregnancy, while John was indicted and convicted. Finally, older testimony involving the Andrews brothers’ scythe and uncanny mishaps contributed to Sarah Wilds being indicted for afflicting Mercy Lewis.00:00 June 30 Court Opens00:22 Susannah Martin Deposition01:24 Shadow Cat Encounter02:20 Elizabeth How Testimony05:47 How Convicted05:58 Case Against Elizabeth Procter07:56 Ghosts and Healing Rumors09:41 Elizabeth Procter Verdict10:12 John Procter Indicted11:23 Sarah Wilds Scythe Story14:23 Wilds Indicted and Wrap Up