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The Dramatic Second Arrest of Witchcraft Suspect Mary Esty: May 20, 1692
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
View all episodes
By Josh Hutchinson and Sarah JackMidnight 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