Salem Witch Trials Daily

September 13, 1692: Ann Foster Convicted as Wardwell Recants and John Alden EscapesOn Tuesday, September 13, 1693, Ann Foster, a confessor, was found guilty of witchcraft, and Samuel Wardwell retracted his own confession, perhaps because two confessors were convicted on September 10 and another today.Around this time in September 1692, Capt. John Alden escaped the Boston jail and began making his way to New York, where he found safety until the witch trials were over.Chapters00:00 Daily Introduction00:08 Joan Penny Accused00:20 Ann Foster Testimony01:00 Ann Foster Convicted01:13 Wardwell Recants01:46 Spectral Attacks Reported02:01 Wilmot Redd Summons02:09 Alden Jail Escape LinksSalem Witch-Hunt Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/salemwitchhuntSalem Witch Trials History YouTube: https://youtube.com/@aboutwitchhuntsThe Thing About the Salem Witch Trials: https://aboutsalem.comSalem Witch Trials Daily: https://aboutsalem.com/salem-witch-trials-daily/The Thing About Witch Hunts: https://aboutwitchhunts.com

September 12, 1692: 50 Witches and a Jail BillOn Monday, September 12, 1692, sisters-in-law Alice and Elizabeth Booth claimed they saw a witches’ sabbat in Salem featuring 50 spectral witches. The Booths said they knew 13 of the witches and that the group shared a sacrament of bread and wine. Giles Cory even supposedly offered the sacrament to the Booths and then afflicted them when they declined.In Boston today, jailer John Arnold submitted a bill for keeping numerous witchcraft suspects and others. He billed the colonial government for shackles, locks, repairs, and food for the inmates.Chapters00:00 Welcome and Introductions00:05 Booths Report Witch Sabbath00:24 Refusing the Sacrament00:43 Jail Costs and Repairs01:21 How Much Is 40 Pounds01:38 Upfront Costs Conclusion LinksSalem Witch-Hunt Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/salemwitchhuntSalem Witch Trials History YouTube: https://youtube.com/@aboutwitchhuntsThe Thing About the Salem Witch Trials: https://aboutsalem.comSalem Witch Trials Daily: https://aboutsalem.com/salem-witch-trials-daily/The Thing About Witch Hunts: https://aboutwitchhunts.com

Samuel Parris Declares a “War with the Lamb” as Salem Condemns Six and Excommunicates Martha CoryOn 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 Introduction00:08 Condemned for Witchcraft00:25 Revelation Text Chosen01:08 War Between Christ and Satan02:17 History and Politics in Sermon03:15 Reassurance of Final Victory03:52 Four Uses of the Text04:20 Witches Among Churchgoers05:12 Two Sides Only06:08 Afternoon Warning Against Rebellion06:38 Disobedience as War on Christ07:44 Endure as Soldiers of Christ08:08 Martha Cory Excommunicated09:24 Why the Sermon Mattered09:43 Invitation to More Accusations10:15 Closing Reflection LinksSalem Witch-Hunt Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/salemwitchhuntSalem Witch Trials History YouTube: https://youtube.com/@aboutwitchhuntsThe Thing About the Salem Witch Trials: https://aboutsalem.comSalem 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, 1692We 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 Introduction00:07 Sentences and Warrants00:53 Grand Jury Indictments02:04 Colson Spectral Attacks02:49 Pudeator After Conviction03:12 Rebecca Jacobs Petition04:25 September Convictions ShiftLinks:Salem Witch-Hunt Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/salemwitchhuntSalem Witch Trials History YouTube: https://youtube.com/@aboutwitchhuntsThe Thing About the Salem Witch Trials: https://aboutsalem.comSalem 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 LinksSalem Witch-Hunt Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/salemwitchhuntSalem Witch Trials History YouTube: https://youtube.com/@aboutwitchhuntsThe Thing About the Salem Witch Trials: https://aboutsalem.comSalem Witch Trials Daily: https://aboutsalem.com/salem-witch-trials-daily/The Thing About Witch Hunts: https://aboutwitchhunts.com