The Witch of Salem; or, Credulity Run Mad Read online

  CHAPTER XIII.

  CREDULITY RUN MAD.

  The weird sisters, hand in hand, Posters of the sea and land, Thus do go about, about; Thrice to thine, and thrice to mine, And thrice again, to make up nine. --Shakespeare.

  Charles Stevens was detained in New York until early in 1692. First hebecame involved in trouble through his sympathy with the unfortunateLeisler family and was thrown into prison; but a few days later he wasreleased on bond. Then he lingered awaiting his trial; but the case wasfinally dismissed, and then he joined an expedition against the Indianson the frontier. He wrote home regularly and never failed to mentionCora in his letter. All the while, Charles was at a loss to decidewhether it was Cora or Adelpha who had won his affections. Adelpha'sgreat misfortune and grief only seemed to endear her to him, for thenoblest hearts grow more tender with sorrow.

  Early in 1692, he returned to Salem after an absence of ten months.Great changes were soon to come about. Salem was about to enter uponthat career of madness known in history as Salem Witchcraft. There arefew portions of ancient or modern history which exhibit stranger or moretragical and affecting scenes than that known as Salem Witchcraft, andfew matters of authentic history remain so deeply shrouded in mystery atthe present day. The delusion has never been satisfactorily explained,and time seems to obscure rather than throw light upon the subject.

  At this period, the belief in witchcraft was general throughoutChristendom, as is evinced by the existence of laws for the punishmentof witches and sorcerers in almost every kingdom, state, province andcolony. Persons suspected of being witches, or wizards, were tried,condemned and put to death by the authority of the most enlightenedtribunals in Europe. Only a few years before the occurrences in NewEngland, Sir Matthew Hale, a judge highly and justly renowned for thestrength of his understanding, the variety of his knowledge and theeminent Christian graces which adorned his character, had, after a longand anxious investigation, adjudged a number of men and women to die forthis offence.

  Only a few rare minds, such as Charles Stevens, living far in advance ofthe age, were skeptical on the subject of witchcraft. These boldspirits placed themselves in great danger of being "cried out upon" aswitches themselves.

  This delusion had its fountain-head in Salem; but it was by no meansconfined to this locality. It spread all over the American colonies and,like most superstitions, hovered along the frontier, where it wasfostered in the shadow of ignorance and grew in the dark halls ofsuperstition. The author will not deny that there are many, to this day,who attribute what they do not in the light of reason understand, tosupernatural agencies. In Virginia, in Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois andMissouri there existed, in their early days, strange stories ofwitchcraft.

  If the butter did not form from the milk, some witch was in the churn.If the cattle died of an epidemic, or a disease unknown to the poorscience of the day, it was the result of witchcraft. If a child or grownperson was afflicted with some strange disease, such as epilepsy, the"jerks," "St. Vitus' dance," "rickets" or other strange nervouscomplaints, which they could not understand, they at once attributed itto witchcraft.

  There sprang up a class of people called "witch-doctors" who, it wasclaimed, had power to dispel the charm and bring the witch to grief. Theonly way a witch could relieve herself and reestablish her power was togo to the house of the person bewitched and borrow something. As, inthose early days, all articles of domestic use were scarce, andneighbors depended on borrowing, many an old lady was amazed to findherself refused, and was wholly unable to account for the suddencoolness of persons, whom she had always loved.

  Mr. Parris, the fanatic, fraud and schemer, perhaps did more to augmentwitchcraft, than any other person in the colonies. Parris was ambitious.The circle of young girls, as the reader will remember, first held theirseances at his home. Their young nervous systems were so wrought upon,that, at their age in life, they were thrown into spasms resemblingepileptic fits. Instead of treating their disease scientifically, assuch cases would be treated at present, the parson foolishly declaredthat they were bewitched. Those children could not have been whollyimpostors. They were deceived by the preachers and the zealous,bloodthirsty bigots into actually believing some of the statements theyuttered. Their nerves were shattered, their imaginations wrought upon,until they took almost any shape capricious fancy or the evil-mindedParris would dictate.

  When Charles Stevens arrived in Salem, instead of finding the dreadsuperstition a thing of the past, to be forgotten or remembered onlywith a sense of shuddering shame, he found that the flame had beenfanned to a conflagration. Mr. Parris and Mr. Noyes contrived to preachfrom their pulpits sermons on protean devils and monsters of the air,until the more credulous of their congregations were almost driven toinsanity. One evening, as Parris was passing the home of Goody Vance,she met him at the door, and, with a face blanched with fear andannoyance, said:

  "Mr. Parris, I am grievously annoyed with a witch in my churn."

  "What does she do?" he asked.

  "She prevents the butter from forming, and I have churned until my armsseem as if they would drop off."

  The parson's face grew grave, and, going to a certain tree, he brokesome switches from it and entered the house.

  "Take the milk from the churn," he said. "Pour it into a skillet andplace the skillet on the coals before the fire."

  This was done, and the astounded housewife, with her numerous children,stood gazing at the pastor, who, with his white, cadaverous face, thinlips and hooked nose, looked as if he might have power over the spiritsof darkness. He drew a chair up before the fire and, seating himself,began whipping the milk, saying:

  "I do this in the name of the Lord," which he repeated with everystroke.

  At every stroke he repeated, "I do this in the name ofthe Lord."]

  Goody Nurse, who was on the best of terms with Goody Vance, hadunfortunately broken the spindle of her wheel and, knowing that herneighbor had an extra one, came to borrow it. She was astonished to seetheir pastor seated before a skillet of milk whipping it with switches.No sooner was her errand made known, than Parris, leaping to his feet,cried:

  "No! no! lend her nothing, or you will break the spell! Avaunt, vilewitch, or I will scourge you until your shoulders are bare andbleeding."

  Goody Nurse, astonished and terrified, retired, and next Lord's day theincident formed a theme for Mr. Parris' sermon. This was the firstsermon Charles had heard since his return.

  "Mother, I will go no more to hear Mr. Parris," Charles declared, onreaching home.

  "You must, my son. The laws of the colony compel the attendance ondivine worship."

  "Such laws should be repealed as foolish. Compel one to go to church, tolisten to such nonsense!" and Charles hurried away in disgust.

  Cora had been watching him during his conversation with his mother. Hehad scarcely been able to speak with her at all since his return.Charles turned toward her as he ceased speaking, and Cora, seeming todread meeting his eyes, was about to disappear into her room, when hecalled her:

  "Cora, don't go away. I must talk with you."

  "What would you say?" she asked, her heart fluttering in her bosom likea captive bird.

  "There is much. Let us go down to the brook and sit on the green banksas we used to do."

  She trembled, hesitated a moment and acquiesced. They went slowly downthe path, neither saying a word until the brook was reached. When theywere seated on the bank, Charles asked:

  "Cora, are you still persecuted by Mr. Parris? Does he continue todenounce you?"

  "He does."

  "That is an evidence that he is a man of low qualities. And he stillassails Goody Nurse?"

  "Yes, sir. Goody Nurse, Goody Corey, Bishop and Casty have all beencried out upon, and it is not known when they will stop."

  "This craze has assumed dangerous proportions, Cora."

  "It has. They are going to law," she answered. "Some are already injail."

  "I have he
ard of it, and, with prejudiced judges and juries and falsewitnesses, life will be in great peril."

  "I know it."

  Then Charles was silent for a moment, listening to the song of a bird inits leafy bower. When the feathered songster had warbled forth his layand flown to a distant tree on which to try its notes, Charles asked:

  "Have you seen your father recently?"

  "He was here two months ago."

  "Did he want to take you away with him?"

  "He did; but I could not go. I promised to remain until your return."

  "Cora, may it not be dangerous so far on the frontier?"

  "There is danger; but he has secured me a home with the family of Mr.Dustin, where he thinks I will be safe."

  "Is your father's brother with him?"

  "He is."

  "Did they come here together?"

  "Yes; they are inseparable."

  "Cora, don't you think there is some mystery about those brothers, whichyou do not understand?"

  "I know there is."

  "Were they both players?"

  "I believe they once were."

  "Have you told your father of the persecutions of Mr. Parris?"

  "Not all."

  "Why not?"

  "It would have done no good, and would have caused him unnecessaryannoyance," she answered meekly.

  "Just like you, Cora, always afraid of making some one trouble."

  Her eyes were on the brooklet and filled with tears, as she rememberedhow happy Adelpha Leisler had been when at Salem, and how heavily thehand of affliction had fallen upon her.

  "Charles, were you with her when it happened?" she asked.

  "I was."

  "Did you comfort her?"

  "Such poor words of comfort as one can offer on such occasions, I gaveher," he answered.

  "It was so sad, and she is so good, so kind and so noble. Did she bearup well under her great afflictions?"

  "As well as one could."

  "Alas, the fires of affliction are to try the faithful. God gave herstrength to bear up under her trials and sufferings."

  "Her troubles are over, Cora, and ours are but just begun."

  "What do you mean?"

  "This cloud of superstition which is settling about us may engulf us inruin."

  She made no answer. Cora was very pretty as she sat on the embankment,her eyes upon the crystal stream, gliding onward like a gushing,gleesome child, and he could not but declare her the most beautifulbeing he had ever seen. Charles Stevens was no coquette. He was nottrifling with the heart or happiness of either Cora or Adelpha, and hehad never yet spoken a word of love to either. Both had won hissympathy, his esteem and admiration; but, until he had satisfied himselfwhich had in reality won his heart, he would make no avowal to either.Seeing that what he said was calculated to throw a shade of gloom overher, he changed the subject by saying:

  "Let us not anticipate evil, Cora. Wait until it is upon us."

  "Spoken like a philosopher," she answered; "but, Charles, if you seeevil in the future, why not all go away?"

  "Where should we go?"

  "Far to the north and east. My father has found a home in the heart of agreat, dense forest. There man is as free as the birds of the air, andnothing can fetter thought or will. No bigoted pastor can say, 'Youshall worship God in this fashion;' but all are permitted to worship Godas they choose. There are only the friendly skies, the grand old forestand God to judge human actions, instead of narrow-minded people, withfalse notions of religion."

  "I could not go, Cora."

  "Why not?"

  "This is my home. I know no other. Over in yonder church-yard, sleeps mysainted father. He won this pleasant home from the stern, unyieldingwilderness, and I will not be driven from it by a set of false fanatics,who accuse, or may accuse us of impossible crimes."

  "Charles, if my father builds us a home in the great wilderness, won'tyou and your mother come and visit with us, until this storm cloud hasblown away? I do not ask you to give up your home. I do not ask you toshrink from the defence of it; but a short sojourn abroad cannot bethought to be an abandonment. You should accept our hospitality toafford us an opportunity to repay the debt of gratitude we owe, as wellas to secure your mother from an annoyance, which is growing painful."

  Her argument was very strong and had its weight with Charles.

  "When do you expect your father?" he asked.

  "Any time, or no time. He knows not himself when he may come. Poorfather; he hath labored arduously to subdue the forest and build us ahome. We had nothing,--we were slaves."

  "But slaves no longer, Cora."

  "Why not? Our term has not expired."

  "King William has pardoned all the participators in Monmouth'srebellion."

  For a moment, she was overwhelmed with joy and, clapping her hands,gazed toward heaven, murmuring:

  "Oh my God, I thank thee!" but, anon, the reaction came. The pardon forparticipation in Monmouth's rebellion was granted; but the subsequentcrime--the flight from the master and the slaying of the overseer--couldnot be cured by the king's pardon to the Monmouth rebels. With a gaspingsob, she said:

  "But that other--that awful thing?"

  "What, Cora?"

  "The flight, the pursuit and the death of the overseer. Oh, Charles, wecan never be safe, while that hangs over us."

  Charles Stevens gazed upon the pretty face bathed in tears, beheld theagony which seemed to overwhelm her, and his soul went out toward thepoor maid. He had little consolation to offer; but his fertile brain wasnot wholly barren of resources.

  "Cora, don't give way to despair," he said. "What your father did wasright and justifiable, though technically the law may take a differentview. I have a relative living in Virginia, wealthy and influential. Ishall write to him to procure a pardon for your father."

  "I know him. The good man, Robert Stevens, who so kindly gave us a homeand aided us to escape. He will do all he can for us."

  "He is rich and powerful, and I believe he can ultimately procure apardon for Mr. Waters."

  Having consoled her, they rose and returned to the house.

  That same evening, Charles Stevens met John Bly near the house of hismother.

  "How have you been, John?" Charles asked. "This is the first time I haveseen you since my return."

  "I am as well as one can be who has been ridden twenty leagues," Blyanswered.

  "Ridden twenty leagues?" cried Charles Stevens in amazement. "Pray whatdo you mean?"

  "I was turned into a horse last night and ridden twenty leagues duringthe darkness, and I am sore and almost exhausted now."

  Charles laughed and passed on.

  "I verily believe that all are going mad," he thought. As he went away,he heard Bly say:

  "Verily, if you doubt that this one Martin is a witch, fall but once inher power, and you will give ear to what I have said of her."

  Next day he met John Kembal, a woodman. Kembal had his axe on hisshoulder, and his face was very pale.

  "Charles, why did you not tarry in the west?" he asked. "Why came youback to this land most accursed of devils."

  "John Kembal, have you, too, gone mad over this delusion of witchcraft?"asked Charles.

  "Charles, verily, you have forgotten that the Scriptures say that hethat hath eyes let him see, and he that hath ears let him hear. ThankGod, I have both eyes and ears, and I have seen and heard, though Iwould that I had not."

  "What have you seen, John Kembal?" Charles asked.

  "I will tell you without delay; but I can but pause to thank God withevery breath that she can no longer do me injury, seeing she is inprison and chains."

  "Whom do you accuse?"

  "Susanna Martin."

  "What harm has she done you?"

  "Listen, and I will tell you all that I know myself. Susanna Martin, theaccused, upon a causeless disgust, did threaten me, about a certain cowof mine, that she should never do me any more good, and it came to passaccordingly; for, soon af
ter, the cow was found dead on the dry ground,without any distemper to be discerned upon her; upon which I wasfollowed with a strange death upon more of my cattle, whereof I lost tothe value of thirty pounds."

  "Perchance, some disease broke out among them," suggested Charles.

  "Nay, nay; do not forge that excuse for this creature of darkness. Ihave more to tell. Being desirous to furnish myself with a dog, Iapplied myself to buy one of this Martin, who had a female with whelpsin her house; but she not letting me have my choice, I said I wouldsupply myself at one Blezdel's, whereupon I noticed that she was greatlydispleased. Having marked a puppy at Blezdel's, I met George Martin, thehusband of Susanna Martin, who asked me:

  "'Will you not have one of my wife's puppies?' and I answered:

  "'No; I have got one at Blezdel's, which I like better.'

  "The same day one Edmond Eliot, being at Martin's house, heard GeorgeMartin relate to his wife that I had been at Blezdel's and had bought apuppy. Whereupon Susanna Martin flew into a great rage and answered:

  "'If I live, I'll give him puppies enough!'

  "Within a few days after, I was coming out of the woods, when therearose a little black cloud in the northwest, and I immediately felt aforce upon me, which made me not able to avoid running upon the stumpsof trees that were before me, albeit I had a broad, plain cart-waybefore me; but though I had my axe on my shoulder, to endanger me in myfalls, I could not forbear going out of my way to tumble over thestumps, where the trees had been cut away. When I came below themeeting-house, there appeared unto me a little thing like a puppy, of adarkish color, and it shot backward and forward between my legs. I hadthe courage to use all possible endeavors of cutting it with my axe; butI could not hit it. The puppy gave a jump from me and went, as to me itseemed, into the ground.[C]

  [Footnote C: See Cotton Mather's "Wonders of the Invisible World," p. 144.]

  "Its motions were quicker than those of my axe."]

  "On going a little further, there appeared unto me a black puppy,somewhat bigger than the first, but as black as a coal. Its motions werequicker than those of my axe; it flew at my belly, and away; then at mythroat; so, over my shoulder one way, and then over my shoulder anotherway. My heart now began to fail me, and I thought the dog would havetorn my throat out; but I recovered myself and called upon God in mydistress; and, naming the name of Jesus Christ, it vanished away atonce."

  Charles Stevens tried to argue with Bly that he had had an attack ofblind staggers, and that the dog was only an optical delusion; but hecould in no way convince him that it was not a reality, and that he wasnot bewitched.

  According to Mr. Bancroft, New England, like Canaan, had been settled byfugitives. Like the Jews, they had fled to a wilderness. Like the Jews,they had looked to heaven for a light to lead them on. Like the Jews,they had heathen for their foes, and they derived their highestlegislation from the Jewish code. Cotton Mather said, "New England beinga country whose interests are remarkably inwrapped in ecclesiasticalcircumstances, ministers ought to concern themselves in politics."Cotton Mather and Mr. Parris did concern themselves in politics, and thelatter, being unscrupulous and ambitious as well as fanatical, causedhundreds of unfortunate people to mourn.

  The circle of children who had been meeting at the house of Mr. Parrisbegan to perform wonders. In the dull life of the country, theexcitement of the proceedings of the "circle" was welcome, no doubt, andit was always on the increase. The human mind requires amusement, as thehuman body requires food, exercise and rest, and when healthful andinnocent amusements are denied, resort is had to the low and vicious.Mr. Parris, who preached sermons against the evils of the theatre andexcommunicated the child of an actor, fostered in his own house anamusement as diabolical and dangerous as has ever been known. Results ofthat circle were wonderful. Whatever trickery there might be--and, nodoubt, there was plenty; whatever excitement to hysteria; whateveractual sharpening of common faculties, it is clear that there was more;and those who have given due and dispassionate attention to the processof mesmerism and its effects can have no difficulty in understanding thereports handed down of what these young creatures did and said and saw,under peculiar conditions of the nervous system. When the physicians ofthe district could see no explanation of the ailments of the afflictedchildren "but the evil hand," they, with one accord, came to theconclusion that their afflictions were through the agencies of Satan.

  Convulsions and epilepsy are among the many mysteries which medicalscience has not mastered to this day, and one cannot wonder that thedoctors two centuries ago should declare the afflicted ones bewitched.Then came the inquiry as to who had stricken the children, and thereadiest means that occurred was to ask this question of the childrenthemselves. At first they refused to disclose any names; but there wassoon an end to any such delicacy. The first prominent symptoms occurredin November, 1691, and the first public examination of witches tookplace March 1st, 1692, just before the return of Charles Stevens fromNew York.

  One among the first arrested was Sarah Good, a weak, ignorant, poor,despised woman, whose equally weak and ignorant husband had abandonedher, leaving her to the mercy of evil tongues. This ignorant woman wastaken to jail, and, shortly after, her child, little Dorcas, only fouryears old, was also arrested and imprisoned in chains on charge ofwitchcraft. All this met the approval of Mr. Parris, whose pale, thinface glowed with triumph as he declared:

  "Now is the coming of the Lord, and the consumption of the fire-brandsof hell."

  No wonder Charles Stevens was serious. Over twenty people were in prisonon charge of witchcraft, among them an Irish woman, a Roman Catholic,hated more on account of her religion than any suspicion of evil againsther. She was among the first to hang.

  Parris, the wild-eyed fanatic, swinging his arms about, walked up anddown the village, crying against the evil spirits of the air and longingto get his clutches on the vile actor, who had dared enter theconsecrated village of Salem.

  One evening Mr. Waters returned as mysteriously as he had disappeared.His daughter was greatly rejoiced to see him and, after the joy of thefirst greeting was over, told of all that was transpiring and of thethreats of Mr. Parris.

  "You must go away," he said.

  "When?" she asked.

  "On the morrow."

  Charles had a short talk with Mr. Waters, and arrangements were made forthe departure of Cora on the morrow. Mr. Waters retired late that nightto his room. As he was in the act of undressing, he became consciousthat a face was pressed against the window. He stood in the dark cornerwhere he could scarce be seen. He held a pistol in his hand until theface disappeared from the window, and creeping to it, looked out. Therestood a man in the broad glare of the moon. He had only to glance at histall form and his ruffian features to recognize him as the brother ofthe overseer whom he had shot in Virginia. For ten minutes Mr. Watersdid not move, but kept his eyes riveted on the man, who, instinct andreason told him, was an enemy. At last the man retired down the pathunder the hill. Mr. Waters hurriedly wrote a few lines on a scrap ofpaper, with only the moon for his candle, and, folding the letter,addressed it to his daughter and laid it on his pillow. Then he openedthe window and leaped out to the ground.

  He followed the man under the hill, where he found him in conversationwith three other men, Mr. Parris, John Bly and Louder. He was nearenough to hear what they said and catch their plans; but he did not waitto listen. As he was creeping among the bushes, a man suddenly rosebefore him. His dark, tawny skin, his blanket and features indicatedthat he was an aborigine. He had seen the white men under the hill, andhe told Mr. Waters that he had ten braves at hand.

  "Tell them to do no one harm, Oracus," said Mr. Waters. "I have neverharmed mankind, save in defence, and, God willing, I never will. I amgoing away."

  The Indian silently bowed and disappeared into the forest. Mr. Waterspaused under a large oak tree and gazed at the house where his daughterwas sleeping so peacefully; then he went away to the great north woods.

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