The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1821-1823, 1821-12-26
MISCELLANY.
From the New York Daily Advertiser j
WITCHCRaFT.

The following concise history of Witchcraft,
as it occurred in the province of Massachu-
sets Bay, from the middle to near the close
of the seventeenth century, is copied from
President Dwight's Travels, the first volume
OF which has just been published. As it is,
the only connected account of this extraor-
binary infatuation that we have ever met
with, we think it will prove amusing to.our
readers -
Is From the year 1915. when the first
suspicion of witchcraft in New-Epgland
began at Springfield, several persons
were accused of this crime. OF those
who were accused, four Ito wit, one at
'Charlestown, one at Dorchester, one at
Cambridge, and one at Boston,) were
executed. For almost thirty years az
forwards, the subject, seems to have
slept in tolerable quiet. But in the
year 1857, or 1855, four of the children
of John Goodwin, respectable inhab-
liant of Boston, united in accusing
poor Irish woman of bewitching them.
The accusation was unhappily regard
ed with an attention which it very i'll
deserved, Not only did the citizens in,
the neighbourhood treat the subject as
a thing of consequence but a number
of the clergy held day of fasting and
prayer on the occasion, at the house of
Mr.. Goodwin. This unhappy measure
gave the affair a solcmn aspect at once.
The poor woman, who seems to have
been Supplied with. terrcur, or bewil-
dered by Distraction. was apprehended.
An inquest of physicians pronounced her
to be of sound mind. In consequence
Of this decision, she was tried and exc
cuted. An account of the whole trans
action was published and so generally.
were the wise. and good, as well as the
weak and wicked of this century, con-
WINGED of the reality of witchcraft, that
we ind not only Mr.. Baxter writing a
preface to the account, and declaring
him who would not believe it to be an
obdurate Sadducee, but Granville pub
fishing the stories of witches-Sir
Matthew Hale trying them,in the Court
of Kings Bench /; several eminent law
yers laying down rules for convicting
them; and several grave ciergymen,
such as Perkins and Bernard, undertake
ing TO prove the existence, and defin-
ing the characteristics, evidences, and
boundaries Of witchcraft. With all
these preparatives, it cannot be surpris-
ing, that at time when the reality of
witchcfaft had never been questioned,
and in country where it scarcely ever
had been doubted, the case of these
children should make deep impress
sion. The same general conviction
prevailed every where. Every where
persons suspected of being witches and
wizards were tried, condemned and
executed, by the authority of the first
tribunal Of Europe, as well as by infe-
riour judicatories. In England more
persons were executed in single
county, than in all the colonies of New
England, from. the arrival of the Ply
mouth settlers to the present time.
The truth, as every intelligent and
candid man will acknowledge, is-the
existence of witchcraft had never been
taken up by the human mind as a sub
jectef Investigation. This capital point
had been uniformly omitted /; and every
inquirer, instead'of examining whether
there was such thing as witchcraft,
directed all his efforts TO determine
what were its causes, characteristics
proofs, limits and effects. Where such
was the nature. of discussions, formed
by Statesman, judges, Lawyers anc
Divines the only proper question con
corning this subject must, il is obvious
be naturally and universally forgotten
Near the close Of February, 1892
two girls, about eIevn years Of age {;
daughter. and niece of Mr.. Paris
minister Of Paris, then Salem village,
and two other girls in the neighbour
hood, began as the children of MIR
Goodwin had done before, to act in
peculiar aud unaccountable manner
creeping, for example, into holes ant
under chairs, using many unnatural ges
lures, and uttering many ridiculous OBJ
servations, equally destitute Of sense