The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1867-11-23
Misfellauenns.
SALEM wlTOHORAFT.

England history that has acquired snch a
world wide notoriety US the execution ot
twenty witches in Salem village in l6o2
On what is this notoriety foun,led? 1t "
certainly not on the fact that the dclusion
here originated; for 1t is as old as the annas
of history or revelation 60 back. "Ihou
shalt not suffer a witch to live" Ex. N-r
lS) is an Injunction OF the Hebrew code.
Numa, the Roman lawgiver, appealing to
a popular belief among his co,intrymen,
pretended that he had revelations from The
unseen world. In heather countries the
belief in dabolism is universal, nnd, instead
of being reproach to hold such inter-
course, to be magician Is to be phlloso'
pier. In tho thirteenth century Pope limo
cent VIII issued bill against witches. a
single Judge in the district Of Lorainno IN
France, from 1880 to 1895, condemned and
caused to be executed more than nine hun.
dred persons for wiichcraft. TychO Brnhe,
the prince of astronomers, kept an idiot,
and listened to his incoherent mulnhling|
as revelations from the spirit world. Marln
Luther believed that the devil ut night
brought him hazel.nuts and cracked them
on his bedpost. From 1000 to 100 there
were witch trials all over Europe; hun
dreds were hanged in England, und thou
s,nds in Scotland. lanes Howell, clerk Of
bis Maies,y's Priyy Council, writing to a
friend in iG46. saws awe have nlutitudes
OF witches among US. In Essex and Sui
folk there were above two hundred iniIi'
Gated within these two years, and above tho
onc.half of them were executed. Col
guard us from the Devil" Howcll's Let
/ ters. lG73 paye 39O.) Again he SAYS, Feb.
r,ary, iCii Within tho compass Of two
yenrs. nenr ,ipon three hundred witches
were nrrn;yneJ and the mnior ,mrt exc.
cu,ed in Es.ey and Suffolk only. Scot.
I,nJ swarm, will Them more Than ever,
nnd ncrsons Of GOOD quality arc executed
Jn;lv." IIow 6nnpens il lin, SO much hns
been snd or the Salem trials, and so llth
I'm, bcen known of the English prccc-
dents?
One explanation is found in tho fact That
witch trial, were so nifcquent in tho New
England colonies, aud were uncongenial TO
the character and general intelligence of
the people.
| p,,,.,,;,,,s ,,.L;.b i, E,,,,,d pro,I,ccd
,;uIc ;mnrcssion. when enacted on New
En.lonI soil flied ,be popuIar mind with
-. mn, .nns.J !, bs,hLG,l rc,c,ion,
, m,'a. ,,".on, "m 49,, ,h. social rcsncc,,blv
', VII ,,',,'".,;,nJ e" ".V nnr,, cLarac,er or ,hs
""u "" p''.,,",I ,,% ~ ,Lo;r ;nJ,es ,nJ
ro'so"e .''"sonI a:u VI IL ,,. Joa',;n.. LIE,
, ,me en'Hc puo"."y " wy pJ.vIs p,'.''s,
imo u,"'I "e.o .;,a" ae' ,,., y we "o",;,,.I " A.
n'um uo .ss''';,u ;,',:,,;",;ons a; '."r" con
wr.'nS, an" ,''o n'osuS"s ,'',;,'..,;n, w." srh.
uucted WIN oecolu''' allu uo"'"'ao. ',' .,' o
I,"ss ,,, "n ,,aW 'uU ,,,,. "", 10, ,r;,t and ,h:,
~ !, - .",a.i..I ;,' .has,I,, ,,.Jnr,,;,cs Tbe
"o.,;",, ,,,,;.,, .o,s;nnsI ,wcniv ;nnoc.nt
,,;,,;,,,. ~ ,,,o rni, M mor,vroIorv ,ycr, Mn,
n.n . III, w I nc Jo,,s;nn ;yI,;cb boL cursed
u.'..a.';,', . :, -, 49, Tbo ;,n,oT,,nce oc
n"'! :" ~" -. ~, ,,o.,, own.
,ness eve",s . nus, u.eso'','' ~" oIo";.., AZ
.aT", W 20 "y ;",sss,
"o" 10 "'.'" H.,
"hch W'a's ih Tue hmc,,.a'I o''o,.S W.,,.u wv
NOT commence al salem yl'Iage. "nn,o'', ,,,
rem pres'1eu ~ ,ne "'a' W u wv J"os." I",
WITCHES ln ms c"io"y, y WIZ ;,I;,,non, uS."'' ,rh.
c'c"on Ny INV ~ '"o ~. M"s...,,,.,,,s
, lnT. WIZ e"" Ws."..,, Ia,o. of CL0rins,own
So =, ,hc ,""r " M IGis Tho ,nhs,nnc, of ,be
~ uno yea' .o,1. D.. ..u'.I "U CO. ho ,ho, sho
tnIse. .,.:, aSaS' anI "s' ,n,"na oc I.r own .nI
undertook 70 practice Ms female pl,ysician
Goy. Win,hron. who presided a, her trial,
co,,,or,ed b;mselr In his journal that the
matter w,s nil r;rht. for ",hc same day
nnd hour sbe WINS executed, there was a
very great tempest a, Connecticut which
blew Jown mnnv trees. &c." In 1861
there was a stir on tho subject Mt Spring
field, hut there were no convictions. In
1856, Mrs. Hibbins. the widow of prom.
in,nt Bo,,on merchant, and a sister of Gov.
Bellinrham. was hung as a witch. The
woman wns n turbulent md troublesome
person, and in these days would be regard.
ed ns insane. A belief in witches at this
time was universal the world over. A
witch was person who had made DELHI
cra,e and formal con,ract with Satan, to he
his faithful subject, aud to aid him in his
warfare against Christ and his church. In
consideration of this service Satan agreed
, 70 communicate 10 this person his super-
natural powers 10 such degree rs the pnr.
; 10 nroyed himself mr. herself mn cff;ricn,
: and devoted oly. The General Cour, nbout
. this ,imc nnnoin,cd n dav of bumiI;ntion'
in y;cw NJ ,ho Iac, Tim, Satan nrcv,;Is
nnonp ms in respec, TO wi,chcrails.
: Ne. Co.. ,,', .,.,. :, S.,.., .u,.
IT, ,.as @ n", ,h. ~ r;,la"" c SaIps'' Sso'
, '". "I "S' W ~" n0 .,, 'sU , W Sa,on ',
,n;i.. J;s,on, md i no,v ,h. ,o,"n", % n.u
> 49, porI,,ns nv sno, i, Nn,. E,.I",'a
,.as 80 c,sr,oI :, ,bo a',,,,,. ,.a.,,s, ".'i
ch,roc,cr ] NJ ;,s orC;n"i sr,,"rs ,ha" % S,i", %
v;ll,"e Hc,o Gov Ei;nco,, ,,nJ"d % ,.;,,'
liz r,,;,,. ;n 1850 -, -. .a ~. "''
.,,s.".'. m u. IL. ~ 80 W., % u'''o "as no
su.m s,.,,u'i;,' .n,"u. nI % p,vnsa. Iioen 'I1
sI,"sss , rs, .o ~ ~ W IN, i ""ai o .,eale"
"'gG "as' ~ ;a, '"'I i,;t ;o"., anu pre-,
, p,uw a ~, uuu". ns ",.,, s .,,t ,1.a'nts anu
nay p,,S"ns S', y, In, u",.. sn'eIeu no",,t
l','i "''u Ia'em 'ius, ~, mHs ans metropolis
..,n,', " ma'Ses ..;'a :, % "" Up =, ,so anu I's
. .o"i' m''H ~ r.'., so" y" looo: 'iere
WI, ,, n'u .s,,,';. ssS " n, ', ,,t. townns' S one
% ~ uo T.rs' n...';' "s, "',,,. WIZ" W T so', S'r'