Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1871-02-10
The Simple yet Little Known Facts
of History.

In the year 1899, at Salem, In the Puritan
colony of Massachusetts, accusations of
witchcraft was brought against several
persons. A special court was ordered by
the Governor for their trial, and the whole
community showed the deepest interest In
the result. The evidence received was
such as may be found in nearly all similar
trials in Europe; It was conclusive of the
guilt of the accoed to the minds of the
Judges, and they aEere condemned and
executed on the gallows by order of this
switch court"
. The excitement increased; many more
were accused and held for examination;
but the whole matter being brought before
the representatives of the people in their
annual assembly, the special court was alb
ropated, and three months delay obtained.
People grew calm, and reasoned together,
and when the accused were tried before
the legal colonial court, all were released.
Belief in witch craft came to a violent end
for the first time in the worlds history.
The strong good sense Of the Puritans
overthrow one of the most deeply-rooted
superstitions of the ages
While the foregoing contains the simple
facts of the Salem case, as related by
every historian of credit, nothing Is more
common than for ignorant or malicious
persons to refer to the Puritan belief in
witchcraft as an evidence of peculiar in
tolerance and religious fanaticism.
While the Puritans believed in the power
of witches and in demoniacal possessson
until 1892 it is fact that they held their
| opinions in common with the whole civil
| lized world. A belief In witchcraft meets
us at the very dawn of authentic history.
Instances are recorded In the Old Testa-
ment, and Moses commanded the children
of Israel, "SuHer not witch to live" 1t
was common faith in the pagan world,
and fourished through the splendid civil
| cations of Greece and Rome. Philoso-
| pliers, naturaists and conquerors, Cicero,
| Pliny, and the Caesars, were equally its
dupes
With the common tenacity of error,
witchcraft survived the wreck of laws and
learning, in the fall of the Roman world
and gathering strength into the twilight
of the middle ages, 1t was much matter
Of belief until the beginning of the
eighteenth century as the Christian re-
ligion. Not only were both branches OF
the Christian Church fully committed to
it by the united voice of Popes, Bishops
clergy, and canon law, but it was unques
toned by the universities and philoso
pliers, and recognized by the statute law
due, Erasmus, Luther, Melancthon, and
Calvin, could here join their adversaIies
on common ground. Belief in human
spirits acting through the human agency
of witches, was no superstition, but simple
fact to minds like Shakespeare, Milton
Hobbs, and even down to the time o
Locke. Sir Thomas Brown, author of the
Exposure of Vulgar Errors" testified IL
court as to his entire belief in witches
SirlKenelm DigbyEand Bruvere are also OF
record as believers While men so illus
trious as scholars and philosophers helC
the faith, there could be no doubt in thu
common mind; nor was it safe to b'
skeptcal in England or France down t
the close of the seventeenth century.
In. 1870, sixty people were executed a
Mobra, in Sweden, as witches, and severa
of them were children. In 1877, five mel
were burned at Paisley, Scotland. Ii
France, witches were burned as lately a
1718, and tried as late as 1865. James III
, of England tried some witches himself
and had them put to the torture, and tn,
act against witches, under which thousand
had suffered was not repealed in England
, until 1876, forty years after the occurrence
! at Salem!
Hundreds of instances can be cited t
prove, beyond question or cavil, that til
Puritans only agreed with the curren
, opinions of the world, opinions not of tn
, ignorant merely, but the learned also, an
. those of the highest station, including tn
sovereign Pontif of the Roman Churcl
| Kings ON all the thrones of Europe, tn
8 Judges on the bench, and the whole bod
: of the clergy. And it is equally true this
: the Puritans were among the first VIII
? subjected this superstition to the searchin
: light of reason, and exposed it as "a delr
: sion and error --L1b11 n RusseU