The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1875-06-10

for what he gave my CHILD.
Have you made no contract with the
devil ?'
"No."
Hathorne, the magistrate, desired the
children, all of them, to look upon her,
and see if this were the person that hurt
them; and so they all did look upon her,
and said this was one of the persons that
did torment them. Presently they were
all tOrmented.
"Sarah Good, do you not see what
you have dene2 Why do you not tell
us the truth Why do you thus tor
ment these poor children p
do not torment them"
Who do you employ then ?"
employ nobody; l scorn it.
How came they thus tormented ?"
g What do I know? You bring 9th
it. -
Why, who was it?"
''I do not know, but it was some one
you brought into the meeting house with
you"
We brought you into the meeting,
house."
"But you brought in two more"
"Who was it then that tOrmented the
children ?"
cit was Osburn."
"What is it you say when you go
muttering away from peoples houses p
elf must tell, will tell"
Do tell us"
"Then if must tell, will tell it is
the commandments. I may say my
commandments, I hope"
"What commandment is it?"
eff I must tell you, l will tell-it is a
psalm ?"
what psalm ?" (After a long time
she muttered over some part of 3
psalm
Whom do you serve p
''The God that made heaven and
earth " (though she was not willing to
mention the word God. Her answers
were in a very wicked, spiteful manner
rejecting and retorting against the au.
thority, with base and abusive words,
with many lies she was taken in. II
was alleged that her husband had said
that he was afraid she either was q
witch, or would be one very quickly.
The worshipful Mr.. Hathorne asked
him why he said so of her-whether he
had ever seen anything by her. He
answered: "No, not in this nature ;
but it was her bad carriage to him,
"and indeed" saith he, 81 may say
with tears, that she Is an enemy to all
good.
This examination, closed here, speaks
for itself as to it's candor and Justice.
But upon the whole, it may be said
with truth, that the appearance OF ''the
wOrshipful Mr.. HathOrne" in this pas
sage, and his demeanor toward the poor
person before him, was in no wise essen.
TALLY different from his exhibition oi
himself, in all the preliminary examina.
tions. His assumption of the prisoner
guilt, his leading questions his brutal
dealing with numbers of the accused
made the investigations a farce. The
accused persons, in all the trials, never
had any counsel, never had any method
of presenting their side of a story IN
open court as can be determined. And
almost all we know concerning those
who we're arraigned Is from adverse
sources.
The prisoner (Cfood} was removed tc
make room for Sarah Osburn. This
was a bedridden woman, with two sons.
Her second marriage, to Osburn, had
been unhappy, and trouble had dis,
tracted her mind. She had once held 8
reputable position socially, but having
become the subject of scandal, was 8
good subject for the "affiicted tC
pitch upon.
Her examination is preserved in full
but cannot be given. She denied, as
Good had done, all the contract with
the Devil, and that she hurt the chill
dren, or employed any one to hurt them,
declared that she had not seen Sarah
Good for two years and in reply to
that wOmRn's accusation, said, " 1 dc
not know that the Devil goes about IL
my likeness to do any hurt.
- The children stood up and looked at
her, and said this was one that die
affiict them they had constantly seen
her with the very habit she then had
on. Her husband and others stated
that she had not been at meeting fOl
three years and two months. Nc
strange matter, as a charitable mind
will think. for bedridden person.
GoOdy Osburn being taken out, the
Indian slave Tituba was brought for
ward. At first she too denied all fsmil
iarity with evil spirits, or that she hurt
the children. She said, indeed, that
the Devil came to her, and bid hel
serve him, and that she had seen foul
woman sometimes hurt the children
Two of them she named, Goody Osburr
and Sarah Good. These two, she de
clared, wished her to hurt the children
but she had refused. She had seen
also, a tall man from Boston. All three
had told her TO hurt the children, but
she would not
A deposition made by the Rev. Mr.
Paris is preserved-that during al
these days Elizabeth Paris, Jr., Am
Putnam, and Elizabeth Hubbard were
tormented, and that wnen Tituba con,
fessed they were ali relieved. He says
that TItuba herself, when she began tC
confess, was very much afflicted. She
accused Good and Osburn of doinl
this 70 her, OF these three prisoners
Mrs. Osburn died II Jail, May 16
TtGba lay in prison for thirteen
months, and was then sold to pay hel
Jail fees, and Sarah Good was hanged
At the close of these examinations
ninty-nine out of every hundred per
sons IN the community had been swept
into the torrent OF delusion and alarm.
The physicians had given in their Opin
ion. The ministers had approved IT.
The Rev. Mr.. Paris was making it th,
topic of prayers and preaching Sunday
hy Sunday. The girls we're suffering
more and more keenly, and the convie
ton that the authors of the mischie
must be found ont and put away becam'
very strong. Thus the time drew nea
/ for accusations of more reputable per
sous. Solicjtude to know who we're tn,
] two other women making up the fou,