The Salem Witch Trials: A History Perspectives Book
Published in the United States of America by Cherry Lake Publishing Ann Arbor Michigan www cherrylakepublishing com Consultants Bridget M Marshall PhD Associate Professor Department of English University of Massachusetts Lowell Marla Conn ReadAbility Inc Editorial direction Red Line Editorial Book design and illustration Sleeping Bear Press Photo Credits Library of Congress cover left 1 left 4 Joseph E Baker Library of Congress cover middle 1 middle 14 Tompkins Harrison Matteson Library of Congress cover right 1 right 22 30 North Wind North Wind Picture Archives 6 8 12 16 20 24 27 Peter Pelham Library of Congress 19 Copyright 2014 by Cherry Lake Publishing All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Marciniak Kristin The Salem witch trials Kristin Marciniak pages cm Perspectives library ISBN 978-1-62431-667-8 hardcover ISBN 978-1-62431-694-4 pbk ISBN 978-1-62431-721-7 pdf ISBN 978-1-62431-748-4 hosted ebook 1 Trials Witchcraft Massachusetts Salem Juvenile literature I Title KFM2478 8 W5M35 2013 345 744’50288 dc23 2013029377 Cherry Lake Publishing would like to acknowledge the work of The Partnership for 21st Century Skills Please visit www p21 org for more information Printed in the United States of America Corporate Graphics Inc January 2014
Table of Contents In this book you will read about the Salem witch trials from three perspectives Each perspective is based on real things that happened to real people who lived in or near Salem Village in 1692 As you’ll see the same event can look different depending on one’s point of view Chapter 1 4 John Barrowe Minister Chapter 2 1 4 Patience Dod Accused Witch Chapter 3 2 2 Martha Smart Accuser Look Look Again 30 Glossary 3 1 Learn More 3 1 Index 32 About the Author 32
4 1 Evil lurks among us The first signs of the Devil’s work appeared in Salem Village just a few months ago in late January 1692 Salem Village is in Massachusetts Bay Colony The village is only three miles from where I live in Salem Town but the two places could not be more different Salem Village is a rural community of 600 people and even more livestock John Barrowe Minister
5 Salem Town is a city formed around a large seaport A report of the evil that began in Salem Village quickly found its way to my door I received an urgent letter from the minister of Salem Village in early February Reverend Samuel Parris had been the pastor of the Salem Village church for just three years His letter was brief He wrote that a terrible illness had fallen upon his house He begged me to provide my opinion on the matter Reverend Parris’s house was in an uproar when I arrived His nine-year-old daughter Betty and his 11-year-old niece Abigail Williams were both afflicted with uncontrollable fits The girls screamed as their bodies twisted into impossible positions They complained of bites and pinches on their arms and legs I asked Reverend Parris if he had sent for a doctor He said he had The doctor said there was nothing he could do The doctor had not found any physical cause for the girls distress He believed the problem
