COLONIAL AMERICA

The SalemWítch TrialsIn 1692, strangeevents spíraledout of control,resulting in theworst witch huntin U.S. history

CHARACTERSReverend Samuel Parris, a ministerWilliam Griggs, a doctor

Betty Parris, 9, Samuel Parris's daughterThomas Putnam, a constableNicholas Noyes, a ministerTituba, 0 slave from Barbados,owned by Reverend ParrisJohn Hathorne, o judgeAnn Putnam, Thomas Putnam's daughterRebecca Nurse, o Salem residentNarrators A-E

All of the characters were real people.The dialogue is based on historical recordsbut paraphrased for space and clarity.

WORDS TO KNOW• hysteria (n): an uncontrollable

outburst of emotion or fear• malice (n): a desire to harm• Puritans [n]: Protestants who

settled Massachusetts Bay Colonyafter fleeing England to escapereligious persecution

Narrator A: During the frigidwinter of 1692, the children ofSalem, Massachusetts, had toplay inside. A group of young girlsfrequendy met at Betty Parris'shouse. They played fortune-tellinggames and listened to stories ofdemons and witchcraft.Narrator B: Many of the villagersbelieved in and feared witchcraft.Salem had been settled by EnglishPuritans seeking religious freedom.The Puritans were strict people whosaw life as a continuous strugglebetween good and evil. Fun wasconsidered sinful, and manyPuritans thought witchcraft was asign of Satan's presence. UnderEnglish law, the practice of witch-craft was punishable by death.Narrator C: When Betty and theother girls suddenly began actingoddly, the villagers grew concerned.Were the children ill, or was some-thing more sinister at work? Whattook place next in Salem led to ahysteria that destroyed many lives.

SCENE 1Narrator D: In January 1692,Dr. William Griggs enters the homeof Reverend Samuel Parris.Reverend Samuel Parris: Thankyou for coming. Doctor. We're veryworried about Betty's cousin

Abigail. She's acting odd. Shehasn't touched a bite of food inthree days, and she stares up at theceihng without saying a word! Idon't know what to do.William Griggs: I can understandyour concern. How old is Abigail?Parris: Eleven.Narrator E: Betty Parris rushesdown the stairs in a panic.Betty Parris: Father, Abigail is notwell! She's out of her bed and

6 DECEMBER 10 & 17, 2012 /JUNIOR SCHOLASTIC

down on all fours, barking like adog. I'm afraid!ParriS: We'll pray for her.Narrator A: Before long, Betty alsobegins acting strangely. Dr. Griggscannot find an explanation for thegirls' unusual behavior. Then, afew weeks later, he is called toThomas Putnam's home.Thomas Putnam: I'm afraid thatour daughter Ann is ill. She'sthrashing around on the floor!

Griggs: I fear that they've all beenbewitched by an evil hand!Putnam: who. Doctor?Griggs: Your daughter Ann and theother girls. Reverend Parris reportsthe same strange symptoms in Bettyand Abigail.

SCENE 2Narrator B: As more girls begin toshow signs of puzzling behavior,tales of witchcraft spread like wild-

flre through Salem. ReverendParris calls for a day of prayer atthe church. Nearly everyone inSalem attends. But cries from thegirls interrupt the service.Nicholas Noyes: Look how theymoan and fall at the very mentionof God! An evil spirit has robbedthese girls of their will.Parris (shouting in frustration):

continued on p. 8"

OECEMBER 10 &1?, 2012/JUNIOR SCHOLASTIC ?

Who are their tormentors? If onlywe knew!Noyes (to the girls): What ails you,children? Is it a person who is doingthis to you?Narrator C: The girls don't answerbut continue to cry and moan.Noyes: This is very serious. Whatcan we do. Reverend?Parris: I've heard it whispered thatmy slave. Tituba, has made witch'scakes to break evil spells.Noyes (in a suspidous tone): Isn'tit true that someone who breaksspells can also cast them?

SCENE 3Narrator D: Reverend Parrisquestions his daughter, who finallysays that Tituba taught the girlswitchcraft.Betty: Yes, it was Tituba. She toldus scary stories, and we watched herbake a witch's cake. She made thecake with rye meal and other strangeingredients. Father. She said the cakemight help Abigail and me get better.Narrator E: Enraged that Titubawould use a superstitious folk rem-edy rather than prayer to treat hisdaughter. Reverend Parris confronts

his slave in the family's kitchen.Tituba (nervously wnnging herhands): It was only a game—agame I learned when I was a child.Parris: A game of witchcraft?Tituba: No, a game to make thechildren laugh. I was just trying tokeep the girls busy. Ask Betty. AskAbigail. Ask Ann Putnam!Parris: Enough, you evil woman!Narrator A: Judges come to Salemfrom Boston to conduct a hearingon the witchcraft accusations. Atfirst. Tituba denies everything. Butfinally she admits to witchcraft,hoping that it will save her life. Herstory leaves the residents in shock.Tituba: They made me do it!John Hathorne: Who, Tituba? Tellme now.Tituba: I can't remember.Hathorne: You must try to recall.Tituba (pauses before speaking):Wait. Yes. I remember now. It wasa shape. A shape like a man. Hecarried a cane and a book of gold.A yellow bird flew to him andperched on his shoulder. The birdbegan to talk.Hathorne: And what was writtenin this devil's book?

A'memorialin Salem is

dedicated toLthe victims.

OF THOSE. INNOCENiSWHO DIED DURING

SALEM VILLAGE WITCHCRAFF HV.TL.-IA

1954: Senator JosephR. McCarthy mapsout the locations ofaileged Communists.

Tituba: The names of his helpers,written in blood.Hathorne: What names did yousee in this book?Tituba: I can't read, but the birdtold me. One was Sarah Osborne,and the other was . . . Sarah Good.

SCENE 4Narrator B: Tituba, Sarah Osborne,and Sarah Good are thrown in jailin Boston. With the accused now inprison, life in Salem begins toreturn to normal. But the peacedoesn't last for long.Narrator C: Soon, Betty and theother girls are acting stranger thanever. They begin twitching andspeaking incoherently. They claimthat someone—or something—ispinching and biting them all over.The girls accuse more people ofbeing witches.Putnam (to his daughter Ann):Rebecca Nurse? She's a witch?Ann Putnam: Yes, Father. Just thismorning she beat me. Then she bit

8 DECEMBER 10 & Í?, 2012 /JUNIOR SCHOLASTIC

ORGANIZATION U.SA-FEB. 9 J [

me and made me write in her book.Ask Abigail. She hurt her too!Putnam (looks up to the ceiling,shaking his fists): Is there no onewho can withstand the devil'spower? I must write to JudgeHathorne in Boston.

SCENE 5Narrator D: Rebecca Nurse is calledto the village meetinghouse forquestioning on March 24. Many ofSalem's residents are stunned tohear that Nurse, a 71-year-oldmother and respected member of thecommunity, has been accused ofwitchcraft. A large crowd of Nurse'sfriends and supporters attends herhearing before Judge Hathorne.Hathorne: Rebecca Nurse, AnnPutnam complains of your hurtingher. What do you say?Rebecca Nurse: I have neverharmed a child in my life.Hathorne: Are you in any wayinvolved in all this witchcraft?Nurse (touching a hand to her

RN-DAY WITCH HUNTSitch hunts through history have taken many different forms.The term has come to describe a frenzied search for perceivedenemies. During a witch hunt, hysteria and fear replace

ommon sense. People can be convicted of wrongdoing based on•nere accusation." The best-known example of a modern-day witch hunt occurred

^ . in the 1950s, during the Cold War. That was a nonmilitary conflictbetween the United States and the Soviet Union and their allies. Duringthis time, Senator Joseph R. McCarthy charged that many Communistswere secretly working inside the U.S. government.

McCarthy, a Republican from Wisconsin, held several congressionalhearings that were broadcast on national TV and radio. As a result ofMcCarthy's inquiries and accusations, the lives and careers of manyinnocent people were destroyed.

In 1953, playwright Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible, an accountof the events in Salem, Massachusetts, as an allegory of McCarthy's"witch hunt." (An allegory is a story in which characters and theiractions are equated with meanings that lie outside the text.)

throat): I am innocent, and Godwill clear my name!Narrator E: Across the room, Annand the other girls begin to mimicRebecca Nurse. They also touchtheir throats. Every time Nursemakes a move, they cry out in pain,as if she is harming them withunseen magical powers.Nurse (shouting in desperation):The Lord knows I have not hurtthem! I cannot help it if the devilmay appear in my shape.

Narrator A: Rebecca Nurse's casewent to trial. The jury initiallyfound her innocent, but a judgeasked the group to reconsider itsdecision. Nurse was declared guiltyof practicing witchcraft, and shewas hanged on July 19, 1692. Bythen, the witch hunt had spread toother towns in Massachusetts.Before the chaos was over, morethan 200 people had been accusedof being witches. Nineteen people

were hanged, a 71-year-old manwas pressed to death with heavystones, and many others died in jail.Narrator B: Finally, in October1692, Massachusetts Governor SirWilliam Phips ordered an end tothe witch hunt. Public opinionturned against the accusers.Reverend Parris, in whose housethe witchcraft scare started, wasforced to move away. In time, someof the accusers began to expressregret for their actions. Nearly 14years later, Ann Putnam, by thenan adult, made a public confession.Putnam: The people I accusedwere innocent. What I did wasdone not out of malice, butbecause I was tricked by Satan!I beg God's forgiveness for all thesorrow and suffering that I causedby my actions.Narrator C: As far as it's known,Ann Putnam was the only one ofthe girls to ever formally confess toany wrongdoing.

—Louis C. Adelman & Brooke Ross

OECEMBER 10 & 1?, 2012 /JUNIORSCHOLASTIC 9