In 1692, in the Essex County of Massachusetts, particularly in the community of Salem Village, a series of witchcraft afflictions, accusations, trials and executions began to take place. Afflicted with spells of black magic and sorcery, men, women and children were all rapidly involved in the activities of the witchcraft outbreak. As Salem's witchcraft outbreak began to spread throughout the community like a virus, more and more men, women and children were being arrested, tried, hung and executed. The very first incident of the Salem witch outbreak began when a group of young girls in the Salem Village met in their usual small, informal gatherings where they discussed their future. One of the girls brought a crystal ball into the meeting. …show more content…
Their parents tried to keep this incident a secret, but it became a bit of a challenge. In February 1692, the adults tried to explain what was happening to their children. The children were described as having peculiar postures, ludicrous speeches, distempers and outbursts. Trying to silently bring these strange behaviors under control, the Villagers didn't succeed in doing so. When one of the local ministers, Reverend Samuel Parris' nine-year-old daughter, Betty Parris and his eleven-year-old niece, Abigail Williams were afflicted, he had no other choice but to take …show more content…
Soon afterwards, Goody Nurse was also arrested and committed to Salem Town's jail. This is when Salem Village civil authorities began to take the witchcraft outbreak seriously. The next few examinations occurred on April 11th. They were no longer being held in Salem Town or in front of Hathorne or Corwin. Instead, each examination was held before the deputy governor, six magistrates and an assembly, which included several ministers. Ten days later, Thomas Putnam, Jr.'s daughter and his wife became