Personal Narrative: Domestic Disputes

Why is this happening to me? I do not understand how they think that I could be capable of such a witch craft. I mean, I know that I have had my fair share of domestic disputes in public, but that does not mean that I would wish any harm to come upon someone. Because of this target on my back, I will be sentenced to death in less than four hours. Not only have I been humiliated for the past three months, but now I must be executed, leaving my family and friends behind. If only I had restrained myself from exposing my quarrels to the public, this situation could have possibly had a completely different outcome. These accusations began after I married my second husband, Thomas Oliver. I married him after my first husband Samuel Wasselby

There were many days when my face would be bruised from suffering through a hit from Thomas. However, I too, was not always innocent. I would return the blows on multiple instances, standing up for myself in order to not succumb to the abuse. I thought of myself as a fighter, for sticking through the marriage. In 1670, three years into our marriage, we were both tried in court for an argument that escalated too far. As a result of this trial, we were fined and told that if we did not pay the fine on time, then we would be whipped for our transgressions. Nevertheless, this did not stop us from having our tiffs. The longer we were married and were constantly fighting, the harder I fought to stand up for myself, which caused me to grow harsh and callous towards him as time went on. In 1678, I was even tried for shouting profane language at my husband although he was just as guilty, calling me a witch and other harsh words. Nearly a year later, I inherited all of Thomas’s estate because he died of an illness, but because my late husband thought had called me a witch during one of our disputes we were having, my stepdaughters accused me of bewitching Thomas. They took me to court, with these same accusations, yet I was found not guilty. However, I have a feeling that this was the spark that made me an easy mark for these witch hunts. I married my third husband, Edward Bishop, nearly ten years after Thomas’s death. As of now, I am still married to him. He is a woodcutter and an esteemed man in society. Edward is a completely opposite person than Thomas was. We live on an apple orchard together, or rather lived on an apple orchard together. However, on April 18, 1692, my life took a complete turn for the