What is the truth about the Salem witch trials? Surrounding this event, there is a lot of speculation and faulty. The Salem witch trials were established in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts in the spring of 1692 and lasted until the summer of 1693. This event commenced when young girls were accused of being possessed by the devil and witchcraft. The witch trials consisted of trials, executions, and witch tests although there is no proven fact that witches are real. In the beginning, Betty Paris, age 9, and Abigail Williams, Age 11, were claimed to be having strange behavior in their homes. This behavior consisted of throwing fits, screaming outbursts, contorting their body into strange positions while wedging their bodies under furniture, and lastly, they claimed sensations of being pricked by pins. Other young girls throughout the village began having the same symptoms. Subsequently, they were examined by the local village doctor. For the reason that the doctor found nothing wrong with them, the girls were diagnosed with bewitchment. Betty and Abigail …show more content…
The magistrates included Jonathan Lorwin and John Hathorne. While in court, the girls appeared doing spasms, contortions, and screaming outbursts. Sarah Good and Sarah Osborn denied the accusations against them. On the other hand, Tibuta confessed to the accusations intending to save herself from conviction and to act as an informer. Tibuta asserted that she was not alone in her doings and that other witches were acting along with them. She confessed the witches were assisting the devil in antagonizing the puritans. The young girls that she named were immediately arrested, including Sarah Good’s daughter. The accused would accuse others in a repeating cycle. Eventually, Governor William Phips ordered a special court to hear and decide on witchcraft cases. John Hathorne, Samuel Sewall, and William Stoughton led the special witch