Tituba Salem Witch Trial

In 1692, in the town of Salem, Massachusetts, there was a group of young girls who were accused of being bewitched. The girls behaved in abnormal ways. The strange behavior began after Reverend Parris caught them in the woods with Tituba, who was Parris’s slave from Barbados. The girls called witchcraft on Tituba and she confessed and named two other women with the devil, including Sarah Osburne and Sarah Good. With Tituba's confession, the young girls, scared of getting in trouble, claimed to see other women and men contributing with the devil. Many accused, well-respected members of the community, said Salem was gloomy and wary. The townspeople grew doubtful of the girls' accusations, believing they were frauds. To this day, historians can

The girls behavior was inconsistent and suspicious throughout the trials. No specific behavior ever matched up with multiple trials. The behaviors include acts such as crying, screaming, feeling touched and pinched, running around, and hallucinations. The hallucinations include the girls seeing the accused “spirits” in an animal shape or form. When the girls were away from the accused, their behavior was normal and they seemed healthy, as soon as they were in the presence of the accused though, was when they had serious symptoms. Along with the odd behavior, they accused members of the community who were well-respected which further made the people doubtful of the girls. Elizabeth Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, and John Proctor were some of the well-respected members accused. The court took no evidence from the girls, even spectral evidence, although the court officials physically couldn't see it. The girls could claim that someone harmed them and they’ll believe them, but wouldn’t take evidence from people who brought in actual evidence to the court. Many will say that the girls were not faking it and believed that they were being

Ergot poisoning could have started in Rev.Parris’s home due to his dependence on the Putnam’s rye. The Proctor’s would not have been affected by ergot because they were dependent on their own farm. Some symptoms of ergot poisoning consist of convulsions, muscle spasms, vomiting, and hallucinations, and fingers, toes, and noses falling off. The girls experienced many of these symptoms. However, many of the ergot symptoms were never listed in any of the testimonies, such as fingers and toes falling off, and muscle spasms. There are many inconsistencies with the ergot theory alone, providing more questions than answers, the biggest one explaining that it would only be possible for the accusers to get ergot, because if everyone had ergot, how come nobody else was seeing what they were “seeing”? It seems like too much of a coincidence for only a group of girls to get ergot poisoning and nobody else. A symptom of ergot poisoning is the fingers and toes of the poisoned rotting and falling off. It was never recorded in any remaining documents stating any accuser's toes, fingers, or any limbs for that matter falling