Returning to George Burroughs “Ringleader of the Witches”
In June of 1692, the first Salem witch trials began. A group of girls, ranging from eleven years old to nineteen years old, accused Tituba of practicing witchcraft. Tituba was an old Indian slave, which made her an obvious choice for a witch accusation. She later plead guilty to the charges of being a witch. She was housed in the Salem jailhouse to repent for her sins. Many others were accused of witchcraft and either hanged, died in prison, or later released after their amnesty. Nineteen accused witches were hanged in 1962. Three accused witches died in prison. One man accused of witchcraft was pressed to death when he would neither plead guilty or innocence.
Among the witches convicted, George Burroughs was hanged. He ministered at the Village of Salem for two years. He left abruptly after a dispute about his salary and left to returned to Casco, Maine. There at Casco, he was driven
…show more content…
The accusations against him were more absurd than any other convictions. He was not simply a witch, but the ringleader of the Salem witches. One of George’s accusers testified that his specter told him “he was above a witch, he was a conjurer.” During his trial, the afflicted girls acted so wildly that they were removed from court for fear of their safety. The most damaging testimony against George Burroughs was by the witches who confessed. They stated that he was Satan’s personal representative at Salem Sabbaths. They also claimed that the meetings were personally organized and presided over by Burroughs. Another testimony against George was the supposed mistreatment of his wives. Both of his wives died. Ann Putnam (one of the afflicted girls) stated that she meet the two deceased wives of Burroughs who said they died by his abuse. There was also beliefs that Burroughs had superhuman strength and speed. That he was faster than a horse and could carry a barrel of molasses great