Evening Star Newspaper, May 18, 1930, Page 122

DAYS iN AMERICA ALL BUT A VERY FEW MEN BELIEVED IN THE ACTUAL EXISTENCE OF DEMONS AND WITCHES, AND HARBOR- ED MANY SUPERSTVTIONS THAT HAD BEEN HANDED DOWN FROM THE MIDDLE AGES. ——° .NTHE. YEAR 1692 SOME YOUNG GIRLS OF DANVERS, A VILLAGE NEAR SALEM,MASSACHUSETTS, BECAME SO FRIGHTENE]D READ - ING BOORS ON WITCHCRAFYT THAT THEY BELIEVED THEMSELVES BEWITCHED. .ONE BUT THE BRAVEST DAREDP> VENTURE OUT AFTER DARK, FOR THAT WASTHE TIME WHEN WITCHES WERE THOUGHT TO ASSUME THE- SHAPES OF ANIMALS TO PROWI- AROUND ONTHEIR SINISTER ERRANDS, B\>er THESE SAD CONDITIONS NINETEEN OF THE PRISONERS WERE CONVICTED OF WITCHCRAFT. SOME MADE FALSE CONFESSlONS HOPING TO OBTAIN MERCY. —o° 'N 1680 SEVERAL PuRITAN 4 MINISTERS BEGAN TO INVESTIGATE THE HISTORY OF WITCH - CRAFT IN NEW ENGLAND. .HEY BEGAN ACTING STRANGE- LY AND, ON BEING QUESTIONED BY THE VILLAGE PASTOR , DECLARED THAT CERTAIN AGED> PERSONS WERE WITCHES WHO HAD CAST SPELLS UPON THEM, ———¢ .INCE. WITCHES WERE BELIEVED TO BE OLD MAGS,A NUMBER OF FRIENDLESS AGED WOMEN, PARTIC- -EATH WAS THE USUAL PENALTY FOR WITCHCRAFT IN THOSE DAYS, AND THE CONDEMNED PERSONS WERE SENT TO THE GALLOWS, — < iN 1689 CoTTON MATHER, PROMINENT NEW ENGLAND CLERGYMAN, PUBLISHED A g BOOK ON WITCHCRAFT CALLED %, WoRLD; WHICH WAS | WIDELY REAP:. € P, \ EIR STORY WAS BELIEVED. SOON MANY OTHERS CLAIMED> THAT THEY TOO HAD BEEN BE- WITCHED: QuICKLY THE WITCH SCARE SPREAD FROM DANVERS 70 MANY OTHER TOWNS. —° B-= WitcH HuNT AT SALEM CAUSED SUCH A STIR IN THE- COLONY THAT THE GOVERNOR. PURING THAT TRAGIC YEAR OF 1692, THROUGHOUT THE COLONY THIRTY-FOUR INNOCENT PERSONS WERE SACRIFICED TO THE WITCH CRAFT DELUSION.—*° .T SALEM THE TERRIFIED VILLAGERS IMAGINED THEY SAW EVIDENCES OF THE EVIL WORK OF WITCHES ON EVERY HAND. LOOK ! SNE HAS TAKEN THE FORM OF A YELLOW BIRD! Hiis! /. " .VEQYONE WAS S0 FD.:GHTENEP THAT THE UNLUCKY PRISONERS COULD NOT HOPE FOR A FAIR TRIAL. THE HYSTERICAL RAVINGS OF THE "BEWITCHED GIRLS WERE ACCEPTED AS TESTIMONY. — 1 LAST CALM REASON WAS RESTORED, AND THE SCARE PASSED, LEAVING TME PEOPLE HORROR-STRICKEN AT WHAT THEY HAD DONE, ALL CONCERNEP> SOUGHT TO MAKE AMENDS AS BEST THEY CouLP. A DAY WAS SET ASIDE FOR PUBLIC MOURNING AND PRAYERS FOR FORGIVENESS. JUPGES AND JURIES MADE PUBLIC REPENTANCE, ANP> SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGES WERE AWARDED TO THE HEIRS OF THE UNFORTLINATE. VICTIMS,