The evidence used during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 would not be allowed in a trial today. There was no real evidence submitted against the accused. One of the primary sources of evidence was the use of spectral evidence, meaning a specter (spirit) of the accused left their body and did harm to a person. This explained why the accused was in two places at once. This evidence was the most widely used throughout the trials. The local judges at first were unsure if they should allow the use of spectral evidence, so they sought assistance from ministers. Even though the group of ministers they consulted with were not all in agreeance, they advised the judges to allow the evidence anyways. Later the ministers deemed the evidence too unreliable. It was also believed that the accused harmed the children during the trials by either biting their lip or clenching their fists. The girls complained that the women bit and pinched them. During the examinations, a Devil’s Mark proved guilt. The mark was a piece of skin on the witch’s body that the Devil used to suck the spirit of the witch. Later evidence came in the form of maleficium. People testified of past wrongdoings of the accused.

The Ingersoll Ordinary was an inn or tavern during the witchcraft hysteria (now a private residence), served as one of the places the accused were taken. It also was the location of the first trials, but they moved to the meetinghouse because the crowd was too large. During the trials, many of the villagers came to watch. Also, the people who made the accusations stood in the room and watched. Many of the possessed accusers had outburst throughout the trials. It was obvious to those present the people on trial continued to hurt the girls during the trial as retribution. Even some of the people on trial could not explain what was happening to the children. They genuinely seemed to be in pain. Because of the spectacle of the trial, many of the accused did not get a fair trial and the majority that went to trial all received a guilty verdict. 

By: Jessica McKenzie 

Credits and Sources:

Games, Alison.Witchcraft in Early North America.New York, NY: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2010.

Hansen, Chadwick. Witchcraft at Salem.New York, NY: G. Braziller, 1969.  

Rapley, Robert.Witch Hunts: From Salem to Guantanamo Bay.Canadian Electronic Library: McGill-Queen’s Press, 2007.