Escaping Salem

Elizabeth was the first woman accused by Kate. She and the Wescots had previously quarreled, and Daniel had previously harbored suspicions that she had bewitched his daughter. Elizabeth and Mercy were the only two of the accused formally tried, though Elizabeth was acquitted by the jury.

Goody Miller was the second woman named by Kate. However, as soon as she heard she had been accused, she fled to her brothers in nearby Bedford, New York, where her brothers’ power allowed her to avoid extradition.

Known, along with Elizabeth, as a quarrelsome woman, Mercy was the third to be named by Kate, and she and Elizabeth were the only two to stand trial. Mercy was convicted by the jury due to the existence of the “Devil’s mark” on her (evidence that was considered to be insufficient by the courts); however, her adamant supporters petitioned in her favor, and her conviction was ultimately overturned.

Mary Staples, her daughter, Mary Harvey, and Mary’s daughter, Hannah Harvey, were the last to be named by Kate after the preliminary inquiry. Mary had previously been suspected of witchcraft, as well. However, despite a grand jury indictment, all three were immediately acquitted by the magistrates due to a lack of evidence.

Daniel was Abigail’s primary advocate throughout. His and Abigail’s daughter had had similar fits several years prior, and at the time, he had suspected Elizabeth Clawson, as well, as she and the Wescots had quarreled. When Katherine fell ill, he believed that she was bewitched and was determined to put a stop to it.

Abigail, Daniel’s wife, was less inclined to believe Katherine; she believed Kate to be lazy and manipulative, and possibly suggested to others, as well, that she thought Kate was making her bewitchment up.

Sarah was the local midwife and the first to examine Kate; as Stamford had no true doctor, her expertise and experience ranged well beyond typical midwifery. She initially sought a natural explanation and continued to believe that Kate was not bewitched, even signing her name to the petition in support of Mercy Disborough later on.

John was Stamford’s Oxford-educated minister; he and Thomas Hanford, the pastor in nearby Norwalk, were the next to examine Kate. John reaffirmed Daniel’s suspicions of bewitchment and continued to advocate for Kate; however, as Kate did not talk of the Devil or bewitchment prior to his visit, some suspected that he may have (accidentally or otherwise) planted the idea in her mind.

Jonathan, the wealthiest man in Stamford, was one of the magistrates in the preliminary inquiry, along with Jonathan Bell, John Burr, and Nathan Gold. Jonathan Selleck did much of the preliminary investigation, including further questioning of Kate and Daniel at his home. Much of Chapter 3 is devoted to Jonathan and the varying concerns he and the other magistrates had to weigh while considering a trial.