Elziabeth Parris and Abigail Williams accused Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba of witchcraft. These three women the first victims to
be accused in the Salem village. All three women were tried in court by the
Judges John Harthorn and Jonathon Curren in March 1692. In these trials Good
and Osborne had both denied being an accomplice of the devil. Harthorn had
asked both women, “What evil spirit have you familiarity with?” “None,” both
women replied.
Harthorn pressed on, asking them questions such as “have you made no contract with the devil? Why did you hurt these children? And who did you employ to hurt them?” The women denied any type of association with the devil, and any wrong doing against the children. The children, Parris, Williams, and six other young Puritan girls went into fits every single time Good and Osbourne had denied the accusations. However, the women were not fully guilty until Tituba gave her testimony. It was Tituba, that confessed to the acts of witchcraft. Here is her testimony that day in March 1692:
Harthorn pressed on, asking them questions such as “have you made no contract with the devil? Why did you hurt these children? And who did you employ to hurt them?” The women denied any type of association with the devil, and any wrong doing against the children. The children, Parris, Williams, and six other young Puritan girls went into fits every single time Good and Osbourne had denied the accusations. However, the women were not fully guilty until Tituba gave her testimony. It was Tituba, that confessed to the acts of witchcraft. Here is her testimony that day in March 1692:
Harthorn: Tituba, what evil spirit have you familiarity with?
Tituba: None.
Harthorn: Why do you hurt these children?
Tituba: I do not hurt them.
Harthorn: Who is it then?
Tituba: The devil for ought I know.
Harthorn: Did you never see the devil?
Tituba: The devil came to me and bid me serve him.13
In Tituba’s testimony she also places blame on Good
and Osborne for some of the young girls’ sufferings.
Harthorn: Who have you seen?
 |
| Tituba's Examination (O'Linder. Tituba) |
Tituba: Four women sometimes hurt the children
Harthorn: Who were they?
Tituba: Osborne, and Sarah Good. And I do not know who the other were.
Sarah Good and Osborne would have me hurt the children but I would not.
She
further saith there was a tale man of Boston that she did see…
Harthorn: When
did you see them?
Tituba: Last
night at Boston
Harthorn: What
did they say to you?
Tituba: They
said hurt the children
Harthorn: And
did you hurt them?
Tituba: No,
there is four women and one man they hurt the children and then lay all upon me
and they tell me if I will not hurt the children, they will hurt me.
Harthorn: But
did you not hurt them?
Tituba: Yes,
but I will hurt them no more.14
Tituba’s testimony does go on to explain that the “tall
man of Boston” made her sign her name in the Devil’s book with blood. According
to Tituba there were a total of nine names in the Devil’s book. She claims that
she recognized two of those nine names: Good’s and Osborne’s. This appalled
many of the Puritan people because it meant that there were other witches
living amongst them, “looking for an opportunity to have an effect for evil
upon the godly community5.” The fear of ‘how many’ clenched hold of
the Puritans’ attention. It turned neighbor against neighbor and friend against
friend. The paranoia became too much for the Puritans to handle. It would
imprison about two hundred innocent people and take the lives of twenty-four.
***The picture above is the actual document of Tituba's hearing, from which all the above is written.
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