The Puritan Press
Summer 1692
The Puritan Press
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Special
Reports:
Cover Story:
Witchcraft in
Salem! p.1
John Proctor
Unfaithful?
p.1
Court Disruption p.2
Witchcraft
Signs and Book
Recommendation p.3
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Witch Craft found in Salem!
Reverend Samuel Parris
was shocked to discover his
daughter and niece
“dancing like heathen in the
forest.” When questioned,
niece Abigail Williams first
swore to her uncle that she
and the girls “did dance”,
“it were only for sport.”
Then, soon thereafter,
witchcraft expert Reverend
John Hale came to Salem.
After much questioning,
Abigail and the other girls
say that Tituba, Parris’
slave girl, controlled them
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By Amity Citizen
and made them do things
like conjuring spirits. Tituba
first denies, then finally
confirms the claim, stating
that the devil came to her
accompanied by other
Our lovely town, pure or infected?
women including Sarah
Good and Sarah Osborn, all
of which are arrested and
charged with witchcraft.
Sarah Good confesses to
witchcraft which means she
will be spared, but Sarah
Osborn shall hang as she
does not confess. Before
anyone could blink, thirtynine others were arrested on
the charges of witchcraft
and signing pacts with the
devil. The question is not
only are they guilty or innocent? But, how many more
John and Abigail or John and Elizabeth?
By Lament Discretion
Regular Features:
Obituaries
p.2
Church Report p.2
Editorial
Gossip
Crime Report
World News
Word Puzzle
Fashion
Opinion
Comics
p.3
p.3
p.4
p.4
p.4
p.5
p.5
p.6
A week ago, in a courtroom
trial, John Proctor accused
Abigail Williams of being a
whore. Judge Danforth,
shocked, insisted “you will
prove this, this will not
pass,” and Proctor answered
in a sober tone “I have
known her, sir, I have know
her.” Proctor added that he
should be believed since “a
man will not cast away his
good name” unless it were
true. Abigail does not deny
this revelation, but sidesteps
the issue, threatening to
leave the courtroom. This
was an extremely stunning
turn of events for everyone
in the courtroom as Proctor
has always been thought to
be faithful. What is even
more surprising is that his
wife, Elizabeth, is said to
have known all about the
affair. This must be the
reason that Abigail Williams was sent away from
the Proctors house. More
on this scintillating story in
the next edition, as events
unfold.
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Disorder in the Court
By Marshal Hopkins
In exciting court proceedings today,
soon after John Proctor made an outright confession that he had committed
adultery with Abigail Williams, his
wife, Elizabeth Proctor was brought
into the courtroom for questioning.
Her answers were hesitant and often
unclear. Finally, when Judge Danforth commanded her to answer the
question clearly and definitively, she
said that she only had a feeling that
her husband had been with Abigail but
she could not be sure. John Proctor
then shouted at her to tell the truth
saying “Elizabeth, tell the truth!
Obituaries
Elizabeth, I have confessed it!”
hoping to save her from being
detained further. It was no use
and Elizabeth Proctor was removed from the courtroom.
Shortly thereafter confusion
erupted when Abigail began acting like she could ‘see’ a yellow
bird in the rafters that she
claimed was Mary Warren.
When Mary Warren, the actual
girl in the courtroom, tried to
comfort Abigail by saying
“Abby, I’m here,” more disorder
ensued as Abigail’s girlfriends
began mimicking everything that Mary said.
Mary then became agitated and proclaimed to
John Proctor that “You are the devil’s man.”
Judge Danforth soon thereafter had Corey and
Proctor taken to the jail. Events continued to
deteriorate until Reverend John Hale denounced
the proceedings and exited the courtroom.
By Redeemed Providence
On this day at dawn, the
townspeople of Salem await
the hangings of Rebecca
Nurse, John Proctor, and
five others who refuse to
confess to witchcraft; according to Judge Danforth,
“there will be no postponement.” Let us look back to
remember the 12 souls that
have withstood the same
fate. Among the 12 that
have already been tried,
sentenced, and executed,
two individuals stand out:
Bridget Bishop, the first to
be executed on the claim of
Church Report
By Reverend Samuel Parris
Thomas Putnam accuses John Proctor of not attending church often enough. Reverend Samuel
Parris claims that John Proctor attended church on
the Sabbeth Day “only 26 times in 17 months” (of
which includes 74 Sundays).
Twice in one year, Abigail Williams was expelled
from the meeting house for “laughter during
prayer.”
witchcraft, was a good wife
to her husband. They were
together since they first met,
three years before they were
joined in holy matrimony.
Isaak Ward, a family man
who did his best to support
his family even as he succumbed to the temptations of
the bottle, plunging his family into ruin.
Though he was not hanged,
Giles Corey, one of Salem’s
oldest residents died by being pressed to death with
large stones. The frequent
court plaintiff had been held
in contempt of court for refusing to reveal the name of
a witness to his accusation
that Thomas Putnam was
using charges of witchcraft
to secure land. The large
stones were laid upon
Corey’s chest in efforts to
gain a confession, but the
fearsome man’s only words
before death took him were
“more weight.”
We recognize these citizens
in our newspaper today and
can only hope that God forgives them their sins and
shows mercy on their souls
forevermore.
John and Elizabeth Proctor have had only two of
their three sons baptized because Proctor would not
allow Reverend Parris to “lay his hand upon his
baby.” John Hale views this choice as a “softness
of record.”
Reverend Hale has noted, that due to so many
witchcraft claims and arrests “there are orphans
wandering from house to house, abandoned cattle
below on the highroads, and the stink of rotting
crops hang everywhere.” Can civil unrest be far
behind? We must root out this evil known as witchcraft so that we may continue to lead moral and
upright lives as God intended.
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Witchcraft – What to Look For
By Reverend John Hale
Witchcraft and devil worship are very
serious subjects that should be approached precisely and with intellegence. Since it is “my duty to add
what I may to the Godly wisdom of the
court,” I offer this list of things to keep
in mind if you see someone or something suspicious:
Person speaks in gibberish
Person mutters more than
usual about nonsense
Person reads strange books
Person seems very private
Person can predict things before they happen
Person cannot bear to hear the
Lord’s name
Person talks to people who are
dead or not there
Person keeps a doll and needles to harm or give pain to
others
Person laughs or screams during prayer
Person cannot remember the
Ten Commandments
Person feels sudden cold wind
Person feels trembling in the
ground
We must be vigilant in discovering
witchcraft, as I’ve said before,
“Theology is a fortress; no crack in a
fortress may be accounted small.” If
you see even the smallest of these symptoms or signs, please report them to your
local authorities! Also, read my book for
further enlightenment.
The Role of the Authorities in Dealing with the Issue of Witchcraft in Salem
(Editorial) By Justice Jones
The Authorities consist of a court system that relies heavily on the presence
of the church. The court always prefers
to take the offensive on the charge,
never the defensive, as they fear they
could lose credibility, respect and repu-
think for himself as he said “Is every
this day and age, being accused is almost
tation. When a man or woman attacks
defense an attack upon the court?”
the same as being proven guilty. You
or questions the court or church they are
Judge Danforth has been known to
can be accused on even the slightest of
charged with contempt of court or her-
say “a person is either with the court
suspicions if the court or church deems it
esy, and either jailed or executed. Many
or he must be counted against it.”
necessary. Also, your church and reli-
church pastors and judges work very
He is what some might call a strict
gious life are entirely permissible in court
closely together. Reverend Hale seems
or unfair judge because he accuses
as proven fact.
to be the only authority that seems to
many of witchcraft and heresy. In
Goody Gossip
By Gabby Person
The whole town seems alive with fear
and finger pointing in these latest witch
hunts. One would think that our citizens’ shenanigans would be kept to a
minimum in times like these, but there
are some juicy stories to be found! Of
course, we all know that Bridget
Bishop lived with Mr. Bishop for three
full years before she bothered to marry
the man. Along the same lines, John
Proctor is an admitted ‘lecher’ and told
the whole court that he ‘has known’
Abigail Williams when she served in
the house of Proctor and his wife, Elizabeth. Elizabeth apparently learned of
the affair and gave Abigail the boot.
Abigail has yet to find gainful employment. Sadly, Isaac Ward continued to
drink his family to ruin up until his last
days. Reverend Samuel Parris is the
third preacher to serve us in only seven
years, so it’s no wonder he seems to
worry that others conspire against him
to drive him from his pulpit. And finally,
Sarah Good, an elderly unwed woman
with an appalling reputation, known to
sleep in ditches and beg for bread and
cider from the good people of Salem, was
spared being hanged because she confessed to witchcraft. The surprising thing
is that she won’t serve much time in jail as
she was found to be pregnant in an examination by Dr. Griggs, and she is nearly 60
years old!
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Community Grievances and Crime Records
Giles Corey has appeared in
court six times this year, for a
total of 33 times in his lifetime.
It is worth noting that Corey is
always the plaintiff.
John Proctor accused Giles
Corey of burning the roof off of
his house
John Proctor paid Giles Corey
four pounds in damages as retribution for slander when his
charges (of burning the roof of
his house) were found to be
false.
John Proctor claims that he
never slandered Miles Corey,
but rather paid him so that they
could lay the issue to rest.
World News
By Ezekiel Cheever
Putnam prompted his own
daughter to denounce George
Jacobs as a user of witchcraft so
Jacob’s property would be forfeited. Most agree that Putnam is
the only person wealthy enough
to purchase this large piece of
land once it became available.
This story was verified by an unnamed ‘honest man’ to Corey.
Corey’s unwillingness to reveal
the name of this man resulted in
his own death sentence.
Several citizens have accused
Thomas Putnam of ‘land grabbing’: John Proctor reminds
Thomas Putnam that “we vote by
name in this society, not by acreage” and Giles Corey claims that
“Thomas Putnam is reachin’ out
for land.”
Mr. Walcott charged that Martha
Corey sold him a pig that died
soon thereafter, and now claims
that ‘he cannot keep a pig alive
for more than four weeks because Martha bewitch them with
her books.’
Elizabeth Proctor claims in court
that she was pregnant. Judge
Danforth and the authorities of
the court ‘examined her body’
and stated that there was no sign
of it. The court was later proven
wrong as, indeed, Mrs. Proctor
proved to actually be pregnant.
Reverend Samuel Parris reported
that Abigail Williams had broken into his strongbox and
robbed him of 31 pounds so she
and Mercy Lewis could escape
Salem aboard a ship.
Giles Corey claims that Thomas
By Walter Cronk
4
1692 has been a year of
blood, faith and disasters.
Back in Europe, thing are
Word puzzle
falling apart. On February
WORDS TO FIND:
13th, the MacDonalds lost
ACCUSERS
78 of their clansmen at
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FLAINTIFF
REPUTATION
WITCHCRAFT
CHURCH
CONFESSION
PROVIDENCE
RUMORS
CONJURING
HYPOCRISY
SALEM
SPIRITS
TRIALS
The Puritan Press
Page 5
FASHION WEEK 1692
Puritan Fashion
Do’s and Don’ts
By Christian Die
The good news is last year’s fashions are
in style again this year! Once again, we
are seeing women’s gowns with highnecked smocks and wide collars. Married
women cover their hair with a linen cap,
and can opt to wear a tall black hat over it.
Women of rank should wear modest lace
and embroidery: as the various ranks of society are divinely ordained, clothing
should reflect this blessing. Again, we don’t advocate wearing black for everyday, because black dye is still very expensive and fades quickly. Black clothing is best worn by the elders, the wealthy or for the most formal occasions such as
taking a portrait. The newest colors are sombre brown, blue, dull green, and crimson. Fabrics to look for are wool and
linen. Men have the option of wearing long curled hair, or have their hair cut short. Men and women both should avoid
bright colors, shiny fabrics, and over-ornamentation. As always, our clothes represent our reputation and morality; accessories can only mean vanity which a sin associated with evil, so should be avoided at all costs.
Court system, Fair or Unfair? (Opinion)
By Jonathan Flemings
In this time of witch hunting even
will be hanged for their ‘sins’ and
of the final hangings when he
the most faithful can be convicted.
those who value life over honor
said “Unconfessed and claiming
Anyone who is even the slightest
will say they are a witch and live
innocence, doubts are multiplied,
bit suspicious is brought before
on. This court system makes
may honest people will weep for
the court, and fellow townspeople
some sick to their stomachs but
who have quarrels with each other seems to be fair in the eyes of the
seem only too glad to cast suspiauthorities. We have to ask our-
them, and our good purpose is
cion on their neighbors. What the
selves, why are the church, court
“Postponement, now, speaks a
court does next is the most con-
system, and authorities acting
floundering on my part; reprieve
fusing part. If you are convicted
this way? Why are they so
or pardon must cast doubt upon
and put on trial, you are given two
strongly behind this literal witch
the guilt of them that died till
choices: plea innocence and be
hunt? It is as if they will do any-
now.” Clearly the men were just
hanged, or admit you are a witch
thing to protect their positions,
trying to sway opinion and hold
and live (and in most or all cases,
high and mighty above the com-
their positions, even if it means
those who admit that they are a
mon man. One can see their mo-
murdering innocents. I ask, how
witch are lying just to save them-
tives and manipulations in one
many innocents will die before
selves). These two choices are
conversation between Reverend
the people stop this madness?
nothing but cruel as those that
Parris and Judge Danforth: Parris
Because I don’t think that the
have a lot of pride and honesty
was lobbying for a postponement
courts or the church will.
lost in their tears.” Judge Danforth stood firm and replied
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