Martha Carrier Case

Level 1: Literal

In the Wonders of the World by Cotton Mather, Martha Carrier is accused of being a witch and was “...indicted for the bewitching certain persons, according to the form usual in such cases, pleading not guilty to her indictment”. During her trial, many people were called as witnesses to testify against her. Even her children went as far to say that “they were witches themselves, but that their mother had made them so”. Though her children’s statement was not used against her, there was already enough sufficient statements that were claimed to be true “evidence” against the case of Martha Carrier.

Level 2: Interpretive

Martha Carrier is being held responsible for bewitching her fellow residents of her town based off only their statements, with

This goes to show how easily it was back then to get someone to be arrested and put to death. One could just accuse someone they dislike of being a witch, and people would then join in to also due to the hysteria. In her trial, all of the evidence is based on eyewitnesses, such as Allen Toothaker, an eyewitness himself. After one of Carrier’s children attacked him, Toothaker had enough and “... was going to strike at Richard Carrier but fell down flat on his back to the ground, and had not power to stir hand or foot, until he told Carrier he yielded; and then he saw the shape of Martha Carrier go off his breast”. Not only is this evidence highly unlikely to be true due to the lack of scientific evidence of witches back then, but there were no other people to back up his claim, thus meaning Toothaker could have made the whole thing up just to make Carrier look more guilty than she already did. Another witness said that the voice of Carrier spoke to them and that “The voice told her she should within two or three days be poisoned. Accordingly, within such a little time, one half of her right hand became greatly swollen and very painful;