The Margret Jones Case

Witchcraft is defined as the practice of magic, especially black magic; the use of spells and the invocation of spirits. In June 1648 Margret Jones, a midwife from Charlestown was indicted and found guilty for witchcraft and hung on a tree. She was the first individual to be executed for witchcraft in Massachusetts Bay Colony. John Winthrop recorded the evidence in his journal during her trial in which states, “Her behavior at her trial was very intemerate, lying notoriously, and railing upon the jury and witnesses, etc., and in the like distemper she died. My view on the evidence used in the Margret Jones case is that the evidence is non-valid because there is no reasonable evidence to lead to a logical conviction.

The first evidence used in the trial consisted of, “she was found to have such a malignant touch, as many persons, men, women, and children, whom she stroked or touched with any affection or displeasure, or etc.were taken with deafness, or vomiting, or other violent pains or sickness.” I believe this claim in non valid because there is not proof that her touch had made a difference in the lives if these indiviuals. The person could have just been getting a cold during this time period due to many sicknesses that was around.

The second evidence in the case was She practising physic, and her medicines being such things as, by

It states that, “they would never be healed” some disesase cannot be healed such as HIV and AIDS and worsens over time. The evidence provided is not a valid claim to prove she was guilty for witch