Essay On The Witch Trial

Out of the accused, 19 people were hanged for the “crimes” that they had not confessed to. This was how the trials usually went. An accused witch was thrown in jail and called to plead their case in court. If said person does not confess to the crime of being a witch, they are presumed guilty and are scheduled to be hanged. For example, a report from History.com states, “Though Good and Osborn denied their guilt, Tituba confessed. Likely seeking to save herself from certain conviction by acting as an informer, she claimed there were other witches acting alongside her in service of the devil against the Puritans,”(History.com). This was the price they would have to pay to confessing: confess another witch. Researchers thought that everyone accused would use this method, but that sadly was not the case. Was it possible the girls felt a major guilt? They tried to keep these games going on for as long as possible, like “[w]hen the witch shifted her feet, the girls shifted their feet. When she clenched her fingers, the girls cried that they were pinched. When she bit her lip, they screamed, bled and showed tooth marks” (Watson April 1992). This would all occur as almost a cue during the trials. Did they feel guilty, or did they just like having that much