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, thirty-

nine others were arrested on

the charges of witchcraft

and signing pacts with the

devil. The question is not

only are they guilty or inno-

cent? But, how many more

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

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

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 Wil-

liams was sent away from

the Proctors house. More

on this scintillating story in

the next edition, as events

unfold.

Our lovely town, pure or infected?

Witch Craft found in Salem! By Amity Citizen Special

Reports:

Cover Story:

Witchcraft in

Salem! p.1

John Proctor

Unfaithful?

p.1

Court Disrup-

tion p.2

Witchcraft

Signs and Book

Recommenda-

tion p.3

John and Abigail or John and Elizabeth? By Lament Discretion

L A N G U A G E A N D L I T E R A T U R E 1 0 - B L O C K 5

T E O A N A N I A D I S - N O V E M B E R 5 , 2 0 1 2

The Puritan Press

Summer 1692 The Puritan Press

Regular Features:

Obituaries p.2

Church Report p.2

Editorial p.3

Gossip p.3

Crime Report p.4

World News p.4

Word Puzzle p.4

Fashion p.5

Opinion p.5

Comics p.6

Elizabeth, I have confessed it!”

hoping to save her from being

detained further. It was no use

and Elizabeth Proctor was re-

moved from the courtroom.

Shortly thereafter confusion

erupted when Abigail began act-

ing 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.

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 witch-

craft so that we may continue to lead moral and

upright lives as God intended.

Thomas Putnam accuses John Proctor of not at-

tending 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 suc-

cumbed to the temptations of

the bottle, plunging his fam-

ily into ruin.

Though he was not hanged,

Giles Corey, one of Salem’s

oldest residents died by be-

ing pressed to death with

large stones. The frequent

court plaintiff had been held

in contempt of court for re-

fusing 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 for-

gives them their sins and

shows mercy on their souls

forevermore.

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; ac-

cording to Judge Danforth,

“there will be no postpone-

ment.” 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

Disorder in the Court By Marshal Hopkins

Church Report By Reverend Samuel Parris

Obituaries By Redeemed Providence

P a g e 2 T h e P u r i t a n P r e s s

In exciting court proceedings today,

soon after John Proctor made an out-

right 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 Dan-

forth 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!

Person talks to people who are

dead or not there

Person keeps a doll and nee-

dles to harm or give pain to

others

Person laughs or screams dur-

ing 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 symp-

toms or signs, please report them to your

local authorities! Also, read my book for

further enlightenment.

the whole court that he ‘has known’

Abigail Williams when she served in

the house of Proctor and his wife, Eliza-

beth. Elizabeth apparently learned of

the affair and gave Abigail the boot.

Abigail has yet to find gainful employ-

ment. 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

The whole town seems alive with fear

and finger pointing in these latest witch

hunts. One would think that our citi-

zens’ 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

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 con-

fessed to witchcraft. The surprising thing

is that she won’t serve much time in jail as

she was found to be pregnant in an exami-

nation by Dr. Griggs, and she is nearly 60

years old!

think for himself as he said “Is every

defense an attack upon the court?”

Judge Danforth has been known to

say “a person is either with the court

or he must be counted against it.”

He is what some might call a strict

or unfair judge because he accuses

many of witchcraft and heresy. In

this day and age, being accused is almost

the same as being proven guilty. You

can be accused on even the slightest of

suspicions if the court or church deems it

necessary. Also, your church and reli-

gious life are entirely permissible in court

as proven fact.

The Authorities consist of a court sys-

tem 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-

tation. When a man or woman attacks

or questions the court or church they are

charged with contempt of court or her-

esy, and either jailed or executed. Many

church pastors and judges work very

closely together. Reverend Hale seems

to be the only authority that seems to

Witchcraft – What to Look For By Reverend John Hale

Goody Gossip By Gabby Person

The Role of the Authorities in Dealing with the Issue of Witchcraft in Salem

(Editorial) By Justice Jones

P a g e 3 T h e P u r i t a n P r e s s

Witchcraft and devil worship are very

serious subjects that should be ap-

proached precisely and with in-

tellegence. 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 some-

thing suspicious:

Person speaks in gibberish

Person mutters more than

usual about nonsense

Person reads strange books

Person seems very private

Person can predict things be-

fore they happen

Person cannot bear to hear the

Lord’s name

World News By Walter Cronk

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 be-

cause 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 bro-

ken 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

Putnam prompted his own

daughter to denounce George

Jacobs as a user of witchcraft so

Jacob’s property would be for-

feited. 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 un-

named ‘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 grab-

bing’: John Proctor reminds

Thomas Putnam that “we vote by

name in this society, not by acre-

age” and Giles Corey claims that

“Thomas Putnam is reachin’ out

for land.”

1692 has been a year of

blood, faith and disasters.

Back in Europe, thing are

falling apart. On February

13th, the MacDonalds lost

78 of their clansmen at

Glen Coe, Scotland, be-

cause they did not

promptly pledge their alle-

giance to the new King

William of Orange. On the

29th of May, the Dutch/

British fleet defeats the

French at La Hague. In

Jamaica, on the 7th of June,

3,000 souls lost their lives

due to an enormous earth-

quake at Port Royal. So

then on June 24th King-

ston, Jamaica was founded

by the survivors. And on

the 24th of July and again

August 3rd the French de-

feated the English and

Dutch armies at Enghein

and Stronkerke.

Community Grievances and Crime Records By Ezekiel Cheever

W o r d p u z z l e

P a g e 4 T h e P u r i t a n P r e s s

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 retri-

bution 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.

N Y E A L F J M M E L A S H S M N Y W

R L U G A I C I N N C K D M M C W E P

I E U U R N T O U C E E Y U I I I C I

N R U N A T I R U P J F N C P S O I N

C F J S A C U S T R L H D T D C I T N

Y O T U H N E I O P T A M S C S C E M

T C M I D R C O N J U R I N G T T I P

E T T M S G N L W P E T O N N I G R E

I R A M U R E F A I P I H O T R A H S

C O M M A N D M E N T S I R M I Y S I

O N C J S O I I E I D C L N R P F A T

S C O P C I V T T N I O H A O S G F P

I A F G N S O S Y P T E W C I N Y N T

H I E W E S R T S C R A R N R R R T A

O C E A R E P U T A T I O N E A T C T

E L R O P F S E T I S M T H N R F C O

S N M U I N T I F Y R I C A C I M T U

T U S E H O O T I H P E F D O E L S R

R F D A N C I N G T L Y T E R C L S E

WORDS TO FIND:

ACCUSERS

COMMUNITY

COURTROOM

JUDGEMENT

FLAINTIFF

REPUTATION

SKEPTIC

SUPERSTITION

WITCHCRAFT

CHURCH

CONFESSION

DANCING

LANDOWNER

PROVIDENCE

RUMORS

SOCIETY

SUSPICION

COMMANDMENTS

CONJURING

HYPOCRISY

LECHERY

PURITAN

SALEM

SPIRITS

TRIALS

will be hanged for their ‘sins’ and

those who value life over honor

will say they are a witch and live

on. This court system makes

some sick to their stomachs but

seems to be fair in the eyes of the

authorities. We have to ask our-

selves, why are the church, court

system, and authorities acting

this way? Why are they so

strongly behind this literal witch

hunt? It is as if they will do any-

thing to protect their positions,

high and mighty above the com-

mon man. One can see their mo-

tives and manipulations in one

conversation between Reverend

Parris and Judge Danforth: Parris

was lobbying for a postponement

In this time of witch hunting even

the most faithful can be convicted.

Anyone who is even the slightest

bit suspicious is brought before

the court, and fellow townspeople

who have quarrels with each other

seem only too glad to cast suspi-

cion on their neighbors. What the

court does next is the most con-

fusing part. If you are convicted

and put on trial, you are given two

choices: plea innocence and be

hanged, or admit you are a witch

and live (and in most or all cases,

those who admit that they are a

witch are lying just to save them-

selves). These two choices are

nothing but cruel as those that

have a lot of pride and honesty

of the final hangings when he

said “Unconfessed and claiming

innocence, doubts are multiplied,

may honest people will weep for

them, and our good purpose is

lost in their tears.” Judge Dan-

forth stood firm and replied

“Postponement, now, speaks a

floundering on my part; reprieve

or pardon must cast doubt upon

the guilt of them that died till

now.” Clearly the men were just

trying to sway opinion and hold

their positions, even if it means

murdering innocents. I ask, how

many innocents will die before

the people stop this madness?

Because I don’t think that the

courts or the church will.

Court system, Fair or Unfair? (Opinion) By Jonathan Flemings

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 high-

necked 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 expen-

sive 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; acces-

sories can only mean vanity which a sin associated with evil, so should be avoided at all costs.

The Puritan Press Page 5

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