Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
![Loading indicator](/images/ajax-loader-bar.gif)
"Few events in American history are as well remembered as the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. But there was another witch hunt that year, in Stamford, Connecticut, that has never been examined in depth. Now Richard Godbeer describes this "other witch hunt" in a concise narrative that illuminates the colonial world and shatters the stereotype of early New Englanders as quick to accuse and condemn. That stereotype originates with Salem, which was in many ways unlike other outbreaks of witch-hunting in the region." "Drawing on eye-witness testimony, Godbeer tells the story of Kate Branch, a seventeen-year-old afflicted by strange visions and given to blood-chilling wails of pain and fright. Branch accused several women of bewitching her, two of whom were put on trial for witchcraft. The book takes us inside the courtroom - and inside the minds of the surprisingly skeptical Stamford townsfolk. Was the pain and screaming due to natural causes, or to supernatural causes? Was Branch simply faking the symptoms? And if she was bewitched, why believe her specific accusations, since her information came from demons who might well be lying? For the judges, Godbeer shows, the trial was a legal thicket. All agreed that witches posed a real and serious threat, but proving witchcraft (an invisible crime) in court was another matter. The court in Salem had become mired in controversy over its use of dubious evidence. In an intriguing passage, Godbeer examines Magistrate Jonathan Selleck's notes on how to determine the guilt of someone accused of witchcraft - an illuminating look at what constituted proof of witchcraft at the time. The stakes were high - if found guilty, the two accused women would be hanged."--BOOK JACKET.
Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
![Loading indicator](/images/ajax-loader-bar.gif)
Previews available in: English
Subjects
History, Trials (Witchcraft), United states, history, Witchcraft, Physicians, Professional Practice, History of MedicinePlaces
Connecticut, StamfordTimes
17th centuryShowing 4 featured editions. View all 4 editions?
Edition | Availability |
---|---|
1
Escaping Salem: The Other Witch Hunt of 1692
2005, Oxford University Press
in English
1280535423 9781280535420
|
aaaa
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
2
Escaping Salem: the other witch hunt of 1692
2005, Oxford University Press
in English
0195161297 9780195161298
|
cccc
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
3
Escaping Salem: The Other Witch Hunt Of 1692
2005, Ebsco Publishing
in English
0198036523 9780198036524
|
zzzz
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
4
Escaping Salem: The Other Witch Hunt of 1692 (New Narratives in American History)
October 1, 2004, Oxford University Press, USA
in English
0195161297 9780195161298
|
zzzz
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
Community Reviews (0)
Feedback?History
- Created November 18, 2022
- 1 revision
Wikipedia citation
×CloseCopy and paste this code into your Wikipedia page. Need help?
November 18, 2022 | Created by ImportBot | Imported from Better World Books record |