While journalist Rebecca Beatrice Brooks’ History of Massachusetts blog lists dozens of people from across the state who made accusations of witchcraft against individuals, the accusers at the center of the story were a small group of girls and young women. The first to emerge as apparent victims of witchcraft were Samuel Parris’ daughter, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth’s cousin, Abigail Williams. When the saga started, the two girls were just 9 and 11 years old, respectively. However, their testimony still became the catalyst for one of the most needlessly bloody and disturbing episodes in American history.
The story begins with Elizabeth and Abigail claiming to be suffering from a number of unexplainable physical symptoms and exhibiting strange behaviors, such as fits and compulsive barking. According to “The Salem Witch Trials” by Stuart A. Kallen, Samuel Parris originally attempted to treat the girls through spiritual means, specifically prayer and fasting. But he was soon convinced of something more sinister after a neighboring doctor named William Griggs claimed that “the evil hand is upon them.”
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It later emerged that the two girls had been playing a divination game involving dropping an egg into water, which could purportedly tell young girls the profession of their future husband. According to Kallen, some historians claim this game took place under the supervision of Tituba, a Native American woman who lived in Salem. Regardless, she was accused of bewitching the girls, as were two other local women: Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne. By the time the trials were concluded, Abigail Williams had appeared on multiple occasions and testified against eight of the 57 people she accused. Elizabeth Parris never appeared in court,
