Salem Witch Trials Daily

Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack

Witch trials unfolded one document at a time. Salem Witch Trials Daily follows the Salem witch trials of 1692-1693 in real time, day by day and document by document. Hosted by Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack, each micro-episode covers the Salem witchcraft accusations unfolding on this exact date. Court examinations. Arrests. Hearings. Petitions. Executions. The real calendar of the Salem witch hunt, built from primary sources and leading scholarship. Free course at aboutsalem.com #witchtrials #SalemWitchTrials #Salemwitchcraft #1692 #Salem #witchcraft #history #colonialamerica #historypodcast #

  1. 1d ago

    Samuel Wardwell Recants His Confession to Witchcraft: September 13, 1692

    September 13, 1692: Ann Foster Convicted as Wardwell Recants and John Alden EscapesOn Tuesday, September 13, 1693, Ann Foster, a confessor, was found guilty of witchcraft, and Samuel Wardwell retracted his own confession, perhaps because two confessors were convicted on September 10 and another today.Around this time in September 1692, Capt. John Alden escaped the Boston jail and began making his way to New York, where he found safety until the witch trials were over.Chapters00:00 Daily Introduction00:08 Joan Penny Accused00:20 Ann Foster Testimony01:00 Ann Foster Convicted01:13 Wardwell Recants01:46 Spectral Attacks Reported02:01 Wilmot Redd Summons02:09 Alden Jail Escape LinksSalem Witch-Hunt Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/salemwitchhuntSalem Witch Trials History YouTube: https://youtube.com/@aboutwitchhuntsThe Thing About the Salem Witch Trials: https://aboutsalem.comSalem Witch Trials Daily: https://aboutsalem.com/salem-witch-trials-daily/The Thing About Witch Hunts: https://aboutwitchhunts.com

  2. 1d ago

    50 Witches Reportedly Hold a Sabbath: September 12, 1692

    September 12, 1692: 50 Witches and a Jail Bill On Monday, September 12, 1692, sisters-in-law Alice and Elizabeth Booth claimed they saw a witches’ sabbat in Salem featuring 50 spectral witches. The Booths said they knew 13 of the witches and that the group shared a sacrament of bread and wine. Giles Cory even supposedly offered the sacrament to the Booths and then afflicted them when they declined. In Boston today, jailer John Arnold submitted a bill for keeping numerous witchcraft suspects and others. He billed the colonial government for shackles, locks, repairs, and food for the inmates. Chapters 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 00:05 Booths Report Witch Sabbath 00:24 Refusing the Sacrament 00:43 Jail Costs and Repairs 01:21 How Much Is 40 Pounds 01:38 Upfront Costs Conclusion  Links Salem Witch-Hunt Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/salemwitchhunt Salem Witch Trials History YouTube: https://youtube.com/@aboutwitchhunts The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials: https://aboutsalem.com Salem Witch Trials Daily: https://aboutsalem.com/salem-witch-trials-daily/ The Thing About Witch Hunts: https://aboutwitchhunts.com

  3. 2d ago

    The Excommunication of Martha Cory: September 11, 1692

    Samuel Parris Declares a “War with the Lamb” as Salem Condemns Six and Excommunicates Martha Cory On Sunday, September 11, 1692, minister Samuel Parris noted that six people had recently been condemned to die for witchcraft, including Martha Cory (a member of Parris’s church), Mary Esty, Ann Pudeator, Dorcas Hoar, Mary Bradbury, and Alice Parker. Today, Parris used Revelation 17:14 as the basis of a sermon on spiritual warfare. He declared that even the most civil and devout regions were “pestered” by witches, some of whom were church members.  Parris framed Salem’s crisis as part of a much larger war between god and the antichrist. He told his congregation they were all on one side or the other, and it was best to be on the side of god. Parris  equated questioning the magistrates with rebellion against God.  After the worship service, the church voted to excommunicate Martha Cory, who Parris considered to be at war with god, and who would be hanged September 22nd. Chapters00:00 Daily Introduction 00:08 Condemned for Witchcraft 00:25 Revelation Text Chosen 01:08 War Between Christ and Satan 02:17 History and Politics in Sermon 03:15 Reassurance of Final Victory 03:52 Four Uses of the Text 04:20 Witches Among Churchgoers 05:12 Two Sides Only 06:08 Afternoon Warning Against Rebellion 06:38 Disobedience as War on Christ 07:44 Endure as Soldiers of Christ 08:08 Martha Cory Excommunicated 09:24 Why the Sermon Mattered 09:43 Invitation to More Accusations 10:15 Closing Reflection  LinksSalem Witch-Hunt Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/salemwitchhunt Salem Witch Trials History YouTube: https://youtube.com/@aboutwitchhunts The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials: https://aboutsalem.com Salem Witch Trials Daily: https://aboutsalem.com/salem-witch-trials-daily/ The Thing About Witch Hunts: https://aboutwitchhunts.com

  4. Oct 4

    Abigail Hobbs Indicted for Covenanting with the Devil: September 10, 1692

    Sentences, Warrants, and Grand Jury Indictments: Salem Witch Trials Daily — September 10, 1692 We follow a pivotal day in the Salem Witch Trials as the Court of Oyer and Terminer condemns Martha Cory, Mary Esty, Ann Pudeator, Dorcas Hoar, Mary Bradbury, and Alice Parker to hang, while new warrants and accusations widen the panic across Essex and Suffolk counties. A third arrest warrant targets the elusive Elizabeth Colson, backed by vivid testimony from Mary Marshall, and Henry Bragg seeks the arrests of Sarah Cole and Hannah Carroll for allegedly afflicting his son. Our coverage also tracks grand jury action against Abigail Hobbs—indicted for covenanting with the devil and afflicting Mercy Lewis—and Rebecca Jacobs, indicted for afflicting Elizabeth Hubbard but not for covenanting. A Gloucester complaint against Joan Penny and a mother’s urgent petition to Judge Stoughton about unreliable jailhouse “confessions” expose how rumor, mental distress, and shifting execution timelines shaped 1692 justice. Chapters: 00:00 Daily Introduction 00:07 Sentences and Warrants 00:53 Grand Jury Indictments 02:04 Colson Spectral Attacks 02:49 Pudeator After Conviction 03:12 Rebecca Jacobs Petition 04:25 September Convictions Shift Links: Salem Witch-Hunt Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/salemwitchhunt Salem Witch Trials History YouTube: https://youtube.com/@aboutwitchhunts The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials: https://aboutsalem.com Salem Witch Trials Daily: https://aboutsalem.com/salem-witch-trials-daily/ The Thing About Witch Hunts: https://aboutwitchhunts.com

  5. Sep 30

    Mary Bradbury and Mary Esty Tried for Witchcraft: September 9, 1692

    September 9, 1692: Mary Bradbury Convicted, Giles Corey Pressed, Mary Esty SentencedWe take you inside Salem’s town house on Friday, September 9, 1692, as the Court of Oyer and Terminer drives the Salem witch trials forward with grand jury hearings and trials for Mary Bradbury, Giles Corey, and Mary Esty. Our focus follows the testimony that fueled convictions—spectral torment, claims of murder and livestock destruction, and bizarre stories like the “blue boar” sighting and maritime misfortunes tied to Bradbury—ending in her conviction and later jail escape. We also trace the accusations that led Giles Corey to refuse a plea, triggering the brutal peine forte et dure that would kill him. Mary Esty’s case brings the courtroom’s imbalance into sharp relief through her petition with Sarah Cloyce seeking counsel, sworn character witnesses, and skepticism toward afflicted and confessor testimony, even as Esty is convicted and condemned.Chapters00:00 Daily Trials Overview00:31 Bradbury Pleads Innocence01:36 Afflicted Testify Against Bradbury05:16 Carrs and Endicotts Strange Tales10:06 Bradbury Convicted and Escapes11:00 Giles Corey Accusations13:03 Refusal to Plead and Pressing14:05 Mary Esty Trial Begins15:22 Esty and Cloyce Petition Judges16:03 Conviction and Final Hangings Links Salem Witch-Hunt Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/salemwitchhunt Salem Witch Trials History YouTube: https://youtube.com/@aboutwitchhunts The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials: https://aboutsalem.com Salem Witch Trials Daily: https://aboutsalem.com/salem-witch-trials-daily/ The Thing About Witch Hunts: https://aboutwitchhunts.com

  6. Sep 29

    The Witchcraft Trial of Martha Cory: September 8, 1692

    Andover’s Mass Touch Test and Martha Cory’s Conviction — September 8, 1692 The Andover phase of the witch-hunt escalates with a rare mass “touch test” at the Andover meetinghouse, where suspects are blindfolded, made to touch the afflicted, and then arrested under a warrant from Justice Dudley Bradstreet before being taken to Salem for examination.  Using later declarations and Increase Mather’s reporting, we trace how women such as Mary Osgood, Deliverance Dane, and others described relentless pressure from authorities and family that drove confessions and later recantations, while examinations raised troubling questions about spectral evidence and consent. We also track major court developments: William Procter faces the grand jury and receives ignoramus findings on two indictments, and Martha Cory is tried, convicted on witchcraft charges grounded in depositions and affliction testimony, and sentenced to hang on September 22, shortly after Giles Cory’s death by pressing. 00:00 Daily Overview 00:25 Andover Mass Touch Test 02:01 Confessions Under Pressure 04:43 Deliverance Dane Spectral Claims 05:47 Mary Osgood Examination 08:44 Recantations And Family Pressure 09:16 Other Court Business 10:41 Martha Cory Trial Evidence 17:16 Verdict And Sentencing

  7. Sep 17

    The Witchcraft Trials of Ann Pudeator and Alice Parker: September 7, 1692

    September 7, 1692: Divination, Spectral Claims, and Guilty Verdicts for Alice Parker and Ann PudeatorWe take you straight into September 7, 1692, as Salem Witch Trials history turns on examinations, divination, and courtroom spectacle. Our hosts follow Rebecca Johnson Sr. and Henry Salter as “sieve and scissors” and “Bible and key” methods are treated as witchcraft, while afflicted witnesses collapse, recover at a touch, and swear they see the devil. The action intensifies with nine witnesses accusing Alice Parker of choking, poppets, and fatal bewitchments—claims that end in indictment, conviction, and her September 22 hanging. We also track the grand jury’s case against Ann Pudeator, from eerie flight-like sightings to Ann Putnam Jr.’s testimony, leading to another guilty verdict and execution. Along the way, we spotlight rare defense testimony for Mary Bradbury and a revealing court summons tied to the Towne family’s “strange fits” in the shadow of Rebecca Nurse’s relatives.00:00 Daily Trials Overview00:13 Rebecca Johnson Examined01:34 Henry Salter Under Scrutiny02:49 Summons and Grand Jury Moves03:03 Alice Parker Accusations04:03 Poppets and Deadly Confessions05:05 Fits and Prophecies07:22 Chickens and Confrontation09:59 Verdict and Execution10:08 Ann Pudeator Convicted11:14 Mary Bradbury Defense13:08 Mary Towne Summons13:30 Andover Allegations Wrap Up

  8. Sep 16

    The Trial of Dorcas Hoar: September 6, 1692

    September 6, 1692: Ann Pudeator’s Grand Jury Evidence and Dorcas Hoar’s Guilty VerdictStep into September 6, 1692, as we track a pivotal day in the Salem witch trials: Alice Parker is re-examined, the Court of Oyer and Terminer summons witnesses against Mary Esty, and the grand jury presses forward on Ann Pudeator with accusations from Sarah Churchill, Mary Warren, Elizabeth Hubbard, Ann Putnam Jr., Sarah Bibber, and Mary Walcott. Then the focus shifts to Dorcas Hoar’s witchcraft trial, where testimonies from Beverly—including Mary Gage and minister John Hale—center on fortune-telling, a mysterious “book” of palmistry, threats, and ominous predictions. Depositions from multiple witnesses culminate in a guilty verdict and a scheduled execution, but a last-minute ministers’ petition secures a stay that ultimately spares Dorcas Hoar as spectral evidence is later barred and the court winds down. Keywords: Salem witch trials, Court of Oyer and Terminer, Ann Pudeator, Dorcas Hoar, John Hale, spectral evidence.00:00 Welcome and Setup00:05 Alice Parker Reexamined00:53 Ann Pudeator Accusations02:45 Dorcas Hoar Trial Begins02:53 Mary Gage Deposition04:08 John Hale Testimony06:45 Fortune Book Mystery07:53 More Depositions and Threats10:07 Guilty Verdict and Reprieve10:41 Aftermath and Release

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About

Witch trials unfolded one document at a time. Salem Witch Trials Daily follows the Salem witch trials of 1692-1693 in real time, day by day and document by document. Hosted by Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack, each micro-episode covers the Salem witchcraft accusations unfolding on this exact date. Court examinations. Arrests. Hearings. Petitions. Executions. The real calendar of the Salem witch hunt, built from primary sources and leading scholarship. Free course at aboutsalem.com #witchtrials #SalemWitchTrials #Salemwitchcraft #1692 #Salem #witchcraft #history #colonialamerica #historypodcast #

Information

  • Creator
    Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    174
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack
  • Show Website
    Salem Witch Trials Daily

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