Dark Crossroads
A podcast about all things true crime & paranormal
Welcome to Dark Crossroads Podcast! We bring you gripping stories and intriguing discussions in the fascinating world of the paranormal, true crime and the unknown. We offer a captivating range of episodes that will leave you questioning the boundaries of reality.
At Dark Crossroads Podcast, we pride ourselves on delivering thought-provoking content that keeps our listeners on the edge of their seats. Our episodes explore supernatural phenomena, unsolved mysteries, and unexplained events, providing a unique platform for those interested in the uncharted and enigmatic.
Whether you're a devoted follower of the paranormal or just searching for something off the beaten path, Dark Crossroads Podcast invites you to join our growing community of curious minds. Immerse yourself in our immersive storytelling and engaging discussions, and let your imagination run wild. Check us out at the link below and embark on a journey that will challenge your perception of the world around you. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast for all bonus content!
Don’t. Trust. Anyone.
Dark Crossroads
The Lasting Hauntings of The Salem Witch Trials: Part 1
One of history's most infamous episodes of mass hysteria. We unravel the dark history of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692-1693, a period that forever scarred colonial Massachusetts. We'll reveal how deeply-rooted Puritan beliefs, which cast women as inherently sinful and susceptible to the devil's influence, led to the tragic persecution and execution of many innocent people. Our exploration doesn't stop there; we'll also shed light on the contrasting methods and demographics of the Salem trials compared to European witch hunts, offering a comprehensive understanding of this grim chapter in history.
Prepare to be captivated by the harrowing tales of those ensnared by the witch hunt frenzy. We'll take you through the brutal and bizarre tests used to identify witches. Tune in for an eye-opening examination of the Salem Witch Trials, a cautionary tale of how fear and ignorance can lead to unspeakable injustices.
Packed With Purpose
Woman Owned business that embeds social & environmental impact into the everyday act of gift giving
Curiosity Box
Use promo code dark30 when Subscribing to Quarterly or Annual Plan and get a FREE Lightyear Bottle!
From murderers to money launderers, thieves to thugs – police officers from the...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Please don't forget to like, rate, review & subscribe. ♡
Be Weird. Stay Different. Don't Trust Anyone!
Our website, places to listen, where to find us on social media and how to subscribe to have access to bonus content, become our bestie and receive a shout-out in upcoming episodes!!!
Welcome to Dark Crossroads Podcast, hosted by Roxanne Fletcher. This is your stop for all things true crime and paranormal. From the infamous story of the New Bedford Highway Killer to the chilling tale of the Black Eyed Children, dark Crossroads Podcast is a truly deep dive into the stories that frighten and fascinate you. All links to the show will be provided in this episode's description, and don't forget to let us know what you think of today's episode.
Speaker 1:One of the most notorious cases of mass hysteria broke out in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May of 1693. Within just three months, a lot of damage was inflicted on the villagers of Salem Town, so much to the point where the community never really recovered from it. In such a short time, as many as 200 people would be accused of witchcraft and imprisoned, and a total of 25 innocent lives would be taken. 19 people were executed and 5 died in what was called witch jail, and one man was tortured to death for refusing to give a plea. Here is everything that you need to know about the dark history that lurks on the ground of Salem Massachusetts. There's a lot of factors that went into why the witch trials would occur, ranging between racism, lack of medical knowledge and discrimination due to gender and social status. The biggest reason of them all, however, was due to religion and religious extremists. There is a lot of in-depth information about religion in relation to the witch trials, but this is just going to be a brief summary of what that entails.
Speaker 1:The villagers of Salem Town were Puritans, and the Puritan religion started in England as a reformation and attempts to purify the church. Martin Luther and John Calvin created this idea due to not agreeing with the Roman Catholic Church. The Puritans that did not want to live by the way of the Roman Catholic Church, most of which were families, left England and made their way over to America and formed the Massachusetts Bay Colony and became known as the American Puritans. The five main beliefs in this religion include absolute sovereignty, human depravity, predestination, covenant theory and individualism. Puritans believed that God had the ultimate power and had power over everyone's lives, and the Puritan religion revolved around the good nature of God and the wickedness of the devil. They believed that, regardless of the amount of power and control that God had over everyone, the devil still had the ability to control people who were weak and easily manipulated to feed into his evil temptations. The devil was clearly linked to sin and anything that brought happiness or pleasure was seen as giving in to the devil's temptations. Sexuality and diversity, meaning anybody who had a mind of their own or had basic human emotions or attractions, would be seen as evil and therefore would be a witch. A very famous quote about the witch trials is all witches are women, but not every woman is a witch. This religion was also very discriminatory towards women, as around 78% of all accused witches would be women. Puritan belief was that women were inherently sinful and had a higher but not in the eyes of the devil, and women's souls were seen as unprotected due to their weak and vulnerable minds and bodies. This belief was further fueled during the witch trials due to so many women confessing. However, it is speculated that the women who confessed either truly believed that they were being taken over by the devil or that they confessed to simply save their own lives. One of the wild things about these trials was that most people who confess were allowed to live. Witches who confessed were given the chance to reform themselves, while the people who were executed were the ones who refused either to confess or to give a plea at all.
Speaker 1:In Europe, during the witch trials during the 15 and 1600s, witches who confessed were also either exiled or fined, but also not normally executed. European witch trials were actually far more heinous and brutal than the Salem witch trials, with up to 80,000 people being executed, which was 80% of them being women and most of the accused being over the age of 40. Most of the accused in Salem were actually children and teenagers between the ages of 12 to 20. Other differences between European and Salem witch trials were that no one was burned at the stake. In Salem, everyone who was executed was executed by being hung and won by crushing with rock. Executions in Europe ranged anywhere between hanging, burning at the stake, drowning and guillotine. It is not known if it was a thing in Europe, but in Salem, another punishment, along with death, was that the government would take all of your land and fortune, even if you had a family. This caused some people, like Giles Corey, the man who was pressed to death under torture, to not confess in order to make sure that his family kept his inheritance. Torture methods in both Europe and Salem are were horrible, normally consisting of burning, dunking, cutting, severe sleep deprivation, pressing. The heretic's fork, the pair of anguish, the iron maiden, witch's brittle, the rack, the iron boot, the scavenger's daughter, the bastinado, the jugs, sexual embarrassment and general restriction and torture.
Speaker 1:There were a number of tests that would be conducted to determine whether somebody was a witch or not, taking place in both Europe and Salem. The most common test was the skin test. The accused would have to be completely stripped down and checked throughout their entire body for the devil's mark. These marks were normally little red or brown bumps and blemishes, typically being things such as moles, birthmarks, scars, freckles and extra nipples. Smallpox was also very common during these times, but at the time nobody knew what smallpox really was and just assumed it was part of the devil's mark. The second most common test was the pricking and scratching test. When no marks could be found on the person's body, they would normally prick multiple areas of the accused's body with needles to see if they would bleed. They believed that a possessed person would either not draw any blood or much blood at all, so they would constantly prick multiple areas of the body until they got the results that they were looking for. Sometimes they would even have the victims of the accused come in and scratch them. It was believed that the victims would feel relief from their curses if they scratched the person who had cursed them and if they felt relief, that means the accused really was a witch. Those tests were very similar to the next common test, which was the touch test. The accused person would simply touch their victims and if the victims felt any sort of pain at all, they were deemed to be a witch.
Speaker 1:In the European 1662 case of Rose Cullender and Amy Denny, the two elderly women were charged with cursing two young children. Whenever the accused witches touched the girls, their fists would unclench, signifying that the women were witches. However, the court wanted to make sure their reactions were genuine, so they had the girls blindfolded and touched by other members of the court. The girls still proceeded to unclench their fists when touched, which showed that the girls were faking. However, that unfortunately did not save the two women and they were executed anyway. There also was the incantation test. The accused witch in this test would verbally order the devil to leave the victim's body. If the victim who happened to be cursed was cured, the accused was deemed to be a witch. There was a famous case in Europe during the 1600s where Alice Samuel, along with her husband and daughter, were accused of cursing five girls from a wealthy family. The judge had the three order each individual girl to be relieved of the demon that had possessed them, and when the girls would each suddenly stop throwing a fit, they were apparently cured and the three people were convicted and were executed.
Speaker 1:The next is the prayer test. The accused witch would be ordered to recite the Lord's Prayer or a section of a scripture by memory. If they made one error, they were a witch. This test was also heavily used in European countries and it was a terrible test to use against people who had trouble with their speech. In 1712, jane Wynnum, who was accused of being a witch, had trouble speaking the words forgive us our trespasses and also lead us not into temptation. She was assumed to be a witch since she couldn't flawlessly speak the prayer, thus being possessed by the devil. However, even speaking the prayer with no trouble at all couldn't always save you from being executed. During the Salem witch trials, george Burroughs spoke the prayer perfectly and he was still convicted, as they believed the devil could be tricking them.
Speaker 1:Another test was the swimming or dunking test. With this test, the accused witches were bound by their wrists and ankles and would be dropped into a body of water. If the accused floated, they would be deemed a witch. If the accused sank, they were innocent, but often would drown before they could be saved. This particular test was used well before the Salem Witch Trials in European countries. Normally it was used against suspected criminals, where they would be thrown into the water and a higher power would decide their fate. It was banned in many European countries during the Middle Ages but was brought back during the 17th century for the infamous witch hunts. In 1710, the swimming test was used as evidence against a Hungarian woman to convict her of witchcraft. She was later severely beaten and was burned at the stake.
Speaker 1:Another test that was used was the weight test. Witches were believed to be very light and would be weighed against the weight of the Bible. If they were lighter than the Bible, they were deemed to be a witch. However, this obviously never ever worked. So whenever this test would fail, they'll go off and conduct another test. But the most bizarre test of all of them was the witch cake test. A cake would be made with rye flour and the urine of the accused witch or anyone with the symptoms that started the witch hunt to begin with. The cake would then be fed to a dog and if the dog portrayed the same symptoms as the accused witch, then the accused would be deemed a witch. They also believed that the dog would specifically point out who the witch was. And now that we're on the topic of dogs, two dogs were also accused and found guilty of witchcraft and would also be executed. Much of the evidence that would be used against the accused witches was spectral evidence, which was basically images and aspirations of the accused being seen by the afflicted, and the afflicted would claim that this aspiration inflicted a curse upon them. It was believed that only the devil could allow these aspirations to appear, even in dreams, and the accused witches would have needed the devil's permission to be seen. Therefore, they must be a witch.
Speaker 1:It all started with Betty Parris and her cousin Abigail Williams, who were the ages of 9 and 11, the daughter and niece of Reverend Samuel Parris and niece of Reverend Samuel Paris. The two children began to have fits described as beyond the power of epileptic fits or natural disease to affect. The children acted out and would scream, throw things, crawl around on the ground under the furniture. They would utter strange sounds and words that nobody could understand. They would contort themselves into the strangest of positions. The girls would also complain about pain similar to being pricked with needles. Shortly after, two other children, ann Putnam Jr, who was 12 years old, and Elizabeth Hubbard, were also acting in a very similar way. 284 years later, it was proposed that the children were exhibiting symptoms of convulsive ergot poisoning.
Speaker 1:The first three women who were accused and arrested of witchcraft, who were allegedly the witches responsible for afflicting the children, were Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne and Tituba. Tituba was the very first person who was accused of witchcraft by Ann Putnam Jr, first person who was accused of witchcraft by Ann Putnam Jr. Historians believed that a major cause of the witch trials were due to a huge family feud between the Putnam and Porter families. Other villagers would get into heated arguments, which would often turn physical, simply over their opinions regarding the feud. All three of these women were some kind of outcasts within this community. Tituba was an enslaved South American Indian woman from the West Indies who most likely became a target due to her ethnic differences compared to the rest of the villagers. She was accused of attracting young girls with her stories of enchantment regarding tales about sexual encounters with demons swaying the minds of men and fortune-telling. Sarah Good was accused due to her reputation of scolding the children too harshly and often muttering angrily under her breath, and Sarah Osborne was accused and was seen as actively rejecting her religion. She was also accused of having her own self-interest after getting remarried and trying to gain control over her son's inheritance from her first marriage.
Speaker 1:Others were accused of witchcraft in the following March Martha Corey, rebecca Nurse, rachel Clinton and Dorothy Good. Martha Corey is one of the most famous victims in the witch trials due to being such a prominent woman in the local community. She was also a very active member with the town's children and was very well liked and respected. She never supported the witch trials as she didn't believe that witches, warlocks or magic existed. She and her husband Giles Corey sat in on the witch trials a few times, and Martha had expressed her skepticism of the trials and tried to defend the women who were being accused, saying that she did not believe that they were witches. The next time her husband Giles wanted to attend a meeting, she said no and neither of them decided to go. This caused her to be accused of not only conspiring with the witches, but also of being a witch herself. This shocked many people in the village because if someone like Martha could be a witch, then anyone could be a witch. The community were also deeply troubled by the accusations against Rebecca Nurse, as she was also a devoted member of the church in the Salem town. Sarah Good, even though she was a four-year-old child, was also interrogated and her answers seem to have suggested that she was in cahoots with her mother and witchcraft.
Speaker 1:Rachel Clinton was arrested due to the offenses unrelated to the girls in Salem. In April, sarah Cloyce, who was Rebecca's sister, and Elizabeth Proctor were arrested. The two women were brought in for a meeting and examination with John Hawthorne and Jonathan Corwin. During the proceedings, elizabeth's husband, john Proctor, stepped in to defend her, which led to his arrest on the same day. Within the next week, giles Corey, abigail Hobbs, bridget Bishop, mary Warren and Deliverance Hobbs, who was the stepmother of Abigail Hobbs, were all arrested and all examined.
Speaker 1:Abigail, deliverance and Mary all confessed and started making accusations against other alleged accomplices, which caused the arrest of Sarah Wilds, william Hobbs, who was the father of Abigail and husband of Deliverance, nehemia Abbott Jr, mary Easty and Mary English, edward Bishop Jr and his wife, sarah Bishop. On April 30th, george Burroughs, lydia Dustin, susanna Martin, dorcas Hoare, sarah Morey and Philip English, who was Mary's husband, were also arrested. Nehemia Abbott Jr was released after the person who accused him withdrew their accusation In May. John Willard and Elizabeth Coulson were also arrested and more and more accusations would be made, but many of the accused witches were able to evade getting caught. Arrest warrants were sent out for 36 more people while examinations were continued for the people that had been arrested in the village. There were a total of 62 people in custody at this time getting examined.
Speaker 1:Following these examinations, a list of people would be executed in many different ways. All other people who were either waiting for their executions or in prison waiting for their trial were ultimately let go after the trials came to a permanent stop when Governor William Phipps' wife was accused. Of course, the governor only decided to end the trials when it was somebody that he loved going to the hanging tree. Elizabeth Proctor was supposed to be executed along with her husband, john Proctor, but was ultimately delayed and kept in prison so she could give birth to her baby. By the time the baby was born, the trials had been put to an end and her baby saved Elizabeth's life. Sarah Good's four-year-old daughter, dorothy Good, who was also accused of witchcraft, was also spared. She was never charged, but was kept in prison for nearly nine months and was so traumatized by what she experienced that she was never able to fully recover and was never able to go off and live a normal life on her own. She was completely unable to care for herself for the rest of her life. Martha Carrier also had two children that she was forced to leave behind Thomas, who was the age of 10, and Sarah, the age of 8.
Speaker 1:In the end, some historians believe that the horrific events that occurred in Salem left a good message upon the world. They argue that the trials left a occurred in Salem left a good message upon the world. They argue that the trials left a sort of taboo mark in America about mixing religion with government. They also say that this left a constant reminder in our minds about the importance of due process in the legal system and the dangerous effects of premature panic and overreaction to mass hysteria situations. Researchers also recently found the execution site for the trials in 2016. Gallows Hill was discovered on a rocky outcropping located near a Walgreens in Salem, massachusetts. In November of 2001, after the 300th anniversary of the trials, the Massachusetts legislator passed an act exonerating all who had been convicted and naming each of the innocent, with the exception of Elizabeth Johnson, who was cleared by the Massachusetts Senate on May 26th of 2022, the last conviction to be reversed, alrighty, so it's that time, guys, to say goodbye, but before I do so, I just want to send a thank you to all of my listeners for your continued love and support and for sending in cases that you want covered and stories that you want read on the podcast.
Speaker 1:We truly accept all stories, including scary, paranormal and funny. Any cases you want covered or stories that you want read on the podcast, just please send them in to darkcrossroadspodcasts at gmailcom. Thank you for hanging out again today and if you want any more information about the podcast or cases and stories that we cover, then head on over to the website at wwwdarkcrossroadspodcastcom. There you can find all of the information about the podcast, a link to our merch and also our blog covering all of the cases that we cover. You can also find us on all social media platforms.
Speaker 1:Don't forget to like, share, rate, review, subscribe wherever you're listening to us. You can subscribe to the podcast for bonus information. There is a link in all episodes in the notes that we'll send you to our subscription page and with that you will get bonus content, discount on future merch and a lot of extra goodies. Every single dollar that comes through donations or through our subscription goes straight into the podcast, helping fund research, and it really helps us out and keeps this podcast going. And with all of this said, please don't forget to be weird, stay different and don't trust anyone. Dark Crossroads podcast is brought to you by Problem Wildlife. Problem Wildlife serves all of Western Massachusetts and has been humanely protecting your house and your family from unwanted pests for over 20 years. Take back your space with an animal control service that you can trust. They are family owned, fully licensed and are knowledgeable and dependable. To find out more about their service, simply visit their website at wwwproblemwildliferemovalcom, and their information will be included in our show notes.
