Rebecca Nurse and John Willard Face the Grand Jury: June 3, 1692

Stamford-Fairfield Witch Trials: June 22, 1692

Stamford-Fairfield Witch Trials (1692): Skepticism, Petitions, and Split VerdictsWe head from Salem to Connecticut’s Stamford-Fairfield Witch Trials, where the General Court formed a Court of Oyer and Terminer on June 22, 1692, after a panic began in Sergeant Daniel Westcott’s home when his servant Katherine Branch suffered violent fits and reported visions of cats. Instead of rushing to prosecute, neighbors observed her, tried practical tests, and waited about five weeks—until a night of 40 fits ended with her cry of “A witch!” She accused Elizabeth Clawson, Mercy Disborough, Goody Miller, and Mary, Hannah, and Mary Harvey. Clawson drew strong support, including an 80-person petition and a clean body search, while Disborough faced extensive grievances and an examination alleging an “unnatural teat.” Both endured the swimming test, yet the court acquitted Clawson and convicted Disborough, who later received a reprieve after minister Gershom Bulkeley challenged spectral evidence and emphasized the need for corroboration. Westcott ultimately left Stamford for New Jersey.00:00 Connecticut in 169200:28 Katherine Branch Fits00:59 Skepticism and Testing01:36 Accusations Named02:12 Clawson Supported02:38 Disborough Accused03:11 Swimming Test and Verdicts03:43 Reprieve and Aftermath04:31 Closing and Next Episode

Spectral Witch Allegedly Binds Susannah Shelden's Hands with Real String: June 21, 1692

June 21, 1692: Jemima Rea Accuses Sarah Cloyce, Rebecca Nurse, and Faith BlackSalem Witch Trials Daily recounts reports from Tuesday, June 21, 1692, that the shapes of Sarah Cloyce, her sister Rebecca Nurse, and Faith Black assaulted 11-year-old Jemima Rea. A June 29 deposition by Sarah Stevens and Marjorie Pasque describes Jemima’s repeated fits and cries against the three, including claims that Cloyce pricked and pinched her and that Cloyce’s specter said the devil would not suffer her to be a witch any longer and that she had signed the devil’s book after leaving the meetinghouse. Jemima reportedly feared being made to afflict others and asked to have her hands held. Separately, testimony dated June 28 states Susannah Shelden’s hands were tied by Sarah Good’s specter at William Shaw’s home, amid household items being moved to an apple tree. The script clarifies “Goody Black” refers to Faith Black, not Mary Black.00:00 Daily Introduction00:08 Jemima Rea Afflicted00:47 Spectral Confessions01:14 Fits and Restraint01:35 Susannah Shelden Bound02:08 Mysterious House Pranks02:23 Clearing Up Goody Black

Minister Defends Accused Witch: June 20, 2026

June 20, 1692: William Hubbard Testifies for Sarah BuckleyOn Monday, June 20, 1692, we share testimony from Ipswich minister William Hubbard in support of Sarah Buckley, arrested on witchcraft charges on May 14 during the Salem Witch Trials. Hubbard tells the court he has known Buckley for more than 50 years, since she came from England as a child, and says he never heard or observed anything in her behavior or conversation unbecoming a Christian. He emphasizes she was raised by Christian parents, admitted to the Ipswich church over 40 years earlier, and consistently lived in a manner suited to her profession of faith. Hubbard says he is shocked anyone would suspect her of the crime now charged, asserting her innocence.00:00 Daily Introduction00:09 Hubbard Defends Buckley00:19 Character Testimony01:10 Final Verdict

Samuel Parris Preaches About  2 Corinthians 1: June 19, 1692

Salem Sabbath: Samuel Parris Preaches 2 Corinthians 1 (June 19, 1692)We take you into Salem Village on Sunday, June 19, 1692, when the Sabbath drew neighbors to the meetinghouse twice to hear Reverend Samuel Parris preach from 2 Corinthians 1. Although Parris’s loose papers with sermon details were later lost or destroyed, we follow the King James passage itself as Paul calls God “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,” describing comfort in trouble and the calling to comfort others. We also trace the chapter’s focus on Paul’s conviction that God showed mercy by saving his life in what is now modern Turkey, grounding this Salem Witch Trials Daily moment in the scripture Salem heard that day.00:00 June 19 1692 Intro00:08 Sabbath Sermons00:18 Lost Notes Unknown Focus00:29 2 Corinthians Comfort00:47 Paul Saved in Turkey

Witch Specters Hold Jonathan Putnam's Head: June 18, 1692

June 18, 1692: Mercy Lewis’s Trance and Major Salem Witch Trials Prisoner TransfersWe follow a tense moment from the Salem Witch Trials on Saturday, June 18, 1692, as Reverend Samuel Parris and John Putnam Sr. visit the ailing Jonathan Putnam and summon Mercy Lewis—who suddenly loses her voice, signals that witches are afflicting him, and later describes specters of Rebecca Nurse and Martha Carrier holding Jonathan’s head. Our update also tracks key prisoner movements that reshape the crisis: Lydia Dustin and her daughter Sarah Dustin are transferred from Boston jail to Cambridge, while nine accused—Dorcas Hoar, George Burroughs, Susannah Root, George Jacobs Sr., Sarah Wilds, Giles Corey, Martha Corey, Ann Pudeator, and Sarah Cloyce—are moved from Boston to Salem.00:00 June 18th 1692 Intro00:09 Mercy Lewis Trance00:38 Prisoner Transfers Update00:42 Closing Notes