A Witch’s Specter Allegedly Threatens to Amputate a Young Woman’s Legs

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

Grand Jury Indicts Rebecca Nurse and John Willard | Salem Witch Trials Daily (June 3, 1692)We head inside the Salem Court of Oyer and Terminer on June 3, 1692, as the grand jury—led again by foreman John Ruck—hears spectral testimony and older depositions against Rebecca Nurse and John Willard, with no physical evidence presented. Our focus is the turning point as Nurse is charged on four counts for allegedly afflicting Ann Putnam Jr., Mary Walcott, Elizabeth Hubbard, and Abigail Williams, while a handful of witnesses speak up for her before the jury returns billa vera on every count. Then the pressure shifts to Willard: accusations from multiple afflicted, “touch test” and Lord’s Prayer claims, and links to the Wilkins family case drive indictments on several affliction charges, with one count rejected. We also track surprising defense testimony for Elizabeth How, new spectral allegations against John Procter, and fresh arrests of Elizabeth Fosdick and Elizabeth Paine.00:00 Grand Jury Opens01:16 Rebecca Nurse Accusations04:49 Defense for Nurse05:54 Nurse Indicted06:27 Willard Evidence List09:17 Willard Folk Tests11:26 Willard Indictments12:22 Ministers Defend How13:44 More Arrests Reports

Bridget Bishop's Trial: June 2, 1692

Bridget Bishop on Trial: The Court of Oyer and Terminer Opens in Salem (June 2, 1692)The new Court of Oyer and Terminer opens at the Salem Town House as we follow Bridget Bishop through the first full force of Salem Witch Trials justice—oaths sworn by William Stoughton, Thomas Newton, and Stephen Sewall, preliminary actions in other accused witches’ cases, and a startling jailhouse body search for “witches’ teats” on Bridget Bishop, Rebecca Nurse, and Elizabeth Procter. We trace Bishop’s arraignment and five-count indictment for afflicting Mercy Lewis, Abigail Williams, Elizabeth Hubbard, Ann Putnam Jr., and likely Mary Walcott, then move into vivid witness claims: spectral attacks, poppets, a cursed pig, and a bizarre “monkey” creature offer drawn from demonology-fueled fear. The day ends with a guilty verdict and a second search where marks seem to vanish—raising sharp questions about evidence, credibility, and the machinery of the Salem witchcraft trials.00:00 Bridget Bishop On Trial00:31 Court Convenes First Time01:45 Jailhouse Body Searches03:26 Indictments And Arraignment05:34 Witness Stories Begin06:03 Louder And The Creature08:09 Shattuck Family Accusations09:50 Poppets And Bewitched Sow10:54 More Depositions And Doubts12:01 Guilty Verdict And Reexamination12:42 Rebecca Nurse Petition Wrap Up

Witches Sabbath and Trial Preparations: Salem Witch Trials Daily June 1, 1692

June 1, 1692: Spectral “General Meeting,” Perley Testimony vs. Elizabeth How, and Trials on the Brink Salem is at a breaking point on June 1, 1692, with the Court of Oyer and Terminer about to open and overcrowded Massachusetts jails feeding a steady transfer of witchcraft suspects from Boston to Salem. We follow magistrates John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin as they question Abigail and Deliverance Hobbs, while Mary Warren describes a noisy parade of specters—George Burroughs, Rebecca Nurse, Elizabeth Procter, and others—offering a grisly “sweet bread and wine” feast at Mr. Parris’ house. Tension spikes with detailed testimony from Ruth and Samuel Perley against Elizabeth How, including years of alleged affliction, a child’s death, and strange livestock events. Confessions and counter-accusations collide as Sarah Churchill’s devil’s book claims are challenged as coerced, and jailed defendants push back by calling the accusers fraudulent—while summons go out for witnesses against Rebecca Nurse and John Willard on the eve of the first trials. 00:00 Trials About to Begin 01:21 Hobbs Hearing Specters 03:11 Perley Case Against How 06:09 Confessions And Poppets 07:19 Accusers Called Out 08:46 Jailhouse Pushback 10:13 Summons For Tomorrow 10:54 Wrap Up And Anniversary

Preparing for the Witch Trials: May 31, 1692

May 31, 1692: John Alden Arrested as Salem Witch Trials NearWe’re racing toward the start of the Salem witch trials, and May 31, 1692 explodes with action: John Alden’s shocking arrest, seven examinations in the Salem meetinghouse, and a flood of depositions as the colony braces for court in just two days. We follow surviving records for Alden, Martha Carrier, Elizabeth How, and Wilmot Redd, alongside the missing examinations of Philip English, William Procter, and Sarah Rice—and the possibility that Mary and Margaret Toothaker were also questioned. We also track a powerful Rebecca Nurse petition and two pivotal letters: Cotton Mather’s guidance to Judge John Richards on evidence and confessions, and Attorney General Thomas Newton’s urgent transfer orders for key inmates ahead of June 2. Salem Witch Trials Daily dives into spectral evidence, courtroom chaos, and accusations that spared no one.00:00 Daily Intro00:19 Busy Day Overview01:18 Rebecca Nurse Petition02:17 Cotton Mather Advice03:30 Newton Trial Prep Letter05:06 John Alden Examined07:25 Martha Carrier Examined08:41 How and Redd Exams09:13 Closing and Next Episodes

Men Accuse Bridget Bishop of Invading their Rooms at Night: May 30, 1692

Spectral Attacks, a Boston Arrest, and the Oyer and Terminer Jury CallWe dive into a chilling cluster of late-May 1692 developments: a tantalizing, barely recorded claim that Elizabeth How’s specter dragged Susannah Shelden to a pond, and the strange death of Captain John How’s sow—followed by countermagic, a numb hand, and lasting pain that pointed suspicion back to Elizabeth. Tension spikes as Philip English, hidden for a month, is seized in Boston and transferred into Essex County custody. We also track fresh accusations that never become warrants and revisit the vivid, decades-old testimonies Samuel Gray and William Stacy used to condemn Bridget Bishop—midnight visitations, vanished figures, sudden mishaps, and fleeting mentions of dead children. Everything races toward the turning point: jurors are ordered, witnesses warned, and the Court of Oyer and Terminer is set to convene in Salem. 00:00 Daily Briefing May 30 00:35 Philip English Arrested 01:08 Mysterious Pig Incident 01:52 Samuel Gray Testimony 03:49 William Stacy Testimony 07:11 Court of Oyer and Terminer 07:44 Trials Begin and Fear