Salem Witchcraft - 1867 Author:Charles Wentworth Upham Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: we toM her we heard Uint she was spoken of also. ' Well,' she snid, ' if it be so, the will of the Lord be done:' she sat still a while, being as it were amazed ... more »; und then she said,' Well, as to this thing I am as iunocent as the child unborn; but surely,' she snid, ' what sin hath God found out in me unre- pented of, tiint he should lay snch an nflliction upon me in my old age?' and, according to our best observation, wo could not diseern that she knew what we came for before we told her. Isiiael Porter, Emzadetii Porter. " To the substance of what is above, we, if called thereto, are ready to testify on oath. Daniel Andrew, Peter Ci.oyse." Elizabeth Porter, who joins her husband in making this statement, was a sister of John Hathorne, the examining magistrate, and the mother-in-law of Joseph Putnam, who was among the very few that condemned the proceedings from the first. She stood, therefore, between the two parties. The character of each of the signers and indorsers of this interesting paper is sufficient proof that its statements are truthful. It cannot but excite the most affecting sensibilities in every breast. This venerable lady, whose conversation and bearing were so truly saint-like, was an invalid of extremely delicate condition and appearance, the mother of a large family, embracing sons, daughters, grandehildren, and one or more great-grand- childrott. She was a woman of piety, and simplicity of heart. In all probability, she shared in the popular belief on the subject of witcheraft, and supposed that' tho sulferings of the children were real, and that they were afflicted by an " evil hand." At the very time that she was sorrowfully sympathizing with them and Mr. Parris's family, and praying for them, they were cireulating suspicions against her, and matu...« less