Sarah Good was one of the accused witches during the infamous Salem witch trials in 1692. She was a poor and homeless woman who was known for her eccentric behavior. The trials were a period of mass hysteria and paranoia in the colonial town of Salem, Massachusetts. Sarah Good, along with several other women, was arrested and accused of practicing witchcraft. During the trials, Sarah Good was interrogated and subjected to intense scrutiny. She was accused of witchcraft based on various testimonies and accusations from other individuals in the community.
(H) have you made no contract with the devil,
In 1679 the Massachusetts General Court called for a general synod meeting of New England s clergy to consider what was causing the terrible events of the 1670s. So under seventeenth century New England laws, in order to convict an alleged witch, at least two witnesses had to give evidence that the accused had a pact with the devil.
She was accused of witchcraft based on various testimonies and accusations from other individuals in the community. Many people believed that Good had made a pact with the devil and was using her powers to harm others. It is important to note that Sarah Good's social status and reputation played a significant role in her prosecution.
Sarah Good
Seventeenth century laws on witchcraft in New England paralleled those in England, based on a verse from the King James translation of the Bible. The verse, Exodus 22:18, reads “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” The King James version of the Bible was ordered by King James I, who ruled from 1603 to 1625. By 1647, all New England colonies had made witchcraft a capital crime, punishable by death.
Sarah Solart was the daughter of a prosperous Wenham innkeeper, John Solart. Solart took his own life by drowning in 1672 when Sarah was 17, leaving an estate of 500 pounds. After testimony of an oral will, the estate was divided between his widow and her two eldest sons, with a portion to be paid to each of the seven daughters when they came of age. Mrs. Solart quickly remarried, and her new husband came into possession of her share and the unpaid shares of the daughters, and most of the daughters never received a portion of the Solart estate.
Sarah married a former indentured servant, Daniel Poole, who hired himself out as a laborer. But even with a chronic labor shortage in the colony, individuals hesitated hiring her husband, because that would mean taking Sarah into the household, and she was considered shrewish, idle, and slovenly.
Poole died sometime after 1682, leaving Sarah only debts, which some said she created. Regardless of the cause, Sarah and her second husband, William Good, were held responsible for paying it. A portion of their land was seized and sold to satisfy their creditors, and shortly thereafter they sold the rest of their land, apparently out of necessity.
By the time of the witchcraft trials, Sarah and her husband were homeless, destitute, and she was reduced to begging for work, food, and shelter. With matted grey hair and a leathered, lined face, Sarah Good looked to be seventy, though she was only 37 years old in 1692.
The Accusations
Sarah Good was accused of witchcraft on February 25, 1692, when Abigail Williams, Elizabeth Hubbard, and Ann Putnam, Jr. claimed to be bewitched under her hand. The young girls appeared to have been bitten, pinched, and otherwise tormented. They would have fits in which their bodies would appear to involuntarily convulse, their eyes rolling into the back of their heads, and their mouths hanging open.
Good was one of the first three women to be brought in at Salem on the charge of witchcraft, after having been identified as a witch by Tituba, an Indian slave who had also been called a witch. Sarah fit the prevailing stereotype quite well. She didn’t attend church, and had been begging door-to-door and making a general nuisance of herself. With her clay pipe, she even looked the part of a witch.
She was arrested on February 29th, 1692. A strong woman, she nearly overpowered the sheriff who came to arrest her. During the initial questioning of the three women, Good accused Sarah Osborne of being a witch, and Tituba confessed to witchcraft. Tituba was released, but Good and Osborne were sent to jail. Four- year-old Dorcas Good, Sarah’s only child, was arrested on March 23, and implicated her mother as a witch.
At the time of her trial, Good was described as “a forlorn, friendless, and forsaken creature.” Her habit of scolding and cursing neighbors who were unresponsive to her requests for charity generated a wealth of testimony at her trials. At least seven people testified as to her angry muttering and general turbulence after the refusal of charity. Even her husband testified against her. He didn’t swear she was a witch, but what he did say tended to prejudice the magistrates and public against her.
The Trial
On June 29th, along with five other women, Sarah Good was tried and convicted of witchcraft. The proceedings against Good were described as “cruel, and shameful to the highest degree.” She was presumed guilty from the start. Some of the evidence against her was known to be false at the time of her examination. During the trial, one of the afflicted girls cried out that she was being stabbed with a knife by the Good’s apparition.
Good was pregnant when she was arrested, and her newborn child died in prison. Good was joined in prison by her daughter, Dorcas – even though Dorcas had testified against her mother. Dorcas was to remain mentally impaired for the rest of her life as a result of her imprisonment.
The Execution
Good was hanged on Gallows Hill on July 19, 1692. She failed to yield to judicial pressure to confess, and showed no remorse at her execution. In fact, in response to an attempt by Minister Nicholas Noyes to elicit a confession, Good called out from the scaffolding, “You are a liar. I am no more a witch than you are a wizard, and if you take away my life God will give you blood to drink.”
Although he clearly deserved nothing, since he was an adverse witness against his wife and did what he could to stir up the prosecution against her, William Good was given one of the larger sums of compensation from the government in 1711.
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Seventeenth century laws on witchcraft in New England paralleled those in England, based on a verse from the King James translation of the Bible. The verse, from Exodus 22:18, read "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." The King James version of the Bible was ordered by King James I (ruled 1603–25) in the early 1600s. By 1647 all New England colonies had made witchcraft a capital crime, punishable by death. The actual witchcraft laws reflected the church's view that convictions required proof of contact between the accused and the devil. This made the crime difficult to successfully prosecute. On the other hand, most colonists were concerned with the supernatural skills of witches such as casting a spell to cause harm to another. It was on this basis that most all charges were made. The surest path to conviction was getting a confession from the accused; few individuals, however, were willing to confess. So under seventeenth century New England laws, in order to convict an alleged witch, at least two witnesses had to give evidence that the accused had a pact with the devil. The most common attempt was to show signs of "witches' teats" on the body of the accused. Supposedly witches nourished their "familiars" at these teats. "Familiars" were evil spirits with which witches had close relationships. Both preachers and magistrates (judges) demanded a physician confirm findings of a witch's teat on the accused individual. Another type of proof was spectral evidence, or seeing visions. People believed an evil spirit could assume the identity of an individual who had signed a pact with the devil and visions of that individual would appear to victims and torment them. The witnesses would testify that menacing visions of the accused individual had indeed appeared to them. Proof of witch's teats or spectral visions was difficult. When New England laws were applied properly, and they usually were, convictions were few. This explains why only twenty convictions were achieved out of one hundred cases prosecuted in New England up until 1692. Yet in 1692 New Englanders were so distraught over what they perceived as their failing to achieve a successful and perfect God-fearing colony that they embarked on a major witch-hunt. They convinced themselves the devil and his witches were to blame. When charges against individuals were made during this time, witchcraft laws were not properly applied—instead, prosecution and conviction relied on spectral and suggested but unproven evidence.
As a poor and homeless woman, she was already looked down upon by society. The accusations of witchcraft further marginalized her and made her an easy target for blame. The trial proceedings were highly flawed and lacked fair investigation and evidence. The accusers and the court relied heavily on spectral evidence, which was an unreliable form of evidence based on visions and dreams. Despite this lack of concrete proof, Sarah Good was found guilty and sentenced to death. The trials and subsequent executions of several accused witches, including Sarah Good, marked a dark period in American history. The mass hysteria and fear that gripped the community led to the loss of innocent lives and the destruction of families. It was not until after the trials that the court acknowledged the wrongful convictions and offered apologies to the families of the accused. Sarah Good's story serves as a reminder of the dangers of blind faith and the consequences of unchecked mass hysteria. Her case also highlights the importance of fair and impartial justice, even in times of fear and uncertainty. The Salem witch trials remain a cautionary tale, reminding us of the value of reason and evidence in determining guilt or innocence..
Reviews for "Reexamining Sarah Good's Trial: In Search of Justice"
1. Sarah123 - Rating: 1/5
I really disliked "The Accused Witch Sarah Good and the Trials". The writing was poor and the characters lacked depth. The plot felt rushed and underdeveloped, leaving me feeling disconnected from the story. Additionally, the dialogue was often stilted and unrealistic, making it difficult for me to fully engage with the narrative. Overall, I found this book to be a major disappointment and would not recommend it to others.
2. Booklover456 - Rating: 2/5
"The Accused Witch Sarah Good and the Trials" was a mediocre read for me. While the subject matter was interesting, I found the execution to be lacking. The pacing was uneven, with certain parts feeling rushed and others dragging on unnecessarily. I also felt that the characters were underdeveloped, lacking the depth needed for me to truly empathize with them. While this book had potential, it ultimately fell flat for me.
3. JaneDoe789 - Rating: 2/5
I was hoping for a gripping tale of the Salem Witch Trials, but "The Accused Witch Sarah Good and the Trials" failed to deliver. The writing style was dry and lacked the necessary emotion to bring the story to life. The author seemed more focused on providing historical facts rather than creating a compelling narrative. I also found the pacing to be slow, which made it difficult for me to stay engaged. Overall, this book was a disappointment and I would not recommend it to others interested in this historical period.