November 1692




Months after the Salem Witch Trials, I decided to come back and see if any prisoners would confess. Danforth and Hathorne had no interest in seeing me again but I did not care. I begged the men to pardon the prisoners but they could not take any actions. I warned the officials that a rebellion would soon rise. Since so many people were convicted, many problems were left alone or new problems were rising. Random animals were roaming Salem because there is no one to tend them. To me, that is a sign that too many people were convicted. I was nervous to see John Proctor. He requested privacy with Elizabeth. They decided that John should confess. John wanted people to see his body hanging and know he was innocent. He wants people to regret the Salem Witch Trials. He wants to make his persecutors feel guilty for their doings… Danforth read a couple of names off to John Proctor and he denied them all to witchcraft. John Proctor was only in control of himself and his own name. He only focused on his own sins. I knew John Proctor was trying to cleanse his life of his previous foolish sins. He felt lots of guilt and he was releasing it. For his confession, Danforth forced Proctor to sign his name. John Proctor did as he was told then ripped the paper. This was fearless of him. He knew the consequences. Immediately afterwards, John Proctor was sentenced to death. It was my entirely fault. I could never forgive myself for this man’s death. I knew how innocent this man was. John Proctor was one of the only logical people during the Salem Witch Trials.

July 1692

Everyone was starting to gather suspicions about the matter of Abigail and her posse so a meeting was necessary. It was surprising to me but Mary finally testified against Abigail. Danforth was so astonished that he came to the conclusion that John Proctor and Mary were trying to undermine the court. I could not bare to hear this nonsense so I questioned his outlook. Just because Mary was testifying did not mean she was attempting to overthrow the court. Abigail was brought into the courtroom and she denied everything that Mary confessed. The group of “afflicted” girls then acted as if Mary was sending a cold wind to them. They were accusing their own friend of witchcraft because she was telling the truth. Abigail is a sociopath! I do not support deceitful people. I cannot stand listening to Abigail’s exaggerated lies any longer! Abigail has persuaded everyone. Her sociopath mind is causing innocent people to be killed and put in jail. Mary became so overwhelmed that she crawled back to Abigail. She pretended to see the spirit that the girls saw. Mary immediately accused John of communicating with the Devil. Danforth ordered Proctor’s arrest. It was so unacceptable! I feel for John Proctor very much. His arrest was my fault. I should have suspected Abigail from the beginning. My anger built up so much that I stormed out of the courtroom. I quit because I could not participate in a fallacy courtroom. I will not stand and agree with bogus statements when I know the truth as does Abigail’s posse.
 

July 1692

The witch trials are beginning in Salem. Abigail and her posse are announcing names at any chance they get. For each name that is elicited, I find no trace of witchcraft. I don’t understand. I feel as if I am slowly eroding. Am I not good enough for my profession anymore? I have never had this much trouble with a trial. I also feel it is my duty to go against the court and warn what seem like innocent people of the mentioning of their names in court. I dreaded going to John Proctor’s house and telling him about Elizabeth. The people of Salem dislike John Proctor because he doesn’t attend church. We discussed this matter when I went over and he used the excuse that his wife is ill. But this man couldn’t even state all Ten Commandments! What kind of Puritan is that? As I kept questioning his answers, he finally admitted his hatred for Reverend Parris. Oh, but it gets better. John Proctor alleged Abigail Williams! From John Proctor’s point of view, she is quite the deceitful person. Apparently, Abigail Williams is making the whole thing up for attention. I couldn’t believe it! Why would he keep such information to himself? But then it struck me. The only reason that Abigail would share such a wild secret with him would be because she loves John Proctor. I actually believed this man. I needed him to open this up to the court. As soon as I thought the madness subsided, Herrick and Cheever barraged into John Proctor’s house and arrested Elizabeth. Abigail accused Elizabeth of practicing witchcraft because Abigail was stabbed this night. Too much craziness to process. Wishing the best for the Proctors.
 

July 1692

I can understand why Reverend Parris sent for me. To exceedingly fulfill the reason why Betty Parris was ill, I brought many books to his home. There was a woman named Goody Putnam who described her children’s situation to me. Unfortunately, she has lost seven out of eight children and her eighth child was starting to act strangely. She asked me if losing seven children is a natural occurrence. I was tempted to tell her how unusual it is to lose seven children within days of birth. I did not want to tell Goody Putnam that losing that many children at such an early age is most certainly anomalous. An urbane man named Giles Corey was questioning his wife’s actions. Giles is talked about by the people of Salem. He is accused of misconduct quite often. Recently, his wife Martha has been reading strange books. When she is in the midst of reading the books, Giles is unable to pray. When she leaves their home, he can successfully pray again. Giles’s issue intrigued me most because the same thing occurred when I had an afflicted person living in my home. I told Giles that we could discuss the issue later. Giles did not want to make it seem like his wife is fooling around with witchcraft but I think otherwise. Reverend Parris informed that me he observed Abigail dancing in the woods. Abigail immediately denied it and claimed that she was aimlessly dancing. Reverend Parris kept feeding me more bits of what he observed. Abigail blamed it on Tituba. Apparently, it was all Tituba’s doings and that she was communicating with the old boy. This story enthralled me greatly and I am not going to leave just yet. There is more to the story that I have yet to cover.  
 

July 1692

Being nearly forty years of age, I have spent years upon years extensively studying witchcraft. I have thoroughly studied all aspects of the invisible world which consists mostly of witchcraft, but also the Devil. What brought me into the witchcraft field was an encounter I had with a witch. It was quite absurd. I actually invited the witch into my home and let her stay for a while. A couple days went by and I recognized something odd. Each time she read these strange books, I was unable to pray. When she would leave the house, I was able to pray again. I kept trying to find more answers upon this issue and I came upon the concept of witchcraft. Ever since I experienced an afflicted person, I was intrigued by the practice of witchcraft. I am fortunate to travel all over Europe. I have spoken with kings, philosophers, scientists, and ecclesiasts that could provide helpful information. Traveling Europe is a lovely experience but it’s becoming rather tiring lately. Now a Reverend from the town of Salem is summoning my assistance. Apparently, there are strange occurrences happening in Salem. When I arrive in Salem, I am acting as a doctor and giving incite for the mysterious illnesses of a group of women. Since I am so familiar with symptoms of witchcraft, Reverend Parris is begging for my assistance. I am eager to help find answers for him and other uneasy parents. Hopefully my studies will provide the necessary information for the children of Salem to heal.