A Baptism Amid Panic: Abigail Way and Life in Salem VillageWe take you straight to Salem Village on Sunday, July 24, 1692, when minister Samuel Parris baptized six-month-old Abigail Way, daughter of church members William and Persis Way, revealing how ordinary life persisted during the Salem Witch Trials. We connect the Way family to the crisis—William’s role on the coroner’s jury for the inquest into Daniel Wilkins’ death and his brother Aaron’s testimony against Rebecca Nurse—while exploring the striking contrast between daily work and constant court activity. We also question the timing of Abigail’s baptism at six months old given reported afflictions of infants, including the death of John Putnam Jr.’s two-month-old daughter, and note that Abigail’s January birth coincided with the onset of Betty and Abigail’s afflictions.00:00 Show Introduction00:06 Baptism During Panic00:28 Life Goes On00:43 Work Amid Hearings01:02 Infant Afflictions Context01:18 Timing and Conclusion

Martha Emerson Examined as John Procter Pleads from Jail (July 23, 1692)We follow the Salem Witch Trials on July 23, 1692 as justices examine Martha Emerson, daughter of Roger and Mary Toothaker and niece of Martha Carrier, over allegations of afflicting Mary Warren and Mary Lacey Jr. Testimony and courtroom fits surround Emerson’s glances and touch, and Warren claims Emerson’s specter described riding Matthew Herriman with an enchanted bridle as Herriman recounts a strange night and Emerson’s early visit for fire. Emerson admits a urine test and briefly implicates the specters of Martha Carrier and Mary Green of Haverhill, describing a pig familiar, then retracts and is jailed for six months. From prison, John Procter petitions Boston ministers including Increase Mather, alleging coerced confessions, torture of Carrier’s sons and his own son William, and urging trial changes that authorities do not make.00:00 Daily Introduction00:09 Martha Emerson Examined00:53 Spectral Evidence Escalates01:49 Coerced Confession Claims02:39 Sent Back to Jail02:53 Procter Petition From Jail04:04 Torture and False Confessions05:43 Ignored Warnings⁠Shop our curated selection of witch trial books⁠⁠: https://bookshop.org/shop/endwitchhuntsEnd Witch Hunts nonprofit⁠⁠: https://endwitchhunts.orgThe Thing About Witch Hunts⁠⁠: https://aboutwitchhunts.comThe Thing About the Salem Witch Trials https://aboutsalem.com

Salem Witch Trials Daily: The Carrier Brothers’ Confessions and a Petition for Mary Bradbury (July 22, 1692)We race back into the Salem courtroom on July 22, 1692 as Richard and 14-year-old Andrew Carrier face a relentless witchcraft examination alongside the Laceys—complete with claims of spectral attacks, accusations tied to Timothy Swan’s burning and torment, and shifting stories about who wielded the supernatural “pipe.” A fresh arrest warrant targets Martha Emerson, with orders to search for poppets, and the constable reports seizing her in Haverhill. Under harsh restraint and intense pressure, Richard pivots from denial to a detailed confession featuring the devil’s book, witch meetings in Samuel Parris’ meadow, and a widening list of alleged participants—while Andrew follows with his own account of signing for five years’ service. We close on a striking note of resistance: 115 neighbors submit a powerful petition defending Mary Bradbury’s character and godliness.00:00 Daily Introduction00:24 Warrant for Emerson00:54 Carriers Examined01:27 Laceys Accusations03:08 Afflicted Torments03:36 Richard Confesses04:58 Witch Meetings Named06:55 Andrew Confession08:57 Bradbury Defense PetitionShop our curated selection of witch trial booksEnd Witch Hunts nonprofitThe Thing About Witch HuntsThe Thing About the Salem Witch Trials

Three Generations Accused: Ann Foster and the Mary Laceys’ Confessions (Salem Witch Trials, July 21, 1692)We follow the July 21, 1692 examinations that pull three generations—Ann Foster, Mary Lacey Sr., and newly arrested teen Mary Lacey Jr.—into the center of the Salem witchcraft crisis after an Andover search turns up suspicious bundles and Mary Lacey Jr. is accused of harming Elizabeth Ballard. In front of Salem’s justices of the peace, the touch test, fits, and leading questions drive a shifting confession that names meetings in Salem Village, devil’s baptism at Falls River, flights by pole, communion of brown bread and red wine, a mist that hides witches, and the devil’s book signed in red ink or blood. The Laceys implicate Richard and Andrew Carrier, elevate Martha Carrier as “queen in hell” with George Burroughs as king, describe poppets and spectral harm, and prompt warrants for the Carriers—based on a record later preserved through Governor Thomas Hutchinson’s manuscripts and an 1870 publication.00:00 Three Generations Accused00:27 Arrest and Search01:30 Ann Foster Questioned02:59 Touch Test Confession03:53 Devil’s Visits and Flight07:12 Salem Meeting Details09:24 Book Signing Contradictions10:24 Carrier Family Accusations12:39 Tears and Repentance16:57 Warrants and SourcesShop our curated selection of witch trial books: https://bookshop.org/shop/endwitchhuntsEnd Witch Hunts nonprofit: https://endwitchhunts.orgThe Thing About Witch Hunts: https://aboutwitchhunts.comThe Thing About the Salem Witch Trials: https://aboutsalem.com

Mary Lacey Sr. Confesses, a Search for Poppets, and Boston’s Fast Day for John Alden — July 20, 1692We pick up the day after five convicted witches were hanged in Salem, as Mary Lacey Sr. confesses to witchcraft and claims she traveled on a stick with her mother Ann Foster and Martha Carrier to a Salem Village witch meeting. During her examination, Elizabeth Hubbard and Mercy Lewis fit until the confession, then stop and calmly shake her hand, as magistrates John Hathorne, Jonathan Corwin, John Higginson Jr., and Bartholomew Gedney issue a warrant for Mary Lacey Jr. and order a search for poppets and other witchcraft paraphernalia—yielding rags, yarn, tape, and tied quills. Records also note new afflictions, including Elizabeth Parris Sr., while in Boston friends of jailed Captain John Alden hold a fast day attended by Samuel Sewall and ministers including Cotton Mather, who also observes Mercy Short denouncing devilish “promises” after the Salem executions.00:00 Daily Introduction00:09 Lacey Confession Fallout00:40 Warrant and Home Search01:15 New Afflictions Reported01:43 Alden Fast Day in Boston02:03 Mercy Short Observations02:25 Defying the Devil02:58 Closing Accusation

July 19, 1692: The First Mass Execution at Proctor’s LedgeFive innocent women were hanged on this date in 1692: Sarah Good, Sarah Wilds, Elizabeth Howe, Susannah Martin, and Rebecca Nurse, bringing the death toll to nine. We trace how the witch hunt escalated from the Parris household afflictions to the Court of Oyer and Terminer under William Stoughton, fueled by ministerial pressure, spectral evidence, and panic. At the gallows, Sarah Good refuses to confess and delivers her unforgettable warning to Nicholas Noyes. We also follow a key legal moment as Joseph Ballard pursues complaints against Mary Lacey Sr. and Mary Lacey Jr. with a rare prosecution bond, while fear spreads toward Andover and more mass executions ahead.00:00 Welcome and Series Recap00:18 Road to Mass Execution01:32 Remembering the Five Women02:31 The Hangings at Proctor’s Ledge03:06 Sarah Good’s Final Words04:09 Aftermath and Burial Questions04:34 Andover Complaint Against the Laceys05:06 Procedure and Prosecution Bonds06:02 Panic Spreads and Darker Claims07:36 What’s Next and Closing

Ann Foster’s Jailhouse Confession and an Ipswich Militia Alarm | July 18, 1692We’re back in Salem Village on Monday, July 18, 1692, as magistrates press Ann Foster in jail and she delivers a chilling confession: the devil appeared to her as a man, Martha Carrier stood beside him, and a bargain for prosperity led to a terrifying flight to a witch meeting above the treetops—until their stick snapped and Foster crashed, injuring her leg. Our account traces what she claims she heard there, including talk of hundreds of witches and plans to destroy Salem Village, plus her allegation that Carrier foretold the death of James Hobbs’ child. Then the story pivots to Ipswich, where Major Samuel Appleton mobilizes about 60 men to relieve the Eastern Gloucester garrison house, only for gunfire and a tense swamp pursuit to erupt in the woods.00:00 Daily Introduction00:09 Ann Foster Questioned00:12 Devil’s Pact and Flight00:46 Salem Meeting Revelations01:04 Carrier’s Threat and Death01:26 Ipswich Militia Mobilizes01:43 Swamp Pursuit01:53 Closing Beat

Gloucester Garrison Alarm: Unknown Men at John Row’s Deserted House (July 17, 1692)We take you straight into Gloucester’s escalating Salem Witch Trials-era tension on Sunday, July 17, 1692, as a garrison house is shadowed by three or four strange men who stay frustratingly out of range. Our account follows Richard Dolliver and Benjamin Ellery as they slip down a hill and witness 11 unknown men emerging from an orchard, pacing backward and forward and striking John Row’s deserted house with sticks—until Dolliver fires into the center of them and the group vanishes from sight for the rest of the day. We also flag the historical source behind this dramatic Gloucester encounter: Cotton Mather’s Decennium Luctuosum.00:00 Daily Introduction00:09 Gloucester Incident Begins00:18 Orchard Encounter00:27 Attack on Row House00:34 Shot Fired and Aftermath00:43 Source Attribution