Men and children were accused, but the star witches of Salem were women, from respectable housewives to itinerant beggars. It was also dramatic and exciting, and the witch panic kept people distracted from their quarrels over property and firewood, their fears of Indian raids and massacres, and their squabbles about local politics. Anger and hatred flourished in the darkness of Puritan religious extremism, and people lived bleak lives of monotony and piety they were also “starved for color.” In 1692, writes Stacy Schiff in her penetrating new book on the Salem witch trials, “New Englanders lived very much in the dark.” Their days were filled with hard work and prayer, their sky “crow black, pitch-black, Bible black, so black it could be difficult at night to keep to the path.” When the interrogations of suspected witches began, Salem villagers were dazzled by accounts of the devil in a red hat, carrying a yellow bird, carrying a red book and serving red bread to his coven at a woodland feast. Digital Replica Edition Home Page Close Menu
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