Escaping Salem The other witch hunt of 1692 by Richard Godbeer Essay

Escaping Salem The other witch hunt of 1692 by Richard Godbeer - Essay Example These two ministers had just seen Katherine and had talked with her extensively. It is possible that they could have convinced her that her fits were a result of fiendish attack. Importantly, there was no proof that she said that the Devil was her tormentor before the ministers talked with her. Katherine’s testimonies before the court became more and more questionable. The niece of Abigail Wescott, Lidia Penoir, revealed an exchange where in Katherine said that she cannot remember saying that she was bewitched. She also told the court about the observation of her aunt Abigail about Katherine: â€Å"shee saith that shee heard her a[u]nt Abigail wescot say that her servant girl Catern branch was such a Lying gairl that not any boddy Could believe one word what shee said† (Godbeer 56). The nature of the fits and troubles of Katherine seems to prove this accusation. It seems that she was counterfeiting her fits. There were several instances that prove assumption. Joseph Garnsey testified that he and Nathaniel Wyatt were at the Wescott’s house when Katherine had a convulsion. When they feigned to cut her, her convulsion instantly ceased and she admitted that she was bewitched (Godbeer 55). The testimony of Sarah Bates revealed the same thing—the questionable nature of Katherine’s fits. She said that when she agreed to Abigail Westcott’s suggestion to bleed the unconscious, flaccid Katherine, she became conscious instantly. After pricking Katherine’s foot with a pin, the girl had an extreme convulsion that Abigail Westcott started to scream and exclaim that she was bedeviled. Upon hearing this, according to Sarah’s testimony, Katherine laughed and made an attempt to bury her head in a pillow to hide her amusement (Godbeer 16). This testimony alone suggests that Katherine was faking her convulsions. Another testimony that strongly proved Katherine’s fake epileptic fits was the