The Devil in Massachusetts: A Modern Investigation into the Salem Witch Trials by Marion L Starkey
The back cover of the edition of The devil in Massachusetts I read that Ms. Starkey “applies modern psychiatric knowledge to the witchcraft hysteria” that ravaged Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Although Starkey’s work is obviously well-researched and historically authentic, it is not an investigation or a psychological evaluation. with new knowledge. in the mass panic caused by several seriously disturbed girls. She poses question after question to the reader, but does not put any of her own conclusions or hypotheses to any of them.
The devil in Massachusetts it is elegantly written based on Starkey’s research of royal trial transcripts, historical records, and periodical publications. However, his penchant for asking questions, double negatives, and placing subordinate clauses at the beginning of sentences causes the reader to go back most of the time to reread passages to understand their message.
The absence of a meaningful dissertation on population may be a moot point in this post-9/11 world, regardless of what conclusions can be drawn in Starkey’s 1949 publication. Still, it would be interesting to know what caused several girls , between eight and eighteen years old, suddenly fell into convulsive fits and claimed that they were being tortured by invisible imp. They ‘yelled’ at community members, mostly women, as their torturers.
Arrests were issued and frequently carried out to bring defendants before magistrates who firmly believe in the existence of witches. More disturbing than the hysterical make-up girls was the total acceptance by the courts of the ‘spectral evidence’, invisible witches and wizards observed ONLY by grieving girls. And they weren’t the only ones. The families of the defendants disowned their relatives at the mere idea of being related to a witch, even if the woman had never exhibited any behavior remotely reminiscent of witchcraft. Others supported their loved ones, bringing countless witnesses to testify on their behalf. Cooler minds did not prevail as the screams and howls of the preteen girls prioritized over the more informed and sane people.
Other cities in the Salem area, such as Andover and Ipswich, encountered similar episodes, but now sanity began to take hold and these cases were dismissed as soon as they started.
The conceited preacher from Massachusetts, Cotton Mathers, was also caught up in hysteria and, due to his own reluctance and guilt, was unable to rescue a man whom he concluded was innocent. In later years, he managed to join his name to save the souls of convicted pirates, a crime with more tangible and concrete evidence against the accused.
Despite the lack of new knowledge about the Salem witch trials, The devil in Massachusetts is a great look at the mass confusion, terror, and murder in pre-colonial New England. It makes one remember the old adage that history repeats itself, but if Starkey didn’t enlighten us on the psychological reasoning behind the panic, are we repeating it now? Gone are the days of hunting witches to hang or burn at the stake. But what about our current ‘witch hunts’ against people of different race, religion or sexual orientation?
I guess the answer to the first question is “yes”.