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Themes Fairness WHICH WITCH IS WHICH "The court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony finds you guilty of being a witch. You will die by hanging at sun down tomorrow." Judge Samuel Seawall read the court decision. Massachusetts Governor William Phips had appointed Seawall, and two others to judge over 150 cases of witchcraft. In the spring of 1692, a local business man brought a young black slave girl to town by the name of Tituba. Tituba loved little children and she often told them stories. One day, three young girls acted strangely. Supposedly, they crawled under the table, made weird sounds, and screamed. Someone in the area started a rumor that a witch had put a spell on these children. A real witch is a person who works with the devil and his workers called demons. Everyone wondered who the witch was. People were suspicious. Some were "sure" Tituba was a witch. Others thought the spell on these three girls came from other women. Some even thought it came from men. People were afraid. Preachers such as Cotton Mather pounded the pulpits each Sunday. They warned of the evils of witches and taught that witches should be put to death. They demanded that all the witches be hunted down immediately. Soon, the town police began to arrest anyone who was accused of being a witch. By September of 1692, over 150 people had been arrested. A former village minister, a wealthy business man and even the Governor's wife were accused. Governor William Phips appointed the special court to decide all these cases. Huge crowds gathered at the trials. In no time, Tituba and two other women were found guilty. Eventually nine people were hanged. One man was crushed with huge stones as they tried to force him to say whether or not he was a witch. When he died, some said, "See, he must have been a witch." As the month rolled on, the court found fewer and fewer people guilty of witchcraft. People began to realize how foolish this was. By October, Governor Phips said the trials should stop. The people agreed. The remaining prisoners were set free. Later that month, the Massachusetts General Court said that the 10 people who had died were not guilty of witchcraft. Judge Samuel Sewall wept as he told the court they had been wrong. People had been punished who were not guilty. God is not a judge like Samuel Sewall. God is always fair! God will make sure every sin is punished. No more and no less! God will either punish you for your sins in Hell or save you from being punished. God does not enjoy punishing people. He wanted to save as many as he could in Soddom. He wants to save you. He proved this by sending His own Son to die on the cross. The Bible makes it clear, "God sent not His Son to condemn (judge) the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:18).00
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Brian Elliott
