Specters Invade Sunday Services: May 15, 1692

Specters in the Meetinghouse and a Copy-Paste ClueWe follow the strange events of Sunday, May 15, 1692, when specters disrupted worship in Salem Village and Andover, with accusations tying Sarah Buckley, Martha Carrier, and George Jacobs Jr. and his wife Rebecca to attacks and temptations to sign the devil’s book. As Thomas Fuller Jr. and Benjamin Wilkins Sr. escalate their complaint against John Willard for afflicting Bray and Daniel Wilkins, Magistrates Hathorne and Corbin issue a second warrant that sets up Willard’s capture on May 17. Our look at later depositions brings Will’s Hill into focus, where Ann Putnam Jr. reports Willard’s specter tormenting the Wilkins family and claiming he would seek greater power from George Burroughs. We also uncover a strikingly identical line shared between Ann Putnam Jr.’s and Mercy Lewis’s May 18 depositions—despite differing dates—raising sharp questions about how these accounts were formed.00:00 Salem Witch Trials Daily00:04 Specters Disrupt Worship00:42 New Willard Complaint00:56 Willard Specter at Wills Hill01:15 Matching Deposition Lines