The Dramatic Second Arrest of Witchcraft Suspect Mary Esty: May 20, 1692

Midnight Deadline: Mercy Lewis, Mary Esty, and the May 20 PanicMercy Lewis lies bedridden and voiceless in the Putnam home, terrified by alleged specters—identified as Mary Esty, John Willard, and Mary Whittredge—who threaten her to “sign the devil’s book” or die before midnight, even displaying a winding sheet and coffin. As Ann Putnam Jr., Abigail Williams, and others claim to witness the assault, Mercy pleads for her soul and says Esty will kill her for not clearing her. With fear heightened in a household recently marked by a baby’s death blamed on witchcraft, Constable John Putnam Jr., Marshal George Herrick, and Benjamin Hutchinson race through the night to secure a warrant from magistrate John Hathorne, seize Esty from Isaac Esty Jr.’s home, and haul her to Salem—yet Mercy’s fits continue. The day’s accusations expand to multiple other alleged attackers, foreshadowing the deadly arc that ends with Esty’s hanging on September 22, 1692.00:00 Midnight Threat00:36 Meet the Hosts00:48 Who Are the Specters01:09 Mary Esty Freed01:48 Mercy Near Death02:51 Visionaries Identify Mary04:14 Winding Sheet Warning05:06 Night Ride for Warrant06:05 Mary Esty Re Arrested06:30 Affliction Continues07:02 Aftermath and Meaning07:52 Other Accusations Roundup08:31 Closing and Next EpisodeMary Esty: Victim of the Salem Witch Hunt with Mary Bingham: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mary-esty-victim-of-the-salem-witch-hunt/id1643770324?i=1000637013845Salem Witch Trials History YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCliis4vjMIUgg3wcA0pXeYQ/⁠Salem Witch Trials Daily Hub: https://aboutsalem.com/salem-witch-trials-daily/⁠⁠The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials: https://aboutsalem.com⁠⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts: https://aboutwitchhunts.com⁠⁠Bernard Rosenthal, ed., Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9781107689619⁠Emerson W. Baker and John G. Reid, The New England Knight: Sir William Phips, 1651-1695: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780802081711⁠Emerson W. Baker, A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780190627805⁠⁠Marilynne K. Roach, The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9781589791329⁠High Quality Scans of Original Court Documents - Peabody Essex Museum Salem Witch Trials Collection: https://pem.quartexcollections.com/collections/salem-witch-trials-collection