Remarks of things more than ordinary about the Afflicted Persons.
1. They are in their Fits tempted to be Witches, are shewed the List of the
Names of others, and are tortured, because they will not yield to Subscribe, or
meddle with, or touch the Book, and are promised to have present Relief if they
would do it.
2. They did in the Assembly mutually Cure each other, even with a Touch
of their Hand, when Strangled, and otherwise Tortured; and would endeavour to
get to their Afflicted, to Relieve them.
3. They did also foretel when anothers Fit was a-coming, and would say,
“Look to her! she will have a Fit presently,” which fell out
accordingly, as many can bear witness, that heard and saw it.
4. That at the same time, when the Accused Person was present, the
Afflicted Persons saw her Likeness in other places of the Meeting-House,
suckling her Familiar, sometimes in one place and posture, and sometimes in
another.
5. That their Motions in their Fits are Preternatural, both as to the manner,
which is so strange as a well person could not Screw their Body into; and as to
the violence also it is preternatural, being much beyond the Ordinary force of the
same person when they are in their right mind.
6. The eyes of some of them in their fits are exceeding fast closed, and if
you ask a question they can give no answer, and I do believe they cannot hear at
that time, yet do they plainely converse with the Appearances, as if they did
discourse with real persons.
7. They are utterly pressed against any persons Praying with them, and told
by the appearances, they shall not go to Prayer, so Tho. Putmans wife was told,
I should not Pray; but she said, I should: and after I had done, reasoned with the
Appearance, “Did not I say he should go to Prayer?”
8. The forementioned Mary W.[39] being a little better at ease, the Afflicted
persons said, she had signed the book; and that was the reason she was better.
Told me by Edward Putman.[40]
Notes
[[40].]
Deacon Edward Putnam, a pillar of the village church, was brother and
close neighbor to Thomas Putnam, whose wife, daughter, and maid were leaders
among “the afflicted.”
