In the Devil's Snare

When Abigail Hobbs confessed that she had been recruited by the devil in Maine in 1688, she connected the spectral assaults on Essex County with the Wabanaki attacks on the northeastern frontier. This linkage had a “dramatic impact” (113). Those earlier suspected of witchcraft or fitting the stereotype, such as Bridget Bishop, were quickly accused. Hobbs’s confession caused people to connect their fears of their neighbors with those of the war. It also gave validation to accusations outside of Salem Village while keeping the early accusers at the center of the crisis. Hobbs lived in Falmouth for six years and undoubtedly knew Mercy Lewis, who would have highlighted her “irreverent behavior” to others. On April 20, four more joined the nine who were already in prison. The examinations were driven by the fits of the afflicted in the presence of the accused. Those who were skeptical or indifferent to the sufferings of the afflicted were automatically considered guilty.

Ann Putnam, Jr., then had a vision of the Reverend George Burroughs as a witch.