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A Witch Hunt in NH - Part II

© Christina Coruth

After a year or two of freedom, Goody found herself back in prison. The reason isn’t clear, but it appears that it may have been the result of rumors, stories, and Goody’s temper. Apparently Goody’s alleged powers of witchcraft were not feared by everyone. She was subjected to taunts and tricks by many of the town’s younger people. On one occasion, she was said to have laughed at and ridiculed a young carpenter who missed his mark while hammering. The carpenter, in a fit of anger, threw his axe at her. His aim was off and it barely missed Goody, landing in the ground, handle up. Try as he might, he couldn’t get the axe out of the ground. According to this bizarre variation of the “sword in the stone,” Goody was able to remove it without a problem. However, unlike young Arthur who proved himself to be a King, Goody’s feat was taken as further proof she was a witch.

Goody was sent back to prison. This time, William died before she was again released. The town had taken the farm and earmarked some of the proceeds to support William and Goody. At this period in history, the penal system was very different. A prisoner’s upkeep was provided by the prisoner, the prisoner’s family, or the town of the prisoner’s residence. Hampton was required to pay a yearly sum of eight pounds to maintain Goody in jail. They defaulted and the jailer William Salter had the town’s selectman Thomas Marston arrested. The town paid, and would continue to pay Goody’s upkeep in prison. Goody petitioned the courts for release, but was told her release was dependent on a promise from her to leave the court’s jurisdiction. That would have meant leaving Hampton. Goody was too old to start anew, so she remained in prison until 1671, when she returned to Hampton.

In 1673, Goody was again charged with witchcraft. Many Hampton residents against Goody gave testimony. Ann Smith, the nine-year-old foster daughter of a local family claimed that Goody appeared to her in many different animal forms and tried to persuade the child to live with her. This time Goody was just barely acquitted and sent home to Hampton. The Essex County Court magistrates suspected she might be a witch, but were not convinced enough to convict her.

1n 1680, Goody was charged with witchcraft for the third and last time. Several women in addition to Goody were charged with witchcraft. This particular hunt began when a child died mysteriously, and it was determined he was killed by witchcraft. None of the women were found guilty. However, Goody was sent to jail anyway since the court strongly suspected that she was a witch. The courts ordered that one of her legs should be chained. Her sentence was left open, pending further investigation by the court. The town of Hampton was ordered to continue paying for her maintenance in prison.

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