The terror began in December 1691 in Salem, Massachusetts. Girls in the village began acting strangely. They spoke with slurred speech and had seizure-like fits. Sometimes they were quiet and melancholy. Other times, they were manic.
The first to exhibit odd behavior was Abigail Williams, the 8-year-old niece of the reverend. Her family considered her well-behaved and they were frightened when she cried that someone — who they couldn’t see — was pinching and biting her. Area doctors examined the girls but couldn’t explain their sudden hysteria.
What Really Happened During the Salem Witch Trials?
In February 1692, one of the doctors blamed witchcraft for their afflictions. Frenzied authorities pressed the girls to name the witches who tormented them. Over the next eight months, dozens of villagers were arrested and tried for witchcraft. Twenty people were executed for the crime, as well as two dogs.
