Salem Witch Trials General Info

The Salem witch trials started in 1692 when Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams began to exhibit strange behavior. There was no physical explanation for the girls behavior and they assumed it was the devil's work. Blame then fell on Tituba, Mr. Parris' slave, and 2 other women. These 3 people were the first accused of many in the little town of Salem between March 1692 and May 1693. Overall 20 people died in the trials, 14 women and 6 men, and at least 175 more people were imprisoned. There was also an unrecorded amount of people who died in prison because of severe torturing. The most common method to kill the accused was by hanging (19 out of the 20 people) but a less common way was by crushing them with heavy stones (1 out of the 20 people).