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Salem Witch Trials in History and Literature
An Undergraduate Course, University of Virginia
Spring Semester 2001
On August 5, 1641, John Hathorne was born into a community that could
have little suspected his future role in the condemnation and death
of so many people. His prominent ancestry in Salem led him to acquire
positions of justice of the peace and county judge. As a religious man
in a highly religious community, Hathorne, like others, believed that
the devil had the power to influence people to do harm in the community
and in the church. Hathorne allowed his strong, unexamined, beliefs
to influence him during his time as judge in the Salem Witchcraft Trials,
thus making him take on an avid prosecutorial style and an assumption
of guilt of most of those who answered his questions.
Usually, Hathorne began his questioning in an accusatory tone, and
he would then proceed to badger the accused in an attempt to drive out
a confession and, better yet, more accusations. Although these methods
were a departure from tradition, Hathorne used them throughout the trials.
One classic example of Hathorne at work as a judge is the examination
of Rebecca Nurse. He begins not by asking Nurse if she is guilty or
innocent, but by asking the afflicted if Nurse afflicts them. He then
asks Rebecca, "here are two An: Putman the child & Abigail Williams
complains of your hurting them What do you say to it" and Nurse replies
that she is innocent." Hathorne, of course, does not let it rest at
that. He continues, "Here is never a one in the Assembly but desires
it, but if you be guilty Pray God discover you" and then allows the
people in the room to stand and testify as to how Nurse afflicted each
of them, relentlessly asking Rebecca after each how and if she denies
them. He persists, asking, "You see these accuse you, is it true?" in
response to which Nurse states "No," but, not being the answer that
Hathorne desired he asks again, "Are you an innocent person relating
to this Witchcraft." Hathorne then continued to allow the accusations
of others to be heard until Rebecca Nurse cried, "Oh Lord help me, &
spread out her hands, & the afflicted were grievously vexed" to which
Hathorne replies in his usual accusatory manner, "Do you not see what
a solemn condition these are in? when your hands are loose the persons
are afflicted." Frustrated by her continued claim of innocence, Hathorne
states, "It is very awful to all to see these agonies & you an old Professor
[believer] thus charged with contracting with the Devil by the [a] effects
of it & yet to see you stand with dry eyes when there are so many whet"
to which Rebecca Nurse courageously asserts "You do not know my heart."
It is here that Hathorne slips in his composure and openly states, "You
would do well if you are guilty to confess & give Glory to God" - thus
showing his already formed opinion as to her guilt and his preference
for confessions. The questioning then continues and Hathorne switches
into a new mode and attempts to trick Nurse into confessing, "Possibly
you [Nurse] may apprehend you are no witch, but have you not been led
aside by temptations that way" for, if Nurse confessed to either, she
would be confessing at least to the practice of witchcraft still, and
could still be punished. Again the badgering by Hathorne continued until
finally Nurse asked a revealing question to which she received no answer,
"Would you [Hathorne] have me belie my self." This questioned posed
to Hathorne shows that Nurse suspected that Hathorne desired her to
confess even though she was innocent, and her brave questioning of him
ended the examination.
Hathorne's role in the trials leaves room for questioning his motives
for participating. Prior to Governor Phip's arrival in Massachusetts,
both Hathorne and Corwin had actively jailed many who were suspected
of witchcraft, thus setting the scene for each man to be biased toward
the guilt of those accused. Hathorne also appeared strangely calm while
questioning those accused of acting in the devil's name. Even Bridget
Bishop wondered why he did not fear that she would harm him if she was
a witch: Hathorne: How can you [Bridget Bishop] know, you are no Witch,
& yet not know what a Witch is. Bridget Bishop: I am clear: if I were
any such person you should know it. (SWP I: 84, emphasis added)
If Hathorne believed that God protected him or if he knew that those
he questioned could be innocent cannot be proven either way. Bernard
Rosenthal suggests in Salem Story the possibility that Hathorne might
have also stood to have some financial gain from the trials from the
seizure of property that took place, and the same with the other judges.
Whatever his motives for such aggressive prosecution, however, Hathorne
put many innocent people to death and became the shame of his family
even down to his great-grandson, Nathaniel Hawthorne.
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