Frenchmen in the Woods and Ann Foster’s Devil-Bird Confession (July 15, 1692)We follow Cotton Mather’s account of a tense July 15, 1692 day as Gloucester men, including Ezekiel Day, scout the woods after reports of Frenchmen and other strangers near a garrison house; Day fires at a distant figure in blue, another man appears and flees, and John Hammond later spots a similarly dressed stranger, but no one is found. Our focus then shifts to Salem Village, where magistrates examine Ann Foster and record her confession of seeing the devil as a white bird that turns black, promises prosperity and witchcraft, and returns repeatedly, with Foster also implicating Martha Carrier. We also touch on Andover, where Mary Lacy Jr. is later indicted for allegedly attacking Timothy Swan but is tried and found not guilty in 1693.00:00 Welcome and Hosts00:06 Gloucester Woods Scouting00:46 Strangers Near Garrison01:17 Ann Foster Examined01:20 Devil Bird Confession01:51 Martha Carrier Implicated02:06 Andover Indictment Wrap Up

July 14, 1692: Thanksgiving in Massachusetts and Elizabeth Ballard’s Affliction in AndoverWe recount events on July 14, 1692, when Massachusetts held a day of Thanksgiving for Governor Phips’ safe return from London and for the defense of Wells, Maine, as Phips hosted ship carpenters to celebrate his blessings. In Gloucester, men left the garrison house to confront strangers seen nearby, chased them into the woods, and fired, but no one was reportedly killed and the strangers escaped. In Andover, Elizabeth Ballard suffered pinching, choking, and pressure on her stomach, leading her husband Joseph to summon Salem Village’s afflicted girls Ann Putnam Jr. and Mary Walcott to identify the witch attacking her; later testimony named Richard Carrier, Martha Carrier, Ann Foster, Mary Lacy Sr., and Mary Lacy Jr. as afflicting Ballard and drinking their cider.00:00 Welcome and Hosts00:05 Thanksgiving Day 169200:21 Gloucester Garrison Alarm00:34 Andover Affliction Begins00:57 Accused at the Cider01:13 Cider Joke Wrap-Up

July 13, 1692: Boston Common Militia Drills and Andover’s Town Payments Amid the Salem Witch TrialsWe take you to Wednesday, July 13, 1692, where the militia trained on Boston Common and some participants were called into King William’s War. Back in Andover, Dudley Bradstreet returned from his service as the town’s representative to the General Court in Boston and was paid by the selectmen, who also issued Rebecca Johnson six shillings and nine pence from her annual 40-shilling wage for sweeping the meetinghouse and ringing the bell. Johnson, a widow, was accused of witchcraft in 1692 and confessed on September 7, but on January 7, 1693 her indictment for afflicting Alice Booth was returned ignoramus when the grand jury found insufficient evidence. We also share End Witch Hunts nonprofit plans to visit New England August 7–9 for History Camp Boston and the Connecticut Witch and Culture Fest, plus ways to volunteer, donate, and support the Connecticut Witch Trial Memorial fundraising campaign.00:00 Daily Introduction00:08 Boston Common Militia00:17 Andover Town Payments00:37 Rebecca Johnson Case00:55 New England Trip Announcement01:03 Events and Itinerary01:16 How to Get Involved01:46 Donate and Follow Along02:09 Visit and Register02:26 Closing Farewell

Harvard Commencement Day Amid the Salem Witch Trials | July 6, 1692We take you to Cambridge on Wednesday, July 6, 1692—Harvard College commencement day—when hundreds, including the governor and other dignitaries, gathered to watch six young men receive their bachelor’s degrees. Among them was Zachariah Alden, son of witchcraft suspect Captain John Alden, linking the world of elite colonial education to the rising Salem Witch Trials panic. As the day continues, master’s graduates are awarded their degrees in the afternoon, and the evening culminates with a fancy dinner supplied by the graduates for college officials and distinguished guests, offering a vivid glimpse of Massachusetts Bay ceremony and social power during a tense summer.00:00 Welcome and Hosts00:09 Harvard Commencement Day00:22 Zachariah Alden Spotlight00:31 Degrees and Dinner Finale

Rebecca Nurse’s Reprieve Reversed: Stoughton’s Death Warrant and the Salem Pressure CampaignWe race through the brutal political mechanics behind the Salem Witch Trials on July 12, 1692, when Lieutenant Governor and Chief Justice William Stoughton signed a death warrant for Rebecca Nurse, Susannah Martin, Sarah Wilds, Sarah Good, and Elizabeth How. Our focus is Nurse’s whiplash journey: a shocking conviction after an initial acquittal and a jury sent back to reconsider, followed by her family’s defense depositions and petition carried to Boston to appeal directly to Governor William Phips. Phips grants a reprieve that briefly halts her execution—until the afflicted accusers erupt in intensified fits to protest her release. We trace how unnamed Salem gentlemen, possibly including local magistrates, confront Phips and successfully pressure him to revoke the reprieve, sealing Nurse’s fate.00:00 Welcome and Hosts00:06 Stoughton Signs Warrant00:33 Reprieve and Family Appeal01:05 Accusers Protest Release01:25 Salem Pressure Reverses Reprieve

Gloucester Sighting, July 11, 1692: John Brown and Ebenezer Babson Spot Three StrangersWe take you straight to Gloucester on Monday, July 11, 1692, where John Brown and Ebenezer Babson spot three unknown men a gunshot away from the garrison and try to fire, only to be thwarted as the figures dart between corn and bushes. Guided by Cotton Mather’s Decennium Luctuosum, we highlight a tense, fast-moving moment on the fringes of the Salem Witch Trials era—perfect for listeners drawn to 1692 Massachusetts history, colonial New England fear, and primary-source true crime. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to Salem Witch Trials Daily (Josh Hutchinson & Sarah Jack) 00:08 Gloucester, July 11, 1692—three unknown men sighted 00:18 The attempted shot and the chase through corn and brush00:00 Welcome to the Show00:06 Gloucester Sighting Begins00:14 Cotton Mather Account

Gloucester’s Phantom Thuds: War Paranoia Meets the Salem Witch TrialsWe head to Gloucester on Cape Ann on July 10, 1692, when loud thuds echo near a fortified garrison house, sounding like men hurling stones at a barn. With King William’s War fueling dread of attacks by the French and their Wabanaki allies, garrison houses—private homes strengthened with thick walls, gun ports, and overhanging second stories—stand as emergency shelters amid constant fear. Our story tracks how this wartime anxiety erupted into reports of supernatural, invisible forces pelting homes with rocks, and how local war paranoia blended into the wider Massachusetts witchcraft panic. Gloucester enters the Salem witch hunts late, but afflicted individuals are brought into town and accusations ultimately spread to about nine Gloucester women.00:00 Welcome to the Show00:05 Mysterious Thuds in Gloucester00:22 Garrison Houses and War Fears00:49 From War Panic to Witchcraft01:08 Gloucester Enters the Witch Hunts

July 8, 1692: Timothy Swan and Elizabeth Ballard Targeted by Salem SpectersWe race into July 8, 1692, when Timothy Swan is reportedly set upon by a terrifying lineup of specters—Mary Bradbury, the Laceys, Ann Foster, and the Carriers—while the same eerie presence also turns on Elizabeth Ballard. Join us on Salem Witch Trials Daily as we follow the chilling claims of spectral attack at the height of the Salem Witch Trials, where fear, accusations, and the supernatural collide in colonial Massachusetts. Chapters: 0:00 Welcome to Salem Witch Trials Daily 0:06 July 8, 1692 spectral attack report 0:12 Names accused as specters 0:18 Elizabeth Ballard also reportedly attacked00:00 Welcome to the Show00:02 Hosts Introduction00:06 July 8 1692 Attacks00:16 Elizabeth Ballard Targeted