October 1, 2004

Escaping Salem: The Other Witch Hunt of 1692

By NINA C. AYOUB

Salem, Massachusetts, is famous for its witch trials, but was it typical? Richard Godbeer thinks not. The professor of history at the University of Miami sees atypical excess in New England's most notorious witch hunt, a case that saw more than 150 people charged, 19 hanged, and one crushed to death by stones. Despite its power in our imaginations, he says, Salem reveals little about New Englanders' varied and often cautious responses to witch

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