18. The Start of an Avalanche of Crazy Accusations
A local doctor found no signs of physical ailment to explain the girls’ behavior, so he blamed it on the supernatural. Soon, another young girl, aged eleven, began to exhibit similar symptoms. Examined by magistrates, the girls alleged that three women had used witchcraft against them. The accused were the reverend’s black slave, Tituba, an elderly impoverished woman named Sarah Osborne, and a homeless beggar named Sarah Good.
Osborne and Good protested their innocence, but for whatever reason – perhaps torture or perhaps a promise of leniency – Tituba confessed to having been visited by the Devil. She described him as a black man who asked her to sign a book. Tituba admitted that she had signed, then went on to point the finger at other “witches”.
