(Deposition of the Rev. John Hale v. Sarah Bishop )

[May 20, 1692 ]

John Hale of Beverly aged about 56 yeares [tes[=testifies]] & saith that about 5 or 6 years ago e Christian the wife of John Trask (living in Salem bounds bordering on the abovesaid Beverly) beeing in full comunion in o'r Church came to me to desier that Goodwife Bishop her Neighb'r wife of Edw: Bishop Jun'r might not be permitted to receive the Lords Supper in our church till she had given her the said Trask satisfaction for some offences that were against her.viz because the said Bishop did entertaine people in her house at unseasonable houres in the night to keep drinking and playing at shovel-board whereby discord did arise in other families & young people were in danger to bee corrupted & that the s'd Trask knew these things & had once gon into the house & fynding some at shovel-board had taken the peices thay played with & thrown them into the fyre & had reprooved the said Bishop for promoting such disorders, But received no satisfaction from her about it.

I gave s'd Christian Trask direction how to proceed farther in this matter if it were clearly prooved And indeed by the information I have had otherwise I doe fear that if a stop had not been putt to those disorders s'd Edw. Bishop's house would have been a house of great prophainness & iniquity. But as to Christian Trask the next news I heard of her was that she was distracted & asking her husband Trask when she was so taken [he told] mee shee was taken distracted that night after shee [came from] my house when shee complained against Goody Bishop. She continueing some time Distracted wee sought the Lord by fasting & prayer & the Lord was pleased to restore the s'd [Trask] to the use of her reason agen. I was s'th her often in [her] distraction (& took it then to bee only distraction, yet fearing sometimes somw't worse) but since I have seen the fitts of those bewitched at Salem Village I call to mind some of hers to be much like some of theirs.

The said Trask when recovered as I understood it did manifest strong suspicion that shee had been bewitched by the s'd Bishop's wife & showed so much aversness from having any conversation that I was then troubled at it hopeing better of s'd Goody Bishop at that time for wee have since [torn] At length s'd Christian Trask [was] agen in a distracted fit on a Sabboth day in the forenoon at the publ[i]ck meeting to o'r public desturbance & so continued sometimes better sometimes worse unto her death, manifesting that shee under temptation to kill her selfe or somebody else. I enquired of Marg'rt Ring who kept at or nigh the house, what shee had observed of s'd Trask before this last distraction shee told [mee.] Goody Trask was much given to reading & search the prophecys of scrip[ture]. The day before shee made that disturbance in the meeting [house she[e] came home & said shee had been w'th Goody Bishop & that they two were now friend or to that effect.

I was oft praying w'th & councelling of Goody Trask before her death and not many days before her end being there shee seemed more rationall & earnestly desired Edw: Bishop might be sent for that shee might make friends with him, I asked her if shee had wronged Edw. Bishop shee said not that shee knew of unless it were in taking his shovel-board pieces when people were at play w'th them & throwing them into the fyre & if she did evill in it she was very sorry for it & desiered he would be friends with her or forgive her. this was the very day before she dyed, or a few days before. Her distraction (or bewitching) continued about a month and in those intervalls wherein shee was better shee earnestly desired prayers & the Sabboth befere she dyed I received a note for prayers on her behalf w'ch her husband said was written by her selfe & I judge was her owne hand writing beeing well acquainted with her hand. As to the wounds she dyed of I observed 3 deadly ones; apeice of her wind pipe cutt out. & another wound above that threww the windpipe & Gullet & the veine they call jugular. So that I then judge & still doe apprehend it impossible for her w'th so short a pair of cissars to mangle her selfe so without some extraordinary work of the devill or witchcraft signed. 20. may 1692 by *John Hale.

To severall parts of this testimony can wittness Maj'r Gidney . Mr Paris Joseph Hirrek Ju'r & his wife Thomas Raiment & his wife John Traske Marget King , Hanah wife of Cornell Baker , [] Miles & others. As also about the s'd Goody Bishop Capt W'm Raiment , his son W'm Raiment about creatures strangely dying. James Kettle , & the abovs'd Jos: Hirreck & Tho: Raiment about sundry actions that [have] the apearance of witchcraft.

(Reverse) Jno. Hale John Hale agst. Sarah Bishop

( Essex County Court Archives, Salem - Witchcraft vol. 1, no. 142. Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, Judicial Archives, Massachusetts State Archives, Boston, MA.)

( Deposition of James Kettle v. Sarah Bishop )

[+ May 20, 1692 ]

The deposition of James Kettle aged twenty seven years or there about testyfieth & saith that I was att Docter Grigs his hous on the tenth of this instant may & there saw Elizebeth Hubbard in severall Fitts: and after her fits ware over she told me that she saw my too Childdren Laying before her & that thay cry'd for vengance & that Sarah Bishop bid her Look on them & said that she kiled them & and thay were by her description much as they were when they ware put in to there Coffins [to?] be buried & she told me that Sarah bishop told her [th]at I was going to burn akiln of potts & that she would break them if she Could: & i took notice that while she was in her Fitts that she Cried & held her apron before her face saying that she would not se them Docter Grigs & his wife and John hues ware thare present

(Reverse) [Sar]ah Bishop

( Essex County Court Archives, Salem - Witchcraft vol. 2, no. 116. Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, Judicial Archives, Massachusetts State Archives. Boston, MA.)

( Deposition of Elizabeth Balch & Abigail Waldon v. Sarah Bishop )

[+ May 20, 1692 ]

The Depotion of Elizabeth Balch of Beverly Aged aboute Eight & thirty years & wife unto Benjamin Balch ju'r

This Deponant Testifieth hereby & saith that she being at Salem on the very Day that Cap't Georg Curwin was buried & in the evening of s'd Day Cominge from s'd Salem unto s'd Beverly on horse back #[with] with her sister then known by the name of Abigaile Woodburie now Abigaile Waldon #[now] Living in Wenham wife unto Nathaniell Waldon Rideing behinde her & as they were Rideing as befour & were Come soe far as Crane River Common soe Called Edward Bishop & his wife over tooke us (on horse back) who are both now in prison under suspition of witchcraft & had some words of Difference it seemed unto us. s'd Bishop rideing in to the brooke pretty hastily she finding fault with his soe doing & said that he would throw her in to the water or words to that purpose s'd Bishop Answered her that it was noe matter if he Did or words to that Effect: & soe wee Rode along all together toward Beverly & she blamed her husband for Rideing soe fast & that he would Doe her a mischeife or words to that purpose & he Answered her that it was noe matter what was Done unto her or words to that purpose: And then s'd Bishop Directed his speech unto us as we Rode along & s'd that she had ben a bad wife unto him ever since they were marryed & reckoned up many of her miscarriages towards him but now of Late she was worse then Ever she had ben unto him before (and that the Devill Did Come bodyly unto her & that she was familiar with the Devill & that she sate up all the night Long with the Devill) or words to that purpose & with such kinde of Discourse he filled up the time untill we Came to s'd Bishops Dwelling house & this Deponant Did reproove s'd Bishop for speaking in such a manner unto his wife s'd Bishop Answered it was nothing but what was truth & s'd Bishops wife made very Little reply to all her husbands Discourse Dureing all the time we wer with them & farther said not

the mark of elezebeth Balch.
the mark of Abigail walden
.
her Answer
if it be soe, you had neede pray, for mee

( Essex County Court Archives, Salem - Witchcraft vol. 1, no. 151. Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, Judicial Archives, Massachusetts State Archives. Boston, MA. )