Elizabeth Howe - Evidence in The Court and Witnesses Against Howe

Evidence in The Court and Witnesses Against Howe

There were many different types of evidence that were used to convict a supposed witch. These were confession, supernatural attributes, the witch’s teat or witch's mark (any small skin growth or abnormality found on the body of the accused), anger followed by mischief, and probably most importantly spectral evidence defined by The Witches of Early America as “the supernatural phenomena thought to occur when a vision or ‘spectre’ of an accused witch appeared to a witness”.

Anger followed by mischief is one form of evidence that was brought against Elizabeth Howe. The Perely family, who had also accused her of afflicting their ten year old daughter (see Elizabeth Howe Accused of Witchcraft), blamed the sudden illness of the family’s cow upon her. This was due, they claimed, to the fact that they had thwarted Elizabeth Howe’s chance of becoming a member of the Ipswich Church. Samuel Perley stated it this way in his testimony against Elizabeth: “the above said goode how had a mind to joyn to iPswich Church thai being unsatisfied sent to us to bring in what we knew thai se cause to Put a stoP to her coming into the Church.” Samuel then went on to explain a few days afterwards his cow suddenly went mad and ran into a pond drowning herself.

Spectral evidence played a key role in the Salem Witch Trials. The Witches of Early America defines spectral evidence as, “the supernatural phenomena thought to occur when a vision or ‘spectre’ of an accused witch appeared to a witness”. The accusation of the Perelys is not a direct example of a when “an accused witch appeared to a witness”. However, they did bring forth spectral evidence with the story of their daughter. Apparently she told her parents that when she went near fire or water, “this witch in”.

Another accusation of anger before mischief was raised against Elizabeth How by her own brother-in-law. From his account we learn that she asked John Howe to go with her to “Salem farmes”. He told her that had she been accused of any other thing he would go with her, but because the accusation was witchcraft he “would not for ten pounds,” he continued, “If you are a witch tell me how long you have ben a witch and what mischeve you have done and then I will go with you”. His report explains that she “semed to be aingry with me”. John owned a sow with six small piglets. Around sunset he recounted the sow “leaped up about and and gave one and fell ”. He went on to say that he cut off the ear of the sow and the hand he used to do this became numb and full of pain for several days after. All of this he blamed upon his sister-in-law Elizabeth How.