July 19, 1692: The First Mass Execution at Proctor’s LedgeFive innocent women were hanged on this date in 1692: Sarah Good, Sarah Wilds, Elizabeth Howe, Susannah Martin, and Rebecca Nurse, bringing the death toll to nine. We trace how the witch hunt escalated from the Parris household afflictions to the Court of Oyer and Terminer under William Stoughton, fueled by ministerial pressure, spectral evidence, and panic. At the gallows, Sarah Good refuses to confess and delivers her unforgettable warning to Nicholas Noyes. We also follow a key legal moment as Joseph Ballard pursues complaints against Mary Lacey Sr. and Mary Lacey Jr. with a rare prosecution bond, while fear spreads toward Andover and more mass executions ahead.00:00 Welcome and Series Recap00:18 Road to Mass Execution01:32 Remembering the Five Women02:31 The Hangings at Proctor’s Ledge03:06 Sarah Good’s Final Words04:09 Aftermath and Burial Questions04:34 Andover Complaint Against the Laceys05:06 Procedure and Prosecution Bonds06:02 Panic Spreads and Darker Claims07:36 What’s Next and Closing

Ann Foster’s Jailhouse Confession and an Ipswich Militia Alarm | July 18, 1692We’re back in Salem Village on Monday, July 18, 1692, as magistrates press Ann Foster in jail and she delivers a chilling confession: the devil appeared to her as a man, Martha Carrier stood beside him, and a bargain for prosperity led to a terrifying flight to a witch meeting above the treetops—until their stick snapped and Foster crashed, injuring her leg. Our account traces what she claims she heard there, including talk of hundreds of witches and plans to destroy Salem Village, plus her allegation that Carrier foretold the death of James Hobbs’ child. Then the story pivots to Ipswich, where Major Samuel Appleton mobilizes about 60 men to relieve the Eastern Gloucester garrison house, only for gunfire and a tense swamp pursuit to erupt in the woods.00:00 Daily Introduction00:09 Ann Foster Questioned00:12 Devil’s Pact and Flight00:46 Salem Meeting Revelations01:04 Carrier’s Threat and Death01:26 Ipswich Militia Mobilizes01:43 Swamp Pursuit01:53 Closing Beat

Gloucester Garrison Alarm: Unknown Men at John Row’s Deserted House (July 17, 1692)We take you straight into Gloucester’s escalating Salem Witch Trials-era tension on Sunday, July 17, 1692, as a garrison house is shadowed by three or four strange men who stay frustratingly out of range. Our account follows Richard Dolliver and Benjamin Ellery as they slip down a hill and witness 11 unknown men emerging from an orchard, pacing backward and forward and striking John Row’s deserted house with sticks—until Dolliver fires into the center of them and the group vanishes from sight for the rest of the day. We also flag the historical source behind this dramatic Gloucester encounter: Cotton Mather’s Decennium Luctuosum.00:00 Daily Introduction00:09 Gloucester Incident Begins00:18 Orchard Encounter00:27 Attack on Row House00:34 Shot Fired and Aftermath00:43 Source Attribution