The Witch of Salem; or, Credulity Run Mad
Produced by Suzanne Shell, Lark Speyer and the OnlineDistributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
Columbian Historical Novels
_By JOHN R. MUSICK_
_With Reading Courses_
Being a Complete History of the United States from the Time of Columbus to the Present Day
ONE HUNDRED PHOTOGRAVURES, HALF-TONE PLATES, MAPS OF THE PERIODS AND NUMEROUS PEN-AND-INK DRAWINGS, BY F. A. CARTER
THE R. H. WHITTEN COMPANY _New York_ _Los Angeles_
Copyright, 1906, by FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY
_Printed in the United States of America_
COLUMBIAN HISTORICAL NOVELS VOLUME VII
THE WITCH OF SALEM _or_ _Credulity Run Mad_
by
JOHN R MUSICK
_Illustrations by_ FREELAND A. CARTER
THE R. H. WHITTEN COMPANY _New York_ _Los Angeles_
Copyright, 1893, by the FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY
[_Registered at Stationers' Hall, London, Eng._]
_Printed in the United States_
PREFACE.
It is a difficult task to go back to ages by-gone, to divest ourselvesof what we know and are and form a clear conception of generations thathave been, of their experiences, objects, modes of life, thought andexpression. It is a task better suited to the novelist than thehistorian, and even the former treads on dangerous ground in attemptingit. One of the prime objects of the Columbian Historical Novels is togive the reader as clear an idea as possible of the common people, aswell as of the rulers of the age. The author has endeavored at the riskof criticism to clothe the speeches of his characters in the dialect andidioms peculiar to the age in which they lived. In the former volumes,sentences most criticised are those taken literally as spoken or writtenat the time. Though it would seem that a few critics grow more severethe nearer an author approaches the truth, yet the greater number ofthinking men and women who review these books are students themselves,and the author who adheres to the language of a by-gone age has nothingto fear from them.
The "Witch of Salem" is designed to cover twenty years in the history ofthe United States, or from the year 1680 to 1700, including all theprincipal features of this period. Charles Stevens of Salem, with CoraWaters, the daughter of an indented slave, whose father was captured atthe time of the overthrow of the Duke of Monmouth, are the principalcharacters. Samuel Parris, the chief actor in the Salem tragedy, is aserious study, and has been painted, after a careful research, accordingto the conception formed of him. No greater villain ever lived in anyage. He had scarce a redeeming feature. His religion was hypocrisy,superstition, revenge and bigotry. His ambition led him to deeds ofatrocity unsurpassed. Having drawn the information on which this storyis founded from what seem the most reliable sources, and woven the storyin a way which it is hoped will be pleasing and instructive, we sendthis volume forth to speak for itself.
JOHN R. MUSICK.
Kirksville, Mo., Oct. 1st, 1892.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PAGE
CHAPTER I. THE MAN WITH THE BOOK, 1
CHAPTER II. PENNSYLVANIA, 23
CHAPTER III. THE INDENTED SLAVE, 43
CHAPTER IV. MR. PARRIS AND FLOCK, 65
CHAPTER V. A NIGHT WITH WITCHES, 81
CHAPTER VI. THE CHARTER OAK, 101
CHAPTER VII. TWO MEN WHO LOOK ALIKE, 116
CHAPTER VIII. MOVING ONWARD, 134
CHAPTER IX. CHARLES AND CORA, 152
CHAPTER X. CHARLES AND MR. PARRIS, 172
CHAPTER XI. ADELPHA LEISLER, 191
CHAPTER XII. LEISLER'S FATE, 216
CHAPTER XIII. CREDULITY RUN MAD, 234
CHAPTER XIV. THE FATE OF GOODY NURSE, 256
CHAPTER XV. "YOUR MOTHER A WITCH!" 276
CHAPTER XVI. ESCAPE AND FLIGHT, 290
CHAPTER XVII. OUT OF THE FRYING PAN INTO THE FIRE, 306
CHAPTER XVIII. SUPERSTITION REIGNS, 327
CHAPTER XIX. THE WOMAN IN BLACK, 346
CHAPTER XX. CONCLUSION, 364
HISTORICAL INDEX, 383
CHRONOLOGY, 391