anyone who was accused even if they confessed were hung
The Puritans were very conservative when it came to religion. They viewed witchcraft as the work of the devil.
The Puritans were very conservative when it came to religion. They viewed witchcraft as the work of the devil.
witches are people who chase scared children for aids.
The answer seems to be that those who pleaded innocent were acquitted. Per Answers.com, "Nearly two hundred people were accused of practicing witchcraft in Salem during the summer of 1692. Twenty accused witches were executed, fifteen women and five men." This despite the facts that the accused had no right to legal counsel, and were presumed guilty.
They would report such people to the religious authorities who would then try & execute such people.
It is estimated that around 200 people were accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials, with 20 individuals being executed. This means that about 90% of those accused were innocent of the crimes they were charged with.
In the case of the Salem Witch Trials, people who were not strict Puritans and those who did not go to church as often as the Puritan community deemed appropriate were considered outcasts, and these were usually the first people to be accused of witchcraft.
Being afflicted by Witchcraft means to be being harmed by a malevolent spell someone cast against you, your land, livestock, or something similar. Being accused of Witchcraft means that someone has either told you to your face, or has told someone else that you are a Witch and are using magic, likely for a negative purpose, despite whether or not you actually were or weren't. During the Witch Hysteria of Europe, people whose crops did not grow well were often said to be afflicted by an evil witchcraft spell. The owner of those crops then would often accuse someone they didn't like of Witchcraft and working magic to make his/her crops fail.
because
Yes pretty much. One could be accused of practising Witchcraft simply because they were outspoken, held different views or ideals to those that were commonly accepted.. even just for being socially inept.
Philip English was charged of using witchcraft to harm the afflicted. He was also accused of being French and Catholic, but neither of those were illegal.