This Week in Christian History: Salem Witch Trials, Battle of Breitenfeld, Spanish Inquisitor Dies

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Twitter

The Last Accused Witches of Salem Executed — September 22, 1692

An 1853 painting by Tompkins Harrison Matteson depicting the examination of an alleged witch during the seventeenth century Salem Witch Trials in colonial Massachusetts.
An 1853 painting by Tompkins Harrison Matteson depicting the examination of an alleged witch during the seventeenth century Salem Witch Trials in colonial Massachusetts. | (Photo: Public Domain)

This week marks the anniversary of the final executions performed of those convicted of witchcraft in the infamous Salem Witch Trials.

Seven women and one man were executed, bringing the total number of colonial Massachusetts residents executed to 20 before the trials came to a close.

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In a 2014 piece, Jennifer Latson of Time Magazine explained that there were dubious standards for determining the guilt of someone accused of witchcraft and whether they should be executed.

"In the absence of a devil's mark or neighborly mischief, anyone who stood up to authorities and publicly questioned their actions was likely to be Salem's next top suspect," wrote Latson.

"In the backwards justice of the trials, those who confessed were spared, while those who protested their innocence were often killed."

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