1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:08,639 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello everyone, I'm Eves and welcome to this 3 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:12,040 Speaker 1: dand History Class, a podcast where the past becomes the 4 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:15,400 Speaker 1: present every single day. I hope you all are still 5 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 1: doing well. I'm doing well, still recording from the closet. 6 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:22,160 Speaker 1: I hope that you'all have been able to find things 7 00:00:22,239 --> 00:00:25,319 Speaker 1: that make your day a little bit brighter every single day. I, 8 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:27,200 Speaker 1: for one, have been able to get a lot of 9 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:30,440 Speaker 1: fresh air, a lot of sunlight, and I must admit 10 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:33,839 Speaker 1: one or two or three horror movies, which is my 11 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:38,279 Speaker 1: particular brand of craving right now, and even when I'm 12 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 1: not in the middle of a pandemic, I love horror movies. 13 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:46,760 Speaker 1: With that said, today's episode has nothing to do with 14 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:50,680 Speaker 1: horror movies, but it is about witchcraft. So let's get 15 00:00:50,680 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 1: into the show. Today is made. The day was made fourteenth, 16 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:07,520 Speaker 1: eighteen seventy eight, the last witchcraft trial in the United 17 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:11,560 Speaker 1: States began in Salem, Massachusetts, the site of the infamous 18 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:16,240 Speaker 1: seventeenth century witch trials. The Salem Witchcraft Trial of eighteen 19 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:19,520 Speaker 1: seventy eight, also known as the ips Witch witchcraft trial, 20 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:23,119 Speaker 1: had its roots in the Christian science community in Massachusetts. 21 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:28,120 Speaker 1: Christian science is a religious denomination founded by Mary Baker 22 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:31,360 Speaker 1: Eddie in the nineteenth century. In her eighteen seventy five 23 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:34,920 Speaker 1: book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Eddie 24 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:37,720 Speaker 1: argued that sickness was all in the mind and that 25 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:41,679 Speaker 1: it could be cured through prayer. She also expounded on 26 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:47,360 Speaker 1: the concept of animal magnetism, writing the following. Animal magnetism 27 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:51,520 Speaker 1: or hypnotism is the specific term for error or mortal mind. 28 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:54,480 Speaker 1: It is the false belief that mind is in matter 29 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:57,840 Speaker 1: and is both evil and good, that evil is as 30 00:01:57,880 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 1: real as good and more powerful. This belief has not 31 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:04,680 Speaker 1: one quality of truth. It is either ignorant or malicious. 32 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:09,840 Speaker 1: The malicious form of hypnotism ultimates in moral idiocy. Daniel 33 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:13,360 Speaker 1: Spofford was one of Eddie's early students. Spofford opened up 34 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:16,920 Speaker 1: a practice in metaphysical healing in eighteen seventy five and 35 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:21,320 Speaker 1: began calling himself Doctor Spafford. He even introduced Mary to 36 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:25,799 Speaker 1: her future husband, Asa Gilbert Eddie. Mary and Asa got 37 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:29,880 Speaker 1: married in eighteen seventy seven, but Mary and Spofford eventually 38 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:32,760 Speaker 1: had a falling out. She expelled him from the Christian 39 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:37,239 Speaker 1: Scientists Association for alleged immorality. She even filed a suit 40 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:41,320 Speaker 1: against him for violating his contractual obligations. Though the case 41 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:45,760 Speaker 1: was dismissed, Mary was litigious, and she sued some of 42 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:50,160 Speaker 1: her other students for unpaid tuition. Then there was Lucrecia Brown, 43 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:53,800 Speaker 1: a woman who lived in Ipswich, Massachusetts, a town about 44 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:57,560 Speaker 1: thirteen miles or twenty one kilometers away from Salem. She 45 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:00,919 Speaker 1: had a spinal injury that Dorcas Rawson so opposedly healed 46 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:05,000 Speaker 1: through Christian science. But Brown had a suppose it relapse 47 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:08,400 Speaker 1: when she was under Rawson's spiritual treatment, so Rawson went 48 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:12,960 Speaker 1: to Eddie for help. Eddie blamed Brown's condition on Spofford, 49 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:16,840 Speaker 1: who had recently visited Brown. Eddie claimed that Spofford was 50 00:03:16,919 --> 00:03:20,760 Speaker 1: using mesmerism to harm Brown. She got twelve students from 51 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:24,440 Speaker 1: the Christian Scientists Association to take two hours each to 52 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:27,960 Speaker 1: focus their mental energy on keeping Spofford from practicing his 53 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:32,639 Speaker 1: mes merried powers over his students and patience. Some scholars 54 00:03:32,639 --> 00:03:35,560 Speaker 1: have suggested that Eddie may have been more invested in 55 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:38,680 Speaker 1: bringing a suit than Brown was. It's been alleged that 56 00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:42,200 Speaker 1: she drew up the complaint against Spafford herself and petitioned 57 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:45,200 Speaker 1: the court to keep him from using his mesmerism against her. 58 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:48,200 Speaker 1: The suit was heard in the Supreme Judicial Court in 59 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:52,480 Speaker 1: Salem on May fourteenth, eighteen seventy eight. She and around 60 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 1: twenty other witnesses showed up to testify against Spofford. The 61 00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:00,840 Speaker 1: judge was Horace Gray. The bill of complaint said the following, 62 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:05,920 Speaker 1: in part, Daniel H. Spofford has, at diverse times and places, 63 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:10,160 Speaker 1: since the year eighteen hundred and seventy five, wrongfully and maliciously, 64 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 1: and with intent to injure the plaintiff, caused the plaintiff, 65 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:17,120 Speaker 1: by means of his said power and art, great suffering 66 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:20,560 Speaker 1: of body and mind in severe spinal pains and neuralgia, 67 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:24,760 Speaker 1: and a temporary suspension of mind, and still continues to 68 00:04:24,839 --> 00:04:28,320 Speaker 1: cause the plaintiff the same. The judge called for a 69 00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:31,200 Speaker 1: hearing of the case on May seventeenth, and Spofford was 70 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:35,360 Speaker 1: ordered to appear. Then. The case garnered attention from the press. 71 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:38,880 Speaker 1: A crowd gathered at the courthouse that day, but Spofford 72 00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:42,839 Speaker 1: did not appear. His attorney filed a demur and the 73 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:45,920 Speaker 1: judge sustained it, saying that the case wasn't in the 74 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:49,240 Speaker 1: court's jurisdiction and that it had no power to control 75 00:04:49,279 --> 00:04:54,120 Speaker 1: Spofford's mind. The judge dismissed the case. The ruling was appealed, 76 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:57,640 Speaker 1: but the appeal was waived. Eddie drew a lot of 77 00:04:57,680 --> 00:05:01,120 Speaker 1: criticism for the case. Her scandals con get to garner attention, 78 00:05:01,279 --> 00:05:04,159 Speaker 1: and she continued to blame illnesses on the influence of 79 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:08,919 Speaker 1: malicious animal magnetism. Still, the Church of Christ Scientist was 80 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:12,919 Speaker 1: founded in eighteen seventy nine and the religion gained more followers. 81 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:18,279 Speaker 1: The trial is now considered the last witchcraft trial in 82 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:22,200 Speaker 1: the US. I'm Eves Jeff Code and hopefully you know 83 00:05:22,320 --> 00:05:25,279 Speaker 1: a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 84 00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:29,600 Speaker 1: And if you have any suggestions or questions or comments, 85 00:05:29,760 --> 00:05:31,920 Speaker 1: or just want to send a nice note, you can 86 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:34,280 Speaker 1: do so to our email at this day at I 87 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:36,760 Speaker 1: heeart Media dot com. You can also hit us up 88 00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:40,839 Speaker 1: on social media where at t d i HC Podcast 89 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:44,080 Speaker 1: on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Thanks again for listening to 90 00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:57,920 Speaker 1: the show and we'll see you tomorrow. For more podcasts 91 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:00,880 Speaker 1: from I Heeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 92 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:02,640 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.