1 00:00:11,640 --> 00:00:15,819 Speaker 1: The similarities and differences between humans and other animals have 2 00:00:15,860 --> 00:00:19,940 Speaker 1: long been a source of philosophical conundrum. Since the time 3 00:00:19,980 --> 00:00:22,800 Speaker 1: of the Abrahamic religions, when the god of the book 4 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:26,520 Speaker 1: of Genesis told Adam he would have dominion over all 5 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:31,160 Speaker 1: the animals in his kingdom, Many assume unquestionably that humans 6 00:00:31,300 --> 00:00:35,680 Speaker 1: are superior to other species, as if, by somehow having 7 00:00:35,740 --> 00:00:39,640 Speaker 1: a broader awareness of our earthly surroundings, we have permission 8 00:00:39,720 --> 00:00:43,630 Speaker 1: to take charge of all living things, that they, in 9 00:00:43,729 --> 00:00:48,150 Speaker 1: some ways, are here simply for our sustenance and gratification. 10 00:00:49,250 --> 00:00:53,590 Speaker 1: Some point to certain characteristics as a way of differentiating ourselves. 11 00:00:54,810 --> 00:01:00,470 Speaker 1: The supposedly uniquely human imperative, towards art, the facility to 12 00:01:00,510 --> 00:01:04,950 Speaker 1: communicate in languages which have grammatical rules far more complex 13 00:01:05,050 --> 00:01:08,850 Speaker 1: than other animals, that we walk upright on two feet, 14 00:01:09,310 --> 00:01:12,590 Speaker 1: rendering us mobile in a way that few other animals 15 00:01:12,690 --> 00:01:16,850 Speaker 1: can mimic, freeing our hands for using tools and allowing 16 00:01:16,910 --> 00:01:21,209 Speaker 1: us to better conserve our energy. And yet, with Charles 17 00:01:21,250 --> 00:01:25,670 Speaker 1: Darwin's explosive theory of evolution outlined in The Origin of 18 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:31,459 Speaker 1: the Since 1859, many began to question the received wisdom 19 00:01:31,980 --> 00:01:36,150 Speaker 1: that we are masters of our space. One thing human 20 00:01:36,190 --> 00:01:39,289 Speaker 1: beings continue to share with other animals is a sense 21 00:01:39,350 --> 00:01:43,590 Speaker 1: of territorialism. We see it on programmes narrated by the 22 00:01:43,630 --> 00:01:47,390 Speaker 1: likes of David Attenborough about the natural world. In the 23 00:01:47,410 --> 00:01:51,710 Speaker 1: predominantly male species of lions or stags fighting with one 24 00:01:51,750 --> 00:01:56,050 Speaker 1: another to be crowned alpha of the herd, In astonishing 25 00:01:56,130 --> 00:02:01,150 Speaker 1: observations made by scientists in Thai National Park in southwestern 26 00:02:01,250 --> 00:02:07,570 Speaker 1: Côte d'Ivoire, for example, chimpanzees are recorded utilising distinctly human-like 27 00:02:07,710 --> 00:02:11,489 Speaker 1: warfare tactics such as the use of hillside terrain for 28 00:02:11,530 --> 00:02:17,310 Speaker 1: reconnaissance and weapons. It can be amusing, therefore, or disturbing, 29 00:02:17,710 --> 00:02:22,310 Speaker 1: to see these similarities reframed by certain human beings as 30 00:02:22,470 --> 00:02:29,389 Speaker 1: high-minded or politically expedient predestined even, when territorialism is used 31 00:02:29,450 --> 00:02:33,790 Speaker 1: to whip up anger in instances of political rhetoric, or 32 00:02:33,850 --> 00:02:37,750 Speaker 1: when invasion narratives are used to justify acts of violence 33 00:02:38,190 --> 00:02:42,230 Speaker 1: in the name of protecting a state or territory. It 34 00:02:42,290 --> 00:02:45,970 Speaker 1: is perhaps for this reason that invasion narratives have long 35 00:02:46,030 --> 00:02:48,850 Speaker 1: been used as a staple of the science fiction and 36 00:02:48,950 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 1: horror genres in particular, since they play into humanity's more 37 00:02:54,010 --> 00:03:06,359 Speaker 1: animalistic tendencies when it comes to territorialism. When we recognize 38 00:03:06,500 --> 00:03:11,160 Speaker 1: our true animal nature, we see our inclination for territorialism 39 00:03:11,300 --> 00:03:14,820 Speaker 1: for what it is, which is to say, an entirely 40 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:20,060 Speaker 1: natural impulse, instinctively driven by fear and the will to survive. 41 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:25,260 Speaker 1: Perceived threats to the family, threat to the colony, threat 42 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:30,799 Speaker 1: to food supplies, harvests, the prevailing political order, or even, 43 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:34,540 Speaker 1: as in H.G. Wells' classic, the War of the Worlds, 44 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:41,190 Speaker 1: threat to the species itself, will engender a shift toward territorialism, whereby, 45 00:03:41,670 --> 00:03:45,070 Speaker 1: just when we might need them most, our base animal 46 00:03:45,130 --> 00:03:49,890 Speaker 1: tendency will override the one thing we might actually justifiably 47 00:03:49,970 --> 00:03:54,780 Speaker 1: hold as something unique to human beings. our ability to 48 00:03:54,840 --> 00:04:02,960 Speaker 1: think rationally and abstractly beyond our primal impulses. Historically, one 49 00:04:02,980 --> 00:04:07,600 Speaker 1: of the most striking examples of humanity's capacity for territorialism 50 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:10,880 Speaker 1: came in the form of the series of witch panics 51 00:04:11,260 --> 00:04:15,690 Speaker 1: which swept across England, Scotland, Europe and other parts of 52 00:04:15,730 --> 00:04:20,940 Speaker 1: the so-called New World during the late 17th century. It 53 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 1: is testament to the political turbulence of the time that 54 00:04:24,500 --> 00:04:30,430 Speaker 1: figures such as self-appointed Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins, as discussed 55 00:04:30,510 --> 00:04:34,970 Speaker 1: in Season 2, Episode 2's Time Out of Joint, were 56 00:04:35,010 --> 00:04:38,270 Speaker 1: able to ascend to positions of relative power in England, 57 00:04:38,910 --> 00:04:42,400 Speaker 1: all because of a perceived threat to the status quo. 58 00:04:43,860 --> 00:04:48,360 Speaker 1: And yet, despite sharing some of the same fear-led impulses 59 00:04:48,700 --> 00:04:53,640 Speaker 1: as invasion narratives, stories about witches and demons also offer 60 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:58,089 Speaker 1: something quite unique. Not just because of what they say 61 00:04:58,310 --> 00:05:03,370 Speaker 1: about historical attitudes toward women and minorities as examples of 62 00:05:03,510 --> 00:05:07,630 Speaker 1: individuals considered by those in power to be different and 63 00:05:07,850 --> 00:05:13,060 Speaker 1: unknown and therefore fair game to be scapegoated, but because 64 00:05:13,140 --> 00:05:16,960 Speaker 1: the supposed invasion meant to be taking place is almost 65 00:05:17,100 --> 00:05:23,810 Speaker 1: always embedded within a community. territorialism leads naturally to paranoia 66 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:28,260 Speaker 1: and is a zero-sum game. In order to justify the 67 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:33,460 Speaker 1: fear being whipped up, an antagonist must be identified. And 68 00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:37,880 Speaker 1: so when all external threats have finally been exhausted, there 69 00:05:37,940 --> 00:05:42,040 Speaker 1: is nowhere left to turn except toward members of your 70 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:47,370 Speaker 1: own community. It is no accident, for example, that Arthur 71 00:05:47,380 --> 00:05:52,169 Speaker 1: Miller's most famous play, The Crucible, ostensibly set during the 72 00:05:52,230 --> 00:05:55,960 Speaker 1: Salem witch trials, was written and performed in the aftermath 73 00:05:56,260 --> 00:06:00,419 Speaker 1: of the mid-20th century Red Scare in the United States. 74 00:06:02,160 --> 00:06:05,739 Speaker 1: Miller was explicit in drawing the connections, which he saw 75 00:06:05,860 --> 00:06:09,260 Speaker 1: as an indictment of Cold War hysteria, as much as 76 00:06:09,300 --> 00:06:13,120 Speaker 1: it was a fable about the foundation of violence on 77 00:06:13,180 --> 00:06:18,060 Speaker 1: which his country was built. The Story of the Gloucester 78 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:22,859 Speaker 1: Invasions during the summer of 1692, is perhaps the most 79 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:28,600 Speaker 1: interesting example of North American witch hysteria, precisely because it 80 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:33,300 Speaker 1: seems to explicitly marry together the most terrifying elements from 81 00:06:33,380 --> 00:06:38,330 Speaker 1: within the invasion narrative. That the newly settled New England 82 00:06:38,490 --> 00:06:43,230 Speaker 1: outpost of Massachusetts viewed itself at war with enemies both 83 00:06:43,370 --> 00:06:48,280 Speaker 1: within and without, and, as we shall see, People were 84 00:06:48,339 --> 00:06:53,279 Speaker 1: often at a loss to distinguish between them. You're listening 85 00:06:53,300 --> 00:07:07,430 Speaker 1: to Unexplained, and I'm Richard McLean Smith. In Massachusetts, America, 86 00:07:07,890 --> 00:07:15,980 Speaker 1: July 1692, strange things are afoot. In Salem Village... Eleven 87 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:19,840 Speaker 1: women and one man are languishing in jail as they 88 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:27,810 Speaker 1: await trial, accused of perpetrating witchcraft. One, Bridget Bishop, had 89 00:07:27,930 --> 00:07:33,310 Speaker 1: already been executed. Twenty miles away to the north, in 90 00:07:33,330 --> 00:07:37,850 Speaker 1: the small village of Cape Ann, an unseasonable warmth seemed 91 00:07:37,910 --> 00:07:42,360 Speaker 1: to tighten its grip around the usually mild seaside location. 92 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:47,520 Speaker 1: During this time of year, Crops were being cultivated for harvest, 93 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:52,690 Speaker 1: and 25-year-old renowned local family man and small estate holder 94 00:07:53,130 --> 00:07:58,170 Speaker 1: Ebenezer Babson felt positive that the weather signalled good things 95 00:07:58,250 --> 00:08:04,110 Speaker 1: for his maize. God-fearing above all things, however, Ebenezer knew 96 00:08:04,250 --> 00:08:07,230 Speaker 1: only too well that the weather was prone to change, 97 00:08:08,390 --> 00:08:12,260 Speaker 1: and so he concentrated his energies on making sure there 98 00:08:12,300 --> 00:08:15,210 Speaker 1: was an ample store of food for what would surely 99 00:08:15,380 --> 00:08:19,640 Speaker 1: be another blistering winter. But the work was proving a 100 00:08:19,660 --> 00:08:24,980 Speaker 1: little harder than usual, because that July, Ebenezer and his family, 101 00:08:25,620 --> 00:08:29,720 Speaker 1: including his widowed mother Eleanor, had not been sleeping well. 102 00:08:31,260 --> 00:08:35,599 Speaker 1: It started with the children crying out in terror one night. 103 00:08:36,540 --> 00:08:40,469 Speaker 1: Babson ran to their bedroom to find them shaking with 104 00:08:40,590 --> 00:08:44,170 Speaker 1: fear in their beds. claiming they could hear noises in 105 00:08:44,210 --> 00:08:47,810 Speaker 1: the cottage. They said it was almost as if a person, 106 00:08:48,370 --> 00:08:53,729 Speaker 1: or persons, was walking freely around the humble property, laughing 107 00:08:53,790 --> 00:08:57,860 Speaker 1: and making merry, and even rifling through the kitchen cupboards. 108 00:08:59,600 --> 00:09:05,340 Speaker 1: God-fearing though he was, Ebenezer also possessed a fiercely practical streak. 109 00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:10,040 Speaker 1: He reasoned that the disturbances were likely something to do 110 00:09:10,140 --> 00:09:14,050 Speaker 1: with the local wildlife industry, or more possibly, a figment 111 00:09:14,130 --> 00:09:18,000 Speaker 1: of his children's imagination. He told them to try and 112 00:09:18,050 --> 00:09:22,000 Speaker 1: ignore it and get back to sleep before returning himself 113 00:09:22,059 --> 00:09:29,160 Speaker 1: to bed. But the strange disturbances continued. Over the next 114 00:09:29,260 --> 00:09:33,650 Speaker 1: few nights, the children continued to claim that something was 115 00:09:33,730 --> 00:09:38,920 Speaker 1: in the house with them, moving around at night. Finding 116 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:41,900 Speaker 1: no outward reason why his children would lie to him, 117 00:09:42,500 --> 00:09:46,480 Speaker 1: while out in the field one day, Ebenezer privately began 118 00:09:46,520 --> 00:09:50,170 Speaker 1: to wonder if his house was being stalked by Native 119 00:09:50,210 --> 00:09:55,310 Speaker 1: American hunting parties. He'd heard of such things taking place 120 00:09:55,450 --> 00:09:59,140 Speaker 1: down in Maryland and thought that, if it were happening 121 00:09:59,179 --> 00:10:02,179 Speaker 1: to them, as the man of the house it was 122 00:10:02,260 --> 00:10:05,800 Speaker 1: his job to defend it this being a time before 123 00:10:05,880 --> 00:10:09,990 Speaker 1: law enforcement or even the comfort of neighbors who lived 124 00:10:10,170 --> 00:10:14,770 Speaker 1: anywhere nearby for now though he tried to put the 125 00:10:14,830 --> 00:10:17,810 Speaker 1: thought out of his mind there was work to be 126 00:10:17,850 --> 00:10:21,640 Speaker 1: done while the weather was still good When the sun 127 00:10:21,679 --> 00:10:24,840 Speaker 1: went down, he finished up for the day and made 128 00:10:24,880 --> 00:10:29,170 Speaker 1: his way back to the cottage. All things considered, it 129 00:10:29,190 --> 00:10:32,329 Speaker 1: had been a solid day's work and he allowed himself 130 00:10:32,410 --> 00:10:35,809 Speaker 1: a smile at the thought of another job well done. 131 00:10:45,660 --> 00:10:49,439 Speaker 1: By the time Ebenezer returned home, it was pitch black. 132 00:10:50,640 --> 00:10:55,250 Speaker 1: As he approached the cottage, candlelight flickered from inside the windows. 133 00:10:56,470 --> 00:10:59,630 Speaker 1: As he drew nearer, for a moment, he fancied that 134 00:10:59,690 --> 00:11:03,770 Speaker 1: he could see silhouettes moving across them on the outside 135 00:11:03,809 --> 00:11:08,500 Speaker 1: of the house. That's strange. The children must surely be 136 00:11:08,580 --> 00:11:14,520 Speaker 1: in bed by now. As he got closer, he made 137 00:11:14,640 --> 00:11:18,250 Speaker 1: out the shape of two men. both of whom seemed 138 00:11:18,270 --> 00:11:22,610 Speaker 1: to have just stepped down from the wooden porch. Who 139 00:11:22,650 --> 00:11:26,050 Speaker 1: goes there? he called out, which seemed to startle them. 140 00:11:27,309 --> 00:11:30,470 Speaker 1: When he trekked further down the path, they seemed then 141 00:11:30,730 --> 00:11:36,010 Speaker 1: to immediately bolt into one of the nearby cornfields. Ebenezer 142 00:11:36,100 --> 00:11:39,120 Speaker 1: ran into the house, demanding to know from his wife 143 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:42,640 Speaker 1: who had been calling at such an hour. With a 144 00:11:42,679 --> 00:11:45,980 Speaker 1: look of confusion, she assured him that no one had 145 00:11:46,020 --> 00:11:52,000 Speaker 1: been calling and neither had she heard anyone outside. With this, 146 00:11:52,559 --> 00:11:57,040 Speaker 1: Ebenezer became even more concerned, and returned instantly to the 147 00:11:57,120 --> 00:12:01,300 Speaker 1: private fear he'd been harbouring all day, that his house 148 00:12:01,380 --> 00:12:04,970 Speaker 1: was now the target of a Native American hunting party. 149 00:12:06,270 --> 00:12:09,250 Speaker 1: With no explanation to his wife about what had been 150 00:12:09,330 --> 00:12:14,110 Speaker 1: troubling him, Ebenezer seized his long-arm flintlock from above the 151 00:12:14,150 --> 00:12:18,429 Speaker 1: fireplace and tore off, in search of the elusive intruders. 152 00:12:19,650 --> 00:12:24,170 Speaker 1: Ebenezer headed straight into the cornfields. He knew them like 153 00:12:24,210 --> 00:12:27,030 Speaker 1: the back of his own hand, even in the dark, 154 00:12:27,370 --> 00:12:30,750 Speaker 1: without a lantern to guide the way. Every clod of 155 00:12:30,820 --> 00:12:35,260 Speaker 1: dirt beneath his boots, every root and twig felt familiar 156 00:12:35,300 --> 00:12:39,079 Speaker 1: to him. In this way, he was able to track 157 00:12:39,140 --> 00:12:41,900 Speaker 1: the men through the corn and emerged on the other 158 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:45,550 Speaker 1: side at a nearby swamp. When he got there, He 159 00:12:45,590 --> 00:12:48,650 Speaker 1: saw the men start up from behind a log and 160 00:12:48,770 --> 00:12:53,559 Speaker 1: run into the marsh, seemingly disappearing with no indication of 161 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:58,440 Speaker 1: their whereabouts. The last thing he thought he overheard one 162 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:01,559 Speaker 1: of them say was, the man of the house has 163 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:05,949 Speaker 1: now come, else we might have taken the house. Back 164 00:13:05,990 --> 00:13:09,710 Speaker 1: at the cottage, the whole family was awake and everyone 165 00:13:09,770 --> 00:13:15,380 Speaker 1: on high alert. Upon his return, Ebenezer seemed convinced that 166 00:13:15,420 --> 00:13:19,760 Speaker 1: the mysterious men had been planning a siege. He hustled 167 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:22,660 Speaker 1: his children onto the back of a wagon while he 168 00:13:22,700 --> 00:13:25,800 Speaker 1: hitched up his horses and sat up front with his 169 00:13:25,880 --> 00:13:29,820 Speaker 1: wife and mother. His plan was to make haste to 170 00:13:29,860 --> 00:13:35,600 Speaker 1: the nearest garrison, located about two miles away. The rough-hewn 171 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:40,699 Speaker 1: timber garrison, surrounded by a large wooden palisade, was located 172 00:13:40,880 --> 00:13:44,360 Speaker 1: high on the rocks of Cape Anne, overlooking the sea. 173 00:13:45,670 --> 00:13:49,339 Speaker 1: The heavy sound of waves crashing onto the rocks could 174 00:13:49,380 --> 00:13:52,839 Speaker 1: be heard in the distance as Ebenezer and his family 175 00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:58,610 Speaker 1: approached the garrison gate. Inside, a number of men were stationed, 176 00:13:59,090 --> 00:14:03,270 Speaker 1: tasked with protecting the local area. Seeing the looks of 177 00:14:03,350 --> 00:14:08,439 Speaker 1: concern on the family's faces, the garrison occupants quickly ushered 178 00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:20,730 Speaker 1: them into the buildings. With the Babsons safely inside, Ebenezer 179 00:14:21,010 --> 00:14:25,650 Speaker 1: hurriedly told the others present about his family's predicament. He 180 00:14:25,690 --> 00:14:29,870 Speaker 1: wondered if anyone else had experienced anything similar, but it 181 00:14:29,910 --> 00:14:33,320 Speaker 1: was the first that anyone had heard of it. But 182 00:14:33,380 --> 00:14:36,720 Speaker 1: no sooner had he started his account, he once again 183 00:14:36,840 --> 00:14:40,300 Speaker 1: heard what he took to be the sound of heavy footfall. 184 00:14:40,900 --> 00:14:43,800 Speaker 1: But this time, it was as if a whole group 185 00:14:43,860 --> 00:14:48,000 Speaker 1: of men were surrounding the buildings. What was that? one 186 00:14:48,010 --> 00:14:52,220 Speaker 1: of the children cried out with alarm. Then others claimed 187 00:14:52,260 --> 00:14:56,840 Speaker 1: to hear it too. The horses outside began to whinny. 188 00:14:57,700 --> 00:15:03,780 Speaker 1: Ebenezer's youngest daughter gasped in horror. Ebenezer fetched his gun 189 00:15:04,260 --> 00:15:09,260 Speaker 1: and ran out into the night. Under the faint bony 190 00:15:09,340 --> 00:15:13,160 Speaker 1: sliver of a crescent moon above, he caught sight of 191 00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:17,100 Speaker 1: what appeared to be two men, running fast and away 192 00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:20,620 Speaker 1: from the building, but he was too exhausted to follow. 193 00:15:22,610 --> 00:15:25,630 Speaker 1: The family chose to lie low at the garrison the 194 00:15:25,670 --> 00:15:28,870 Speaker 1: following day until they were sure it was safe to 195 00:15:28,930 --> 00:15:34,390 Speaker 1: return home. But when nightfall came, Ebenezer, for the third 196 00:15:34,430 --> 00:15:38,479 Speaker 1: time in his many days, was keeping watch outside when 197 00:15:38,660 --> 00:15:41,940 Speaker 1: once again he believed he caught sight of the same 198 00:15:42,020 --> 00:15:46,359 Speaker 1: two men loitering about in the darkness. but this time 199 00:15:46,780 --> 00:15:49,990 Speaker 1: he managed to get a good look at them. Stepping 200 00:15:50,090 --> 00:15:53,950 Speaker 1: forward to confront them, he paused suddenly when he saw 201 00:15:54,010 --> 00:15:57,830 Speaker 1: that one seemed to be carrying a bright silver gun, 202 00:15:58,550 --> 00:16:03,870 Speaker 1: the kind favoured by French-Canadian trappers, worn slung across their shoulder. 203 00:16:05,210 --> 00:16:09,150 Speaker 1: They wore white breeches and waistcoats too, so it stood 204 00:16:09,190 --> 00:16:12,640 Speaker 1: to reason, he thought, that they were most likely Frenchmen. 205 00:16:13,970 --> 00:16:19,500 Speaker 1: he chanced another step forward. The men suddenly advanced on him, 206 00:16:19,920 --> 00:16:23,800 Speaker 1: forcing a terrified Ebenezer to turn on his heels and 207 00:16:23,840 --> 00:16:28,890 Speaker 1: sprint back to the garrison. Once safely inside, he warned 208 00:16:28,910 --> 00:16:32,690 Speaker 1: the others that they might be under attack. All the while, 209 00:16:33,030 --> 00:16:37,570 Speaker 1: the apparent noise of the men moving around outside remained, 210 00:16:38,550 --> 00:16:43,600 Speaker 1: but few wanted to go and confront them. At this point, 211 00:16:44,120 --> 00:16:49,000 Speaker 1: Ebenezer sought counsel from another man, local farmer and family 212 00:16:49,080 --> 00:16:53,910 Speaker 1: friend John Brown, who agreed to help him. The pair 213 00:16:53,990 --> 00:16:59,390 Speaker 1: disappeared into the night and reappeared breathless shortly after. The 214 00:16:59,410 --> 00:17:03,430 Speaker 1: men claimed to have successfully chased off the miscreants, but 215 00:17:03,470 --> 00:17:07,149 Speaker 1: there weren't two of them now, claimed Brown, but three. 216 00:17:08,609 --> 00:17:13,220 Speaker 1: On July 14th, Ebenezer, John Brown, and the other men 217 00:17:13,280 --> 00:17:16,760 Speaker 1: of age who were stationed at the garrison were drawn 218 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:21,240 Speaker 1: out once more by the sound of people flitting about outside. 219 00:17:22,240 --> 00:17:25,719 Speaker 1: They were stunned to find that, according to them, the 220 00:17:25,840 --> 00:17:29,300 Speaker 1: enemy group had now swelled in number from two or 221 00:17:29,380 --> 00:17:34,090 Speaker 1: three to around half a dozen, all seemingly darting away 222 00:17:34,140 --> 00:17:38,590 Speaker 1: from the garrison back to the cover of night. Worried 223 00:17:38,630 --> 00:17:40,990 Speaker 1: that they might be about to be drawn into an ambush, 224 00:17:41,450 --> 00:17:45,120 Speaker 1: the group held back with the exception of Ebenezer Babson. 225 00:17:46,340 --> 00:17:50,270 Speaker 1: Unable to help himself, he tore off after them once again, 226 00:17:50,830 --> 00:17:54,810 Speaker 1: and in the process, misfired his rifle, which allowed them 227 00:17:54,930 --> 00:18:00,690 Speaker 1: all a moment to take cover. Ebenezer later stated that 228 00:18:00,730 --> 00:18:03,800 Speaker 1: he was just closing in on the mystery men's position 229 00:18:04,340 --> 00:18:07,560 Speaker 1: when he called out to his friends. Here they are, 230 00:18:07,859 --> 00:18:12,050 Speaker 1: he said, at which point He took aim toward three 231 00:18:12,090 --> 00:18:16,170 Speaker 1: of the supposed Frenchmen, brought his rifle up to his shoulder, 232 00:18:17,150 --> 00:18:28,780 Speaker 1: and fired. Ebenezer was stunned for a moment. The three 233 00:18:28,840 --> 00:18:32,040 Speaker 1: men he'd fired on appeared to fall to the ground 234 00:18:32,119 --> 00:18:36,790 Speaker 1: in sequence, like fawns during a hunt, he thought. But 235 00:18:36,869 --> 00:18:39,210 Speaker 1: just at the moment when he was about to call 236 00:18:39,270 --> 00:18:43,830 Speaker 1: to his comrades that he'd killed them, the men rose 237 00:18:43,950 --> 00:18:48,840 Speaker 1: like revenants and disappeared once more as quickly as they came. 238 00:18:49,840 --> 00:18:54,960 Speaker 1: Just then, a shot rocketed past Ebenezer's head, missing by 239 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:58,520 Speaker 1: a matter of inches. It seemed to have come from 240 00:18:58,580 --> 00:19:02,440 Speaker 1: a nearby copse of trees, close to where the spectral 241 00:19:02,550 --> 00:19:08,879 Speaker 1: Frenchman had disappeared. Ebenezer turned to see the bullet, still hot, 242 00:19:09,340 --> 00:19:12,520 Speaker 1: wedged into the bark of a tree right behind him. 243 00:19:13,859 --> 00:19:18,190 Speaker 1: Believing he was still under threat, Ebenezer swiftly took refuge 244 00:19:18,290 --> 00:19:22,690 Speaker 1: behind the tree. John Brown and the others soon joined him, 245 00:19:23,210 --> 00:19:26,230 Speaker 1: claiming later that they managed to pin down one of 246 00:19:26,290 --> 00:19:30,169 Speaker 1: the Frenchmen who they'd succeeded in separating from his group. 247 00:19:31,190 --> 00:19:34,560 Speaker 1: This time, Brown took aim, and shot the man at 248 00:19:34,700 --> 00:19:38,930 Speaker 1: point-blank range, then watched him crumple to the ground with 249 00:19:38,990 --> 00:19:43,790 Speaker 1: a sickening thump. The men of Cape Anne cheered in triumph, 250 00:19:44,730 --> 00:19:47,750 Speaker 1: but when they turned back to the body, it appeared 251 00:19:47,790 --> 00:19:53,239 Speaker 1: to have completely vanished into thin air. air. Exhausted, the 252 00:19:53,280 --> 00:19:58,020 Speaker 1: colonists made their way back to the garrison. With only 253 00:19:58,060 --> 00:20:01,750 Speaker 1: their small lanterns to light the way, the men soon 254 00:20:01,790 --> 00:20:06,790 Speaker 1: became spooked by what seemed to be voices whispering out 255 00:20:06,830 --> 00:20:11,490 Speaker 1: to them in an indistinguishable language. from somewhere in the underbush. 256 00:20:12,580 --> 00:20:16,240 Speaker 1: But whenever the light was whipped round and the shadows 257 00:20:16,340 --> 00:20:21,540 Speaker 1: pushed back, they saw nothing. The next day, one of 258 00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:26,080 Speaker 1: the garrison men, Richard Dolliver, burst into the building with 259 00:20:26,160 --> 00:20:29,880 Speaker 1: some alarming news. He had just been on a scout 260 00:20:29,960 --> 00:20:33,380 Speaker 1: in one of the many orchards scattered around Cape Anne 261 00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:36,800 Speaker 1: when he spotted a party of what seemed to be 262 00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:40,260 Speaker 1: a dozen of the Frenchmen camped out in its center. 263 00:20:41,320 --> 00:20:44,760 Speaker 1: They were chanting in a strange language, he said, and 264 00:20:44,820 --> 00:20:51,590 Speaker 1: performing bizarre rituals around a fire, invoking false gods. Just 265 00:20:51,650 --> 00:20:55,690 Speaker 1: like Ebenezer and the other colonists, Dolliver was too a 266 00:20:55,750 --> 00:21:00,200 Speaker 1: god-fearing man who felt the influence of the devil acutely. 267 00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:04,810 Speaker 1: As he explained to the others, He believed the Frenchmen 268 00:21:05,109 --> 00:21:10,659 Speaker 1: were gathering supernatural powers from occult forces beyond his control. 269 00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:15,100 Speaker 1: So he took aim at the troop of dancing strangers, 270 00:21:15,740 --> 00:21:18,940 Speaker 1: raised his rifle to his shoulder and fired at them, 271 00:21:19,480 --> 00:21:24,209 Speaker 1: just as Ebenezer and John Smith had done before. And 272 00:21:24,310 --> 00:21:28,330 Speaker 1: just as in previous attempts, the shots only served to 273 00:21:28,390 --> 00:21:33,199 Speaker 1: break up the ritual and send the apparent Frenchmen scattering 274 00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:47,430 Speaker 1: into the trees. It was Dolliver's unnerving story that prompted 275 00:21:47,490 --> 00:21:51,390 Speaker 1: the garrison to finally seek help from the outside world. 276 00:21:52,510 --> 00:21:56,460 Speaker 1: On July 18th, after ten days of skirmishes with the 277 00:21:56,520 --> 00:22:01,990 Speaker 1: mystery assailants who descended on Cape Anne, Ebenezer Babson sent 278 00:22:02,050 --> 00:22:06,950 Speaker 1: an emissary to the nearby town of Ipswich. His communication 279 00:22:07,130 --> 00:22:12,330 Speaker 1: emphasised dire warnings about the potential consequences of an invasion. 280 00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:19,520 Speaker 1: In response, senior local army official Captain Appleton dispatched 60 281 00:22:19,520 --> 00:22:22,480 Speaker 1: men from his own garrison in the hope of quelling 282 00:22:22,520 --> 00:22:27,270 Speaker 1: the threat. From records, however, it seems as though Captain 283 00:22:27,380 --> 00:22:32,369 Speaker 1: Appleton's troops fared no better. No sooner had they arrived 284 00:22:32,710 --> 00:22:38,070 Speaker 1: than they quickly learned that the so-called Infernal Visitants responded 285 00:22:38,130 --> 00:22:43,120 Speaker 1: to lead and gunpowder as children would to snowballs. For 286 00:22:43,170 --> 00:22:47,560 Speaker 1: a fortnight, as news arrived from Salem that five more 287 00:22:47,700 --> 00:22:52,500 Speaker 1: supposed witches had been hanged, the apparent invaders toyed with 288 00:22:52,540 --> 00:22:57,300 Speaker 1: the deployment from Ipswich. Their laughter and jeering seemed to 289 00:22:57,440 --> 00:23:02,840 Speaker 1: echo from every bush and every tree. They apparently threw stones, 290 00:23:03,359 --> 00:23:08,180 Speaker 1: rotten fruit and vegetables, and even excrement. They beat upon 291 00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:11,790 Speaker 1: the doors of the garrison building with sticks and fists, 292 00:23:12,490 --> 00:23:15,889 Speaker 1: and it now seemed to Ebenezer, as it did to 293 00:23:15,950 --> 00:23:20,990 Speaker 1: Captain Appleton, that the invaders' sole purpose was simply mischief 294 00:23:21,490 --> 00:23:27,000 Speaker 1: rather than any design on domination. It's unclear as to 295 00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:30,760 Speaker 1: how the series of incidents, which later became known as 296 00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:35,720 Speaker 1: the Gloucester Invasion, came to an end. Some have speculated 297 00:23:36,090 --> 00:23:40,250 Speaker 1: that once Ebenezer Babson, Captain Appleton and the rest of 298 00:23:40,290 --> 00:23:43,709 Speaker 1: the team at the garrison came to the realisation that 299 00:23:43,750 --> 00:23:47,369 Speaker 1: they could not defeat their enemy with mortal weapons, the 300 00:23:47,430 --> 00:23:53,770 Speaker 1: so-called Frenchmen disappeared, having seemingly proven some as-yet undisclosed point. 301 00:23:54,180 --> 00:23:59,420 Speaker 1: about their infernal power. Others, such as colonist and letter 302 00:23:59,460 --> 00:24:03,590 Speaker 1: writer Thomas Franklin Waters, seemed to suggest that the band 303 00:24:03,630 --> 00:24:08,470 Speaker 1: of mystery invaders were connected to satanic practices and that 304 00:24:08,530 --> 00:24:13,510 Speaker 1: their mission was simply to break the strong puritanical Christian 305 00:24:13,609 --> 00:24:18,940 Speaker 1: faith that defined Gloucester County at that time. He wrote 306 00:24:18,980 --> 00:24:22,650 Speaker 1: an account of the event shortly after. In the midst 307 00:24:22,710 --> 00:24:27,429 Speaker 1: of witchcraft accusations in 1692, he wrote, a new and 308 00:24:27,550 --> 00:24:32,730 Speaker 1: unique outburst of satanic rage revealed itself. Gloucester was invaded 309 00:24:32,830 --> 00:24:36,650 Speaker 1: by a spectral company of Indians and French, coming out 310 00:24:36,690 --> 00:24:41,389 Speaker 1: of the swamps or cornfields, sometimes singly. Again in a group, 311 00:24:41,790 --> 00:24:46,670 Speaker 1: they approached the garrison. Usually the guns of the soldiers misfired, 312 00:24:47,030 --> 00:24:50,629 Speaker 1: but when the guns were discharged, the bullets had no effect. 313 00:24:51,460 --> 00:24:55,080 Speaker 1: Their speech was in an unknown tongue, they carried guns, 314 00:24:55,600 --> 00:24:58,369 Speaker 1: and real bullets shot from them were dug out of 315 00:24:58,400 --> 00:25:02,470 Speaker 1: the trees. They suffered night and day for about a 316 00:25:02,590 --> 00:25:16,110 Speaker 1: fortnight altogether. In 1693, Reverend John Emerson of Gloucester County 317 00:25:16,609 --> 00:25:20,880 Speaker 1: wrote to his close friend Cotton Mather, an influential Puritan 318 00:25:20,940 --> 00:25:25,770 Speaker 1: minister in the colonies. Mather, the son of Increase Mather, 319 00:25:26,310 --> 00:25:32,639 Speaker 1: considered himself an expert on the subject of bewitchment. In 1689, 320 00:25:32,640 --> 00:25:38,679 Speaker 1: he published Memoral Providences Relating to Witchcrafts and Possessions, in 321 00:25:38,740 --> 00:25:44,490 Speaker 1: which he confidently affirmed the indisputable existence of witches and devils, 322 00:25:45,180 --> 00:25:48,280 Speaker 1: and urged all Christians to weed them out at the 323 00:25:48,359 --> 00:25:54,080 Speaker 1: first opportunity. It was Cotton Mather who recommended bodily searches 324 00:25:54,160 --> 00:25:57,920 Speaker 1: be carried out on the accused in Salem to search 325 00:25:57,980 --> 00:26:02,770 Speaker 1: for marks of the devil. Emerson's letter to Mathers read, 326 00:26:03,510 --> 00:26:06,129 Speaker 1: I hope the substance of what is written will be 327 00:26:06,210 --> 00:26:10,770 Speaker 1: enough to satisfy all rational persons that Gloucester was not 328 00:26:10,869 --> 00:26:14,890 Speaker 1: alarmed last summer by real French and Indians, but that 329 00:26:14,950 --> 00:26:18,600 Speaker 1: the devil and his agents were the real cause of 330 00:26:18,740 --> 00:26:22,820 Speaker 1: all the molestation. I would take upon me to entreat 331 00:26:22,859 --> 00:26:26,800 Speaker 1: your earnest prayers to the Father of Mercies that those 332 00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:31,260 Speaker 1: apparitions may not prove the sad omens of some future 333 00:26:31,580 --> 00:26:38,139 Speaker 1: and more horrible molestations. Cotton Mather himself also recounted the 334 00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:43,330 Speaker 1: incident in great detail in his book, Magnalia Christi Americana. 335 00:26:44,060 --> 00:26:49,160 Speaker 1: embellishing many details taken from Reverend Emerson and others, which 336 00:26:49,240 --> 00:26:53,640 Speaker 1: described the visitants in no uncertain terms as demons who'd 337 00:26:53,660 --> 00:26:57,300 Speaker 1: been sent to Gloucester by the devil himself to molest 338 00:26:57,580 --> 00:27:02,540 Speaker 1: and upset the inhabitants' security. For his fervent support of 339 00:27:02,580 --> 00:27:06,730 Speaker 1: the Salem witch trials and his puritanical dogma more generally, 340 00:27:07,170 --> 00:27:12,109 Speaker 1: respected author and Salem native Nathaniel Hawthorne best remembered for 341 00:27:12,150 --> 00:27:16,409 Speaker 1: his classic novel The Scarlet Letter, referred to Cotton Mather 342 00:27:16,810 --> 00:27:21,150 Speaker 1: as the chief agent of mischief at Salem. An ironic 343 00:27:21,230 --> 00:27:25,859 Speaker 1: twist indeed, given Mather's own emphasis on the mischief of 344 00:27:25,900 --> 00:27:30,159 Speaker 1: the so-called Frenchman at Gloucester, and a stark reminder of 345 00:27:30,240 --> 00:27:34,439 Speaker 1: how moral values had changed in the intervening century between 346 00:27:34,560 --> 00:27:40,140 Speaker 1: his time and Hawthorne's. Nevertheless, It seems that Mather's account 347 00:27:40,180 --> 00:27:43,540 Speaker 1: of the Gloucester invasion endured, for he was taken on 348 00:27:43,600 --> 00:27:47,620 Speaker 1: good authority when the story was embellished later again by 349 00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:52,690 Speaker 1: Samuel Adams Drake for his book, New England, Legends and Folklore, 350 00:27:53,250 --> 00:28:05,820 Speaker 1: published in 1884. Despite everything written about the Gloucester invasions, 351 00:28:06,300 --> 00:28:09,360 Speaker 1: there appears to be no concrete evidence that there were 352 00:28:09,460 --> 00:28:14,040 Speaker 1: any assailants at all, at least not in the material sense. 353 00:28:15,180 --> 00:28:19,790 Speaker 1: Judged by today's standards, the so-called invasion could be read 354 00:28:19,869 --> 00:28:22,950 Speaker 1: as a lesson in the power of fear and how 355 00:28:23,070 --> 00:28:27,690 Speaker 1: quickly it can morph into xenophobia. On the one hand, 356 00:28:28,070 --> 00:28:32,720 Speaker 1: the purported assailants are described as being either French-Canadian or 357 00:28:32,800 --> 00:28:36,689 Speaker 1: Native American, whilst on the other hand, They are ascribed 358 00:28:36,790 --> 00:28:40,830 Speaker 1: characteristics which each teller of the tale seems keen to 359 00:28:40,950 --> 00:28:48,530 Speaker 1: emphasize as otherworldly, and sometimes even satanic. Despite the immateriality 360 00:28:48,770 --> 00:28:52,930 Speaker 1: of the apparent assailants, the threat is immediately assumed to 361 00:28:52,950 --> 00:28:57,100 Speaker 1: be one from outside. At no point is it considered 362 00:28:57,220 --> 00:29:01,340 Speaker 1: to be originating from within the settlement, and even when 363 00:29:01,400 --> 00:29:04,610 Speaker 1: it does, such as in the case of those accused 364 00:29:04,650 --> 00:29:08,730 Speaker 1: of witchcraft in Salem, it is only because the individuals 365 00:29:08,810 --> 00:29:13,370 Speaker 1: in question are apparently under the duress of an evil force, 366 00:29:14,330 --> 00:29:18,330 Speaker 1: because any possibility that there was something rotten within the 367 00:29:18,390 --> 00:29:25,370 Speaker 1: group itself is unthinkable and crucially counterproductive to quelling the fear. 368 00:29:26,530 --> 00:29:29,520 Speaker 1: There was great value in sustaining the idea of an 369 00:29:29,620 --> 00:29:33,570 Speaker 1: external threat too, For those at the top of the community, 370 00:29:33,990 --> 00:29:38,800 Speaker 1: whose prosperity depended on maintaining a solid and committed flock, 371 00:29:40,310 --> 00:29:43,550 Speaker 1: There is little doubt there were genuine reasons to be fearful. 372 00:29:44,390 --> 00:29:48,170 Speaker 1: Being abroad in an unknown land, far from the comforts 373 00:29:48,260 --> 00:29:52,380 Speaker 1: and familiarities of home, there is nowhere to turn if 374 00:29:52,440 --> 00:29:57,020 Speaker 1: the harvest fails. And not least of all, the ever-present 375 00:29:57,160 --> 00:30:02,880 Speaker 1: threat of attack with war between the colonists, competing European powers, 376 00:30:03,370 --> 00:30:09,110 Speaker 1: and Native American communities an ever-present danger. The seeming obliviousness 377 00:30:09,410 --> 00:30:13,490 Speaker 1: that the colonists had for their own violent contribution in 378 00:30:13,590 --> 00:30:19,090 Speaker 1: creating that environment in the first place notwithstanding. What perhaps 379 00:30:19,170 --> 00:30:22,710 Speaker 1: chills me most of all is the propensity with which 380 00:30:22,770 --> 00:30:27,370 Speaker 1: a community, when feeling threatened, will seek cohesion and strength 381 00:30:27,690 --> 00:30:32,780 Speaker 1: by carelessly demonizing others, or even by seeking enemies where 382 00:30:32,840 --> 00:30:37,020 Speaker 1: none exist, as a way to dampen fear and insecurity. 383 00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:42,470 Speaker 1: And to think that this is an entirely natural human phenomena, 384 00:30:43,750 --> 00:30:47,950 Speaker 1: one we might all perhaps be susceptible to, given the 385 00:30:47,990 --> 00:30:57,170 Speaker 1: right set of circumstances. This episode was written by James 386 00:30:57,250 --> 00:31:02,650 Speaker 1: Connor Patterson and produced by me, Richard McLean-Smith. James is 387 00:31:02,690 --> 00:31:06,230 Speaker 1: a brilliant writer and poet. His debut collection of poems, 388 00:31:06,530 --> 00:31:10,410 Speaker 1: titled Bandit Country, exploring the hinterland between the north of 389 00:31:10,550 --> 00:31:14,950 Speaker 1: Ireland and Republic, was shortlisted for the 2022 T.S. Eliot 390 00:31:14,990 --> 00:31:18,150 Speaker 1: Prize and is out now to buy. Do check it out. 391 00:31:19,430 --> 00:31:22,050 Speaker 1: Thank you as ever for listening to the show. Please 392 00:31:22,110 --> 00:31:24,690 Speaker 1: subscribe and rate it if you haven't already done so 393 00:31:25,720 --> 00:31:29,080 Speaker 1: Unexplained will be coming to YouTube very shortly in video form, 394 00:31:29,540 --> 00:31:32,680 Speaker 1: so please watch out for future developments there. You can 395 00:31:32,720 --> 00:31:37,210 Speaker 1: subscribe to the channel at youtube.com forward slash at unexplainedpod. 396 00:31:37,730 --> 00:31:40,910 Speaker 1: You can also now find us on TikTok at tiktok.com 397 00:31:41,050 --> 00:31:47,120 Speaker 1: forward slash at unexplainedpodcast. Unexplained is an AV Club Productions 398 00:31:47,160 --> 00:31:52,459 Speaker 1: podcast created by Richard McLean-Smith. All other elements of the podcast, 399 00:31:52,520 --> 00:31:58,350 Speaker 1: including the music, are also produced by me, Richard McLean-Smith. Unexplained, 400 00:31:58,370 --> 00:32:01,870 Speaker 1: the book and audiobook, is now available to buy worldwide. 401 00:32:02,410 --> 00:32:06,330 Speaker 1: You can purchase from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones and 402 00:32:06,430 --> 00:32:10,760 Speaker 1: other bookstores. 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