1692, A Leap Year

The Witch Cake, Via AltaObscura

One of the harshest winters on record for a leap year was underway. On February 29, 1692, in Massachusetts, three outcasts were accused of witchcraft: Sarah Good, a poor pregnant woman; Sarah Osborne, a woman estranged from the church and mother to a daughter who would testify against her; and Tituba, a slave known only by her first name. 

Tituba is a particularly intriguing figure—not only because her trial marked the beginning of the infamous Salem Witch Trials, a dark chapter embedded in collective memory, but also due to the unusual circumstances surrounding both her accusation and eventual absolution.

Accused of a crime fabricated by white authorities, Tituba faced an unjust and absurd trial, judged by the very people who had accused her. Coerced under the threat of death, she confessed to being a witch and claimed to have practiced witchcraft alongside Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne. The latter two, however, maintained their innocence and, as a result, were not released. Tituba’s confession was rather mundane, merely echoing what was known of English witchcraft traditions. Yet, the public wanted to hear that witches existed and were remorseful. They didn’t want an innocent person; they wanted a repentant witch. Tituba became a scapegoat, revealing that white authorities were not seeking the death of Black people but rather their total submission to construct the world they desired. 

As Linnda R. Caporael reviewed in Ergotism: The Satan Loosed in Salem?: “The supposed witchcraft at Salem Village was not initially identified as such. In late December 1691, about eight girls, including the niece and daughter of minister Samuel Parris, were afflicted with unknown 'distempers.' Their behavior was characterized by disorderly speech, odd postures, gestures, and convulsive fits.”

The cause of these symptoms remains a topic of debate, with theories ranging from a desire for attention to suspicions of witchcraft, collective hysteria, and even ergot poisoning—a fungus common in rye that can cause hallucinations. 

Physicians who examined the girls couldn’t determine the cause of their symptoms. Finally, a desperate doctor suggested they might be bewitched. Reverend Parris opted for fasting and prayer. His wife, however, tried a different approach.

The Witch Cake
In response to the girls' symptoms in the Parris household, Mary Sibley, Parris’ wife, asked Tituba and John Indian, Tituba’s husband, to make a cake from flour and the girls' urine, and feed it to a dog. Rather than curing the girls, the uproar that followed may have intensified the crowd's fervor.

The practice of baking "witch cakes" predates the Salem Trials, based on the idea that the witch and bewitched shared a bond that could be broken by manipulating a representation of the bewitched. Other practices included baking the cake until it was rock hard and hanging it on the door to keep witches away, later burning it after a year.

There are two types of ergot poisoning: convulsive and gangrenous. Ergot is a fungus that commonly grows on wheat and rye and caused deaths as far back as the 900s; today, it's rare due to the careful screening of grains. From the 14th to 17th centuries, ergot poisoning was linked to “dancing plagues,” in which people danced in the streets for hours, often ending up injured or dead. The fungus was also later synthesized by Albert Hofmann, resulting in what we know today as LSD. Since the 20th century, doctors have synthesized certain ergot alkaloids for medical use, including drugs for blood vessel conditions and migraines.

Spectral Evidence

Spectral evidence was always controversial. This type of evidence was based on someone claiming a person appeared to them as a specter, awake or in dreams, and harmed them. In England, spectral evidence was not admitted until 1662, when Sir Matthew Hale legally accepted it in a trial. In 1682, Hale wrote Tryal of Witches, which served as a precedent for the Massachusetts witch trials later in the century, including the Salem Witch Trials. 

The End of the Salem Witch Trials
Tituba survived the Salem Witch Trials. As a confessed witch, she was no longer considered a threat and was sent to prison in Boston. She spent an entire year there because Samuel Parris refused to pay her prison fees; eventually, she was sold to an English man. Little is known of her fate after that. Sarah Osborne died in prison on May 10th, while Sarah Good, pregnant at the time of her incarceration, gave birth in prison. Her baby later died due to the conditions, and Sarah herself was executed in July of that year. Before the Salem Witch Trials, only five witch trials had been recorded in the area, with most accused generally declared innocent.

In October 1692, Governor William Phipps intervened, possibly because his wife was accused of witchcraft. The Court of Oyer and Terminer, the “witchcraft court”, was replaced by the Superior Court of Judicature, which rejected spectral evidence. The new court freed those awaiting trial and pardoned those already condemned, effectively ending the Salem Witch Trials.

Over the years, books and monuments have expressed acts of repentance and forgiveness. More than 300 years later, Elizabeth Johnson Jr., an accused witch, was acquitted of her alleged crimes of witchcraft. The story of Tituba and the Salem Witch Trials have been widely reimagined in art, including Arthur Miller's renowned play The Crucible. Author Maryse Condé fictionalized what is known of Tituba’s story in her compelling novel I, Tituba: Black Witch of Salem.