Executed Salem Witches Exonerated

BOSTON (AP) -- Susannah Martin, hanged in 1692 during the Salem witch trials, can finally rest in peace.

With Salem in the throes of its annual Halloween celebration, acting Gov. Jane Swift signed into law a bill officially exonerating Martin and four others executed during the witch trials hysteria.

" The governor felt that there couldn' t be a more appropriate day than Halloween to sign this bill, " Swift spokeswoman Sarah Magazine said.

The bill was pushed by descendants of some of the accused witches, who said the state had never formally acknowledged the injustice.

" It brings closure to a lot of the families. These people were victims. They gave up their lives, " said Democratic state Rep. Paul Tirone, who represents Amesbury, where Susannah Martin lived.

Tirone' s wife is a descendant of another of the women killed during the witch trials.

" It was a dark chapter in our history, " he said.

In addition to Martin, Bridget Bishop, Alice Parker, Margaret Scott and Wilmot Redd were also exonerated.

Twenty men and women were hanged or crushed to death during the trials, fueled by the dark isolation of colonial Massachusetts, a deep belief in the supernatural, and political feuds.

The hysteria began when four young girls began dabbling in fortune telling games. When the girls started acting strange, the town doctor concluded they were " bewitched." Then the girls began naming names.

The first to be accused lived on the edges of society, but in time, the accusations spread to more prominent citizens including Salem Village' s former minister, George Burroughs.

By the end of May 1692, 200 accused witches were in jail.

After the largest group was hanged in September 1692, the thirst for prosecutions waned and the use of spectral evidence was rejected. The trials ended in May 1693, when Gov. William Phips pardoned all remaining suspects.

The Massachusetts Legislature approved a resolution exonerating some of the accused witches, including " one Ann Pudeator and certain other persons, " in 1957.

The new law names those " certain other persons."

One legacy of the trials is the association of Salem and witches. Contemporary Salem, a Boston suburb of 38, 000 people, features witch museums, witch statues and stores filled with witch potions.

Copyright 2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved.