The Salem Witch Trials

   The Salem witchcraft trials can all be traced back to two young girls, the daughter and niece of Reverend Samuel Parris. The girls went to a slave woman named Tituba and asked to have their fortunes read. Later, the girls began to exhibit strange behaviour, such as temporary blindness or deafness or periods of uncontrollable screaming.³ The Puritan town of Salem in which the girls lived decided this was the work of Satan. The girls pointed the blame at Tituba, as well as two other women, Sarah Osborne and Sarah Good. Despite Good's insistence that she "was falsely accused," all three were imprisoned.⁴ The two young girls began to blame more and more people as their odd symptoms continued.

   "Twenty-seven individuals were tried for witchcraft between June 2 and September 17, 1692; the 19 who refused to confess were executed."¹ By the end of the hysteria, almost 150 people had been jailed and accused of witchcraft. To be found innocent was nearly impossible. In fact, at one trial in which the jury came back with an innocent verdict, the judge demanded they "deliberate further." They came back quickly with a guilty verdict, and the woman accused, Rebecca Nurse, was executed.³

A woman is accused of witchcraft in 1692.²

   Punishments were severe, despite the fact that many of the convicted were actually devoutly religious people. One man was pressed to death. Another recited the Lord's Prayer while being executed, which was thought impossible under Satanic possession.¹ Some of the victims were burned. However, most of those killed were women, and most of them were hanged.

A woman found guilty of witchcraft is publicly hanged.

   By 1710, most of the names of witch trial victims had been cleared and their families compensated. No one is really sure what caused the bout of hysteria in the Salem area of Massachusetts. Some attribute it to the misogynistic attitudes of Puritanism. About 85% of the accused were women, most of whom did not fit the traditional roles of the society.³ Others attribute it to PTSD due to recent wars or even simple human emotions such as jealousy. But no theory is definite, and it will most likely remain a mystery as to how an entire region went into such panic, costing 20 people their lives.

   Disturbingly, witchhunts are not a thing of the past. In northern Ghana in and around 2005, local women were blamed for many of life's day to day problems, accused of being witches, and killed. You can read more about the issue in Ghana here.



Works Cited

• ¹ "Salem witchcraft trials." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 18 Oct. 2010.
• ² "Salem witchcraft trials." Image. North Wind Picture Archives. American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 18 Oct. 2010.
• ³ Loiselle, Brett. "Salem Witch Trials." EBSCOhost. Web. 18 Oct. 2010.
• ⁴ "Salem Witch Trials." The Religion Book: Places, Prophets, Saints, and Seers. p.415-418. ESBCOhost. Web. 18 Oct. 2010.

Albert Fish

   Born in 1870 and orphaned at 5, Hamilton Howard Fish - better known as Albert Fish - is considered one of the most disturbing serial killers of all time. Most notorious for his 1928 slaughter of 10-year-old Grace Budd, Fish was thought to have preyed on roughly 100 children, killing an estimated 15. Fish blamed his disturbing fascination with pain and torture on his upbringing in St. John's Orphanage¹. However, most would argue that no excuse in existence could make up for the crimes Fish committed.

Albert Fish, after he was taken into custody

   4-year-old Billy Gaffney was Fish's first victim. The murder was horrific. Gaffney was beaten; his mouth was slit into a Glasgow smile; and his eyes, ears, and nose were removed. Once Gaffney was dead, Fish drank the boy's blood and ate his body. After his arrest, which would not occur until about a decade later, Fish described his cannibalism in graphic detail, explaining thoroughly to investigators how he devoured Gaffney (you've been warned):

I had the front of his body I liked best. His monkey and pee wees and a nice little fat behind to roast in the oven and eat. I made a stew out of his ears -- nose -- pieces of his face and belly. I put onions, carrots, turnips, celery, salt and pepper. It was good... I put strips of bacon on each cheek of his behind and put them in the oven. Then I picked 4 onions and when the meat had roasted about 1/4 hour, I poured about a pint of water over it for gravy and put in the onions. At frequent intervals I basted his behind with a wooden spoon. So the meat would be nice and juicy. In about 2 hours, it was nice and brown, cooked through. I never ate any roast turkey that tasted half as good as his sweet fat little behind did. I ate every bit of the meat in about four days.

A year later, Fish set his sights on Edward Budd. However, after encountering Edward's younger sister, Grace, Fish changed plans. He told the Budd parents that he was taking Grace to another child's birthday party. In reality, he took the girl to an abandoned New York cottage where he killed her, dismembered her, and proceeded to eat her remains.

Grace Budd, victim of Albert Fish³

Later, Fish sent the following letter to Grace's mother (the letter has been broken into paragraphs to make it easier to read, but all original grammatical errors have been left in):

Dear Mrs. Budd.

In 1894 a friend of mine shipped as a deck hand on the Steamer Tacoma, Capt. John Davis. They sailed from San Francisco for Hong Kong, China. On arriving there he and two others went ashore and got drunk. When they returned the boat was gone. At that time there was famine in China. Meat of any kind was from $1-3 per pound. So great was the suffering among the very poor that all children under 12 were sold for food in order to keep others from starving. A boy or girl under 14 was not safe in the street. You could go in any shop and ask for steak-chops-or stew meat. Part of the naked body of a boy or girl would be brought out and just what you wanted cut from it. A boy or girl's behind which is the sweetest part of the body and sold as veal cutlet brought the highest price. John staid there so long he acquired a taste for human flesh.

On his return to N.Y. he stole two boys, one 7 and one 11. Took them to his home stripped them naked tied them in a closet. Then burned everything they had on. Several times every day and night he spanked them-tortured them-to make their meat good and tender. First he killed the 11 year old boy, because he had the fattest ass and of course the most meat on it. Every part of his body was cooked and eaten except the head-bones and guts. He was roasted in the oven (all of his ass), boiled, broiled, fried and stewed. The little boy was next, went the same way.

At that time, I was living at 409 E 100 St. near-right side. He told me so often how good human flesh was I made up my mind to taste it.

On Sunday June the 3, 1928 I called on you at 406 W 15 St. Brought you pot cheese-strawberries. We had lunch. Grace sat in my lap and kissed me. I made up my mind to eat her. On the pretense of taking her to a party. You said yes she could go.

I took her to an empty house in Westchester I had already picked out. When we got there, I told her to remain outside. She picked wildflowers. I went upstairs and stripped all my clothes off. I knew if I did not I would get her blood on them. When all was ready I went to the window and called her. Then I hid in a closet until she was in the room. When she saw me all naked she began to cry and tried to run down the stairs. I grabbed her and she said she would tell her mamma. First I stripped her naked. How she did kick-bite and scratch. I choked her to death, then cut her in small pieces so I could take my meat to my rooms. Cook and eat it. How sweet and tender her little ass was roasted in the oven. It took me 9 days to eat her entire body. I did not fuck her tho I could of had I wished. She died a virgin.²

  Fish told one psychologist: "I always seemed to enjoy everything that hurt."¹ There is definite truth to this statement. X-rays confirmed Fish's claim that he had inserted 29 large needles into his own pelvis. He said also enjoyed beating himself with a nail-studded paddle.

X-ray of Fish's pelvis

 Fish's love of pain was so great that he looked forward to his death sentence, calling the electric chair "the only [thrill] I haven't tried."¹ He was able to experience this final thrill in Sing Sing Prison on the 16th of January 1936; he was 65 years old.

Works Cited and Recommended Further Information

• ¹ Mayo, Mike. "Fish, Albert." American Murder. Canton, MI: Visible Ink, 2008. 112. Print.
• ² Bartholomew, Chris. "Albert Hamilton Fish." Serial Killer Calendar. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. .
• ³ Bardsley, Marilyn. "Albert Fish." TruTV Crime Library. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. .
• America's Serial Killers: Portraits in Evil. Mill Creek Entertainment, 2009. DVD.
• Albert Fish: In Sin He Found Salvation. Dir. John Borowski. Facets Video, 2007. Film.