History of Northampton, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1654;

1656.] THE WITCHCRAFT SLANDER TRIAL. 47
up some gTouiid." Tlie cattle belonging to Bliss he put
between the other two yokes, "because they were younge
and not very fitt to goe behinde, much less before." About
this time "Mary Parsons came to mee and did chide with
mee for abusinge her brother's oxen," by putting them in
"'y*' middle where they are always under the whip." They
had some words about it and Mary Parsons "went away in
anger." "Within three days after I was goinge to Windsor
with my oxen and cart, and about 4 miles from our
town as I was goinge, whether m.y oxe hung out his Tongue
or whether he went to eat, soe it fell out that a wrattle
snake bitt him by the Tongue and there he dyed." " These
things," he says " doe something run in my mind that I
cannot have my mind from this woman y^ if shee be not
right this way, shee may be a cause of these things, though
I desire to look to y*' overwhelming hand of God in all."
Goodwife Bridg- Sarah Bridgman, the defendant, thought
man sees Signs she had some reasou to suspect evil doings,
andScents , -, , -, ^ iTii r-.
n
Witchcraft. and related her story at length. Soon after
the birth of her child,' about a year before
this trial, "as I was sittinge upp, havinge my child in my
lap, there was somethinge that gave a great blow on the
doore and at that very instant, as I apprehended, my child
changed and I thought w**" myselfe and told my girle that
my child would dy, and I sent out the girle to looke who it
was at the doore, but shee could see noebody about the
house. Presently after the girle came in I looking toward
the doore tliorow a hole by the doore I saw to my apprehension,
two women pass by y*^ door with white cloaks on
their heads ; then I concluded my child would dy indeed
and I sent out y** girle to see who they were, but shee could
see noebody ; this made me think there is wickedness in the
place." She related how her eleven years old boy, when he
was looking for the cows in a swamp, felt something give
him a great blow on the head, striking his hat and beating'
him most to the ground. "He thought it was a bird, but
could see nothing that did it." Soon after he fell over some
"loggs" and put his knee out of joint. Evidently the
1 James, son of James and Sarah Bridgmau, was born May 30, 1655, and died on the
14th of the following June. This is the first recorded death in the town.
;