Salem Trials - 17 May 1692
Statement of Susannah Sheldon v. Bridget Bishop, Mary English, Phillip English, Giles Corey, and Martha Corey
The complaint of Susanna Shelden
against phillip english for the
sd Susanah Shelden being at meeting
on the sabboth day being the 24 of
aprill shee beeing aflicted in a very
sad manner she saw phillip english
step over his pew and pinshed her
and a womand which Came from
boston wich saith her name is good nd
when shee were coming home against
william shaws house their met her
phillip english and abblack man
with a hy crouned hatt on his head
and a book in hish hand houlding
the book to her and phillip english
told her that black man were her god
and if shee would thuch touch that
boock hee would not pinsh her
no more nor no bodie els should
on the next day phillip enlgish
came again and pinshed her and told
her that is shee would not toutch
the book hee would kill her - -
on the second day at night apered
to her two women and a man
and brought their books and bid
her touct them she told them shee
would not she did not know wher
they lived on of them told her they
lived at the village and held the
book to her again and bid her touch
it shee told her shee did not know
their names on of them told her shee
was old good man bucklyes wife and
the other woman was her daughter
mary and bid her touch the book
she told no shee had not told her
hou long shee had beene a witch
then she told her shee had been
a witch ten years and then shee
opened her brest and the black man
gau her two litl things like yong
cats and she pit them to her brest and
suckled them they had no hair on
them and had ears like a man
then they ofered her their books
and she refused then then they pinsh
her and the man struck her on the
head and went away - - -
on the third day their apeared
a woman without the dore sat lafe
ing at her and came into the house
and hoped upandoun and profer
ed her the book and told her if shee
would touch it shee would not pinch
her shee told her s wud not she did
not kno her she liueed s told her she
lieved at boston shee held her Book to
he her again shee told her shee did
not know her name shee told her
her name was good wife whits
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
the same day came goody buckle
and her daughter and brought
books i with them and told her if -
shee would touch their books they
would not pinsh her but shee
refused then they pinshed her and
went away.
then i was siting on the inside of
the dore sill and goody buckly came
and stopeed my mouth and Caried mee
awai i know not how an near a mile
and told mee that now shee had mee
at her Command if i would not set
my hand to her booke shee would
kil mee then she did bit mee - -
william shaw beeing plowing in
his fathers feild heard a fearfull Cry
in a thicket of yong wod went to
it and found her in a terribl maner
screaming and breacking of sticks
and fighting in a violent manner
[This final portion transcribed from an earlier trasncription, the previous were transcribed from the original documents]
on the foarth day at night Came goody olliver and m'rs english and good man Cory and a blak man with a hicrouned hatt with books in their hands goody olliver bad mee touch her booke i would not i did not know her name shee told me her name was goody olliver and bid me touch her booke now i bid her tel mee how long shee had been a witch shee told mee shee told mee s[ ] had been a witch above twenti years then their Came a streked snake creeping over her shoulder and crep into her bosom mrs english had a yelo bird in her bosom and good man Core had two tircels hang to his Coat and hee opened his bosom and put his turcls to his brest and gave them suck then good man core and goody olliver kneeled doune beefoar the blak man and went to prayer and then the blak man told mee goody olliver had been a witch twenti years and a #[ ] half then they all set to biteing mee and so went away the next day Came good man Core mrs english in the morning and told mee i should not eat no vittals i took a spoon and put on spoonful in my mouth and good man Core gave mee a blow on the ear and allmoast choaked mee then he laughed at mee and told mee i would eat when he told mee i should not then he Clenched my hands that they Could not bee opened for more then a quarter of an our then Came phillip english and and told mee if i would touch his book hee would not bit mee but i refusid then hee did bite mee and went away
the sixth day at night Came goody olliver and mrs english good man Core and his wife goodwy Core s profered mee a book i refused it and asked her whear she lived she told mee she lived in boston prisson then shee puled out her brest and the blak man gave her a thing like a blake pig it had no haire on it and she put it to her brest and gave it suck and when it had sucked on brest shee put it the other and gave it suck their then shee gave it to the blak man then they went to praier to the blak man then goody olliver told me that shee had kiled foar women two of them wear the fosters wifes and john trasks wife and did not name the other then they did all bitt mee and went away
then the next day Cam goody Core Choaked mee and told mee i would not eat when my dame bid mee but now i should eat none
(Reverse) Susanna Sheldon ag't oliver Englis & his wife Core & his wife good bucklie & her daughter & boston woman
[Essex County Court Archives, Salem - Witchcraft. vol. 1, nos. 153, 154 & 168. Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, Judicial Archives, Massachusetts State Archives, Boston, MA]