Journal 2

Without a doubt, trouble is afoot. Betty is in a horrible state, lifeless and unresponsive. Reverend Parris stays deep in concentration; never before have I seen him so concentrated in prayer as he kneels besides his daughter. My chest pains from the anxiety stemming from this; the reverend grows more and more suspicious. Word quickly spreads that Betty is a victim of witchcraft. My head aches, pounding harder by the minute; I mentally prepare myself for the questions that might lie ahead. As time passed, something terrifyingly unexpected happened. Reverend Parris outs me! He describes seeing me dancing with several other girls along with his slave, Tituba, in the woods at night. How dare he throw accusations at his very own niece? Stubborn as I am, I denied all accusations and denied any association. Soon after, Thomas Putnam enters along with his wife. Mrs. Putnam, who has always been quite a yahoo, began to spout some preposterous stories. She claimed her own daughter had been inflicted with the same symptoms as Betty. This however was not what I found to be outlandish. Her second claim was that she saw Betty flying over a barn. I understand that any controversy will aid the cause to throw out Reverend Parris. To uncover these mysterious occurrences, Reverend Hale is called forth to come to the town. At this point, I am terrified. Any lie necessary to save me will be exploited. I refuse to allow myself to go down as a witch, no matter who the accuser. I inform Mercy of the current situation as Marry Warren is almost handicapped by concern. I was quite ambivalent when Betty woke up. Though a little glad she was all right, she quickly protested that I had not told everyone that I had drank the blood. Without a second thought, I smashed her in the face. When being questioned by Reverend Hale, I continue to deny all association to witchcraft, maintaining that there was no witchery involved with the dancing. Tituba claims that there are many witches among us. We then begin the greatest excuse of all. We claim we are being tormented and begin to name “witches” in the town. Betty, Tituba, and I collectively named Goody Osborn, Sarah Good, Bridget Bishop, George Jacobs, Goody Howe, Martha Bellows, Goody Sibber, Alice Barrow, Goody Hawkins, Goody Bibber, and Goody Booth.