Bridget Bishop: Women or Witch.
...nd economic status was changing. There was never any witchcraft in Salem, but there are some convincing testimonies. There were fourteen separate testimonies against Bishop some of, which were ridiculous others made minimal sense. There were many accounts of Bishop tormenting people while they sleep. As in the testimony provided by Richard Coman he stated that "…eight years ago, as he lay awake in his bed, with a light burning in his room, he was annoy'd with the apparition of Bishop…" (18). In similar fashion John Louder testified stating that "…he did lay awake in the night by moonlight, and did see clearly the likeness of this women grievously oppressing him; in this miserable condition she held him…" (19). Samuel Gray was another assaulted individual his testimony said, "He went to bed, and the same women again assaulted him. The child in the cradle gave a great schreech, and the women disappeared." (17). These are the most convincing accusations because they are so similar. It's easier to believe many people over one person. There were foolish testimonies also like that of John Bly and his wife who bought a sow from Edward Bishop and said, "the sow was taken with strange fits, jumping, leaping, and knocking her head against the fence…"(17). The Bly's blamed Bridget of bewitching their sow. John Bly along with William Bly stated "That being employed by Bridget Bishop, to help take down the cellar-wall of the old house, wherein she formally lived, they did in holes of the said old wall find several puppets, made of rags and hogs brussels, with headless pins in them…"(20). William Stacy who did some work for Bishop also had a story to tell he said that on the way home "Being gone about six rods from her, with a small load in a cart, suddenly the off wheel slumped and sank into a hole upon plain ground…"(19)...