The Trial

(Act 3 from the perspective of Reverend Hale)

     I was sitting in the court listening to the trials and when the next case came up, it was Martha Corey.  Martha Corey was being tried as a witch even though there was no real reason for it.  She told Judge Hathorne that she did not even know what a witch is but he just said that if she did not know what a witch is, how could she know that she was not one.  Then, Giles Corey entered the court and claimed that he had evidence but he was arrested and taken out of the court. "I have evidence. Why will you not hear my evidence?" (Pg. 78) I thought that this was wrong because the court basically told him that his wife was going to be found guilty no matter what.

     Later in the day, John Proctor brought Mary Warren to the court to testify that the other girls were lying.  When he brought her in, Reverend Parris said that John was mischief.  When he said this, I said "I think you must hear the girl, sir, she-" (Pg. 81).  Proctor said that Mary saw no spirits and that she was just pretending.  Proctor was even able to a deposition that she had lied in front of the court.  However, Judge Danforth would not take the deposition.  Mary said that she and all of the other girls were lying.  Danforth listened to her but he also wanted to know if Proctor was trying to ruin the court.  Proctor said that all he wanted was justice and that he had no other intention.  The other members of the court attacked Proctor with the fact that he plowed on Sunday, which he said was true.  I interjected and said that he was not the only christian who plowed on Sunday.

A Courtroom

     Danforth agreed to let Proctor's wife out of the jail for one year because she was pregnant, but Proctor did not think that this offer was good enough because it still left more innocent people in jail with the possibility of being hanged.  Also, the judges wanted to accuse everyone who signed the deposition of witchcraft to which I said that not everyone was guilty and that I thought that the court had gone too far.  The judges brought in the other girls and began to question them about their accusations.  The girls said that they did see the devil in the people they accused.  The girls pretend that Mary Warren was sending her spirit on them as a bird and the "bird" attacked Abigail.  The judges believed this and said that Mary was lying.  Also, the judges brought in Elizabeth Proctor and asked her if John had had an affair with Abigail, to which she said no because she wanted to save his name.  The court arrested Proctor and then I said that I was tired of the false trials and that I quit the court.