Hysteria or Deliberate Choice?

 

Hysteria and irrationality are two common themes whenever somebody hears about witch trials. It is hard to imagine in our current day and age that something of a similar nature could possibly occur. We have laws, procedures, and regulations that provide a strict burden of proof in order to convict someone of any crime, let alone witchcraft. However, it would come as a shock to most that not every accused “witch” was sentenced to death in an unjust manner. Eunice “Goody” Cole managed to survive her entire life, well into old age, as an accused witch who was often seen to have beat the courts.

    If you were to hear about a woman in the 1600’s who was hated by her entire town, was put on trial for witchcraft multiple times, and refused to comply with local penal codes, there is little chance you thought she lived a long life. Despite any preconceptions, Eunice Cole’s ability to avoid the gallows stands as an anomaly and a sign of partial rationality of those who participated in a witch trial. Whether this partial rationality make the idea of a witch trial less or more frightening is a matter of debate. To provide context on why this Eunice’s case has tinges of rationality amongst her accusers, it is important to look at the verdicts of her trials. Every single one of them ended with a ruling of “not legally guilty.” This oddly worded verdict would spare her life but land her in jail many a times. In breaking down the term “not legally guilty,” it is clear that the townspeople wished for her to meet the same fate as many of those “witches” who were sentenced to death in Salem or other places across the Northeast. However, they opted to send her to jail instead because of possibility wishing to follow the rule of law. We will never know for sure.

    I would argue that the decision by the town to believe she was a witch but not condemn her to the same fate as many other accused witches makes this story much more disturbing. It speaks to human nature and how quickly a population can to “other” an individual. The fact that they could critically evaluate and understand evidence shows that this wasn’t hysteria. This was a deliberate choice to repeatedly jail an oil woman who they disliked. This gives a much more cynical view to witch hunts which often times are viewed historically as people getting caught up in hysteria.