Hello witches and welcome to salem, the weirdest place on earth. So seven days from today one of the most astounding halloweens of my lifetime will arrive. On october 31st, 2020 we will be experiencing a full moon. And not just any full moon a full moon on a saturday. And not just any full moon on a saturday. A full moon on saturday halloween. And not just any full moon on a saturday on halloween, a full moon on a saturday halloween that happens to be the second full moon of the month. All these things aligning are super weird and cool and aren't going to happen again for some time. Now if you're watching this channel, there's a good chance that you feel the same way that I do about halloween. It is a sacred time of year that for me usually involves being right there in the main drag on essex street in salem, massachusetts in costume, checking out other people in costumes, looking at the events, going to the attractions, doing the shopping the whole shebang. But this year is not a normal year. I have decided that I will not be doing halloween in downtown salem this year. Halloween's sacred. Halloween's special to so many people, myself included. And if you're watching this and you've decided not to come to salem or not to do halloween this year, you're choosing caution instead of celebration, I want to commend you for that decision. I think that's a very, very mature, kind, decent thing to do. And what follows for the rest of what you are currently watching and or listening to is most especially for you. So what is following? Well, for some time I have been working on a little audio drama called salem's ghosts. This is a full cast, feature length audio drama featuring some truly incredible vocal performers in and around the new york city area mostly. It is narrated, written, and directed by yours truly. Our story takes place largely but not exclusively during the salem witch trials. And it explores the legacy of that era, both in the material plane and in the whispering void of the paranormal realms. This is my halloween offering to you. Halloween's a bit different this year. I hope this can put you a little bit in salem. I hope it can put you in spooky old new england. All right there are a bunch of links down in the description from everybody who's involved in this production. I really, really encourage you to check those out. Now please go make yourself a cup of hot apple cider, come back to your comfy little chair, put on some very nice headphones, crank those suckers up, grab yourself a blanket, turn off the lights, and enjoy salem's ghosts a salem witch trials paranormal audio drama. Joel: George corwin was only 25 years old when he was appointed high sheriff in salem massachusetts. He was the son-in-law of one of the magistrates on the court that ruled over the entirety of the salem witch trials and the nephew of two others. Two years prior to his appointment, he had joined massachusetts governor william phips in the battle of quebec. The conflict was a brash attempt to seize control of the city from the french. It failed utterly and saw the deaths of hundreds of settlers. For his service though and no doubt owed to his integration with the salem magisterial elite, corwin was awarded the authority of enacting the court's justice as high sheriff just as the hearings were escalating into an outright fervor. Our story begins weeks after corwin's appointment in the dead of a spring night, in the courtyard of a palatial salem estate. The year is 1692. Officer: Orders, sir? George Corwin: We wait. Officer: Wait, sir? George Corwin: Just give me a minute. Joel: Footsteps lightly trod on Salem ground, approaching Corwin and his officers. The countenance of the man approaching is of dignity and simmering severity. Officer: Magistrate Corwin, your grace. Jonathan Corwin: Nephew. Where are we? George Corwin: My men and I were considering our options. Jonathan Corwin: Options? There are no options. The woman was named, along with the Bishops. Take her. George Corwin: Yes, but - Jonathan Corwin: But? George Corwin: This place. This family. If they resist, what could I possibly do? Jonathan Corwin: I will say this but once, nephew. You are here by the grace of them you serve. The court's indictment is clear, the accusations verified. Representatives of Ann Putnam, Mercy Lewis, and Abigail Williams each confirm it. The harlot in that house has signed her name in the book. No grand adornments or earthly power will change that. She is no godly woman. And we will hear of her deeds. But, in order for us to do that, you must do your work. George Corwin: Yes. I understand. Jonathan Corwin: Do not fail your God. Do not fail us. Joel: As quickly as he'd come, the vision of Jonathan Corwin vanishes into the night. Sheriff George Corwin turns toward the building, straightens his overcoat, and approaches. [A knock sounds] Servant: Ye - yes? George Corwin: It's High Sheriff Corwin. We're here for Mary. She's been named. Go and fetch your master. Joel: Inside the house, a couple sleeps on a large, framed bed. It's the kind of bed only a handful of Salemites own. The room around them is sprawling. The home adorned with carefully curated, international artifacts and an accumulated motley of family heirlooms, treasured now for many generations. The man in the bed is named Philip English. At one time, and possibly even now, he is the wealthiest man in Salem. Originally hailing from the British channel islands, Philip has worked hard and learned much in his life. He owns a fleet of twenty one trading ships. He's also invested in Salem itself and currently holds a large share of prime real estate in Salem town. He is a fastidious, proud keeper of his kingdom. George Corwin: (From far away) Go and fetch your master. Philip English: What - what hour is it? Joel: The woman in the bed is named Mary English. She also comes from a well-connected, wealthy, Salem real estate family. But, Mary's progenitors are somewhat rougher than her husband's. They have been known to scrap, a trait which certainly has been passed to Mary. She, in a time when such is abnormal to say the least, runs various parts of her husband's merchant empire. Together, the Englishes represent one of the most preeminent families in, not just Salem, but all of early America. They have friends in high places, a vast store of wealth, and are not to be trifled with. Philip English: Who is that? Mary English: What? Philip English: At the door. Joel: Philip rises and leaves the bed. He walks down the steps and approaches the front door. We hear the following conversation from Mary's perspective, as if it's occurring a few rooms away. Philip English: (to the Servant) It's alright. I'll speak with them. George Corwin: Good evening, sir. Philip English: What's this about? George Corwin: Mary has been named. Philip English: So? You mean to take her? Now? George Corwin: Yes. Philip English: No. You'll not have her. Good night. George Corwin: Mr. English. It would be better for you if she came. Multiple people have submitted charges against her - Philip English: What those farmers yammer on about is no concern of ours. George Corwin: It is now. There are whispers of your midnight deeds as well. I'll not barge in. Go and fetch her. [Philip hesitates, then returns to the bedroom.] Mary English: What is it? Philip English: It's the Sheriff. You've been named. Mary English: Those children have named me? Us? Philip English: It seems so. Mary English: Well. Then they've made a terrible mistake, haven't they love? Philip English: What do we do? Mary English: [Rising and pacing around the room] Go back down those stairs. Tell the little Corwin that your wife is asleep and distempered. And should she be roused into wakefulness, there's no telling what peaks the volume of her voice will reach as she screeches through the Salem night. Tell him that every single powerful name that she knows of in this land will hear of this, either by the sheer sonic magnitude of her nocturnal yowling or by the stroke of her decisive and merciless pen. Tell him I have ways in this world that would entirely eradicate him and so, therefor, have no need of the devils in other planes for my will to be done. Philip English: Mary. You know I can't say any of that. Mary English: Yes. I know. Tell him - tell him to leave and return tomorrow. He is barely more than a child, Philip. Speak to him as one. [Philip leaves the room.] Philip English: She'll not come. George Corwin: What did you say? I - I am an officer of the high court - Philip English: She says you should come back tomorrow. She says if you take her tonight, she will fight you at every turn. And she'll see to it that all of our friends descend on this arrest. No man can stop them, once they're in motion. And no man can silence her, once she's got an itch for a rabble. Trust me, I know. You'll have hornets for dinner, young sir. Is that what you want? George Corwin: I'll come back at first light. Officer. Officer: Yes sir. George Corwin: You're to remain at this door. No one leaves until I return. Philip English: As you say. Good night, Sheriff. [Philip closes the door and returns to the bedroom.] Mary English: Well? Philip English: He'll return tomorrow. Mary English: Every day they take more people. There'll be no end to it. Philip English: What are we going to do? Mary English: Do you suppose it's all just farmer superstition? Philip English: What? Mary English: The girls. What they see. Do you think there's any truth in it? Philip English: Not when they look to us. [Mary chuckles] I suspect it's far worse than superstition. Small fortunes have changed hands these last few months. Mary English: And now they come for the larger ones. Philip English: Aye. The church rewrites the past and destroys the future. What will we do? Mary English: I do not know. But I will, Philip. Philip English: Aye. You will. [A crackling phonograph recording begins to play. There is some shuffling as a character sits in a metal chair before speaking.] Sheriff Cabot: This is Sheriff Cabot. It's June 29th, 1914 and I'm here with - your name? Mysterious Man: Doesn't matter. Sheriff Cabot: I need your name to take your story. Mysterious Man: No you don't. Sheriff Cabot: Alright. You told Deputy Warren you had some information about the fire. Mysterious Man: I have information about many things, Sheriff. Sheriff Cabot: Well out with it, then. Mysterious Man: Tell me about the blaze, Sheriff. Sheriff Cabot: The blaze? You're supposed to be the one with the information. Mysterious Man: When did it start? Sheriff Cabot: In the early afternoon of June 25th, four days ago. Mysterious Man: Incorrect. Where did it begin? Sheriff Cabot: What do you mean "incorrect?" We know exactly - Mysterious Man: Just answer my questions, then I'll tell you all I know. Sheriff Cabot: It began at the Korn Leather Company in Blubber Hollow. Mysterious Man: Incorrect. Why did it spread so quickly? Sheriff Cabot: Building materials downtown. Too much timber. They've been warning this could happen for years. Mysterious Man: Incorrect again. Final question. What started the fire? Sheriff Cabot: Sunlight, we think. It sparked some celluloid. Spread to chemicals nearby. Mysterious Man: Incorrect. [The phonograph recording ends.] Joel: The following morning, High Sheriff George Corwin arrives in the early morning hours to arrest Mary. She answers the door in her bed clothes. [Door knocking] George Corwin: Good - good morning Goody English. Mary English: Corwin. George Corwin: I assume your mother - husband told you about last night? Mary English: Yes. George Corwin: Then - shall we? Mary English: Shall we? Is that how you arrest everyone? I rather like it. There's a certain poise about it that counters its speaker. George Corwin: I - I just meant - Mary English: Corwin. Look at me. I am clearly in no position to go anywhere. George Corwin: But you must. Mary English: Yes, yes. I must. Say, eleven? George Corwin: Eleven? Mary English: When you'll return? I should be composed by then, with a full stomach and a compliant tongue. George Corwin: See here. I have given you more time already than I am inclined - Mary English: Corwin - George Corwin: High Sheriff Corwin. Mary English: Yes. High Sheriff Corwin. I swear to you, come the midday I will go wherever you choose. If you take me now, I will fight you. And I will win. A grown man can wait. So? George Corwin: Eleven, then. Mary English: Thank you. The door closes. George Corwin: Bedswerving devilspawn. Joel: Corwin leaves and returns a few hours later. The sun is high as Mary English, now fully dressed, silently agrees to accompany Corwin. The pair do not, however, travel to the prison. Corwin instead takes Mary to the second floor of the Cat and Wheel Tavern in downtown Salem. By this point in the trials, hearings often draw large crowds and this one would certainly be the same.. With court space limited, taverns are often used as backup locations for initial interrogations. But before the citizens of Salem arrive, there is only the Sheriff and Mary English. They enter into a room that Corwin has adorned with but a single chair. As the pair enter, Mary's hands are bound behind her. [George Corwin and Mary English enter the room. Corwin locks the door behind them.] George Corwin: Please sit. Mary English: [sits] Are we to be here long? I am rather anxious to get on with whatever comes next. Could you at least remove my bindings Corwin? [Corwin slaps Mary across the face extremely hard. She gasps and reels.] George Corwin: You don't understand this. You don't understand where you are. Look around you, witch. Do you see great powers in the shadows, waiting to spring to your defense? Because I see none. I see only you and me. I know what you did. Mary English: What I did? George Corwin: Your daughter. Her father was with the crown for five entire months three Augusts prior. And yet, you had a Spring babe only four months after his return. Curious. Mary English: Philip and I understand each other. George Corwin: That may be true. But does God see it the same way? Ah, yes. Now you're beginning to understand. It's alright, of course. I've done things in my past too. Just last year, there was the raid outside of town. Do you remember? Two dozen savages in the night? I don't blame you. I wouldn't want to remember either. I didn't see much of it, but what I did observe would make the devil weep. I was indisposed, you see. Just as the attack began, something rather curious occurred. Joel: George Corwin inches closer to the still-bound Mary English. George Corwin: Goody English, have you ever had a moment of perfect understanding? One so clear that it made everything before seem dimmed somehow? One you were certain must come from God? Mary English: No. George Corwin: Pity. I remember hearing the wails begin from the treeline near the water. I was close, so I went to investigate. Having dealt with this kind before, I knew that remaining hidden would be the best option. So, I entered the woods north of the entry point of their raid. After only a few paces, a sudden movement startled me. I drew my weapon, ready to kill. Imagine my surprise when a young, dark girl of no more than eleven should step out from behind a tree with her arms raised. Her eyes danced wildly in the night. I could tell she was confused. Something had not gone according to plan. From some quiet place within me, I knew that I must take her. Joel: Corwin now looms directly over Mary. George Corwin: Perhaps she knew some of our language. Perhaps she could be persuaded to talk. Perhaps she was useful as a ransom. I told myself all these things and more. But the truth is, I just wanted her. I wanted to - I don't know what exactly. But this morning, when you came to the door, I remembered the feeling. It was the same, Mary. Mary English: High Sheriff, you have - George Corwin: Please. I only want to tell you this story and then we'll get on with what comes next. I took the girl to my home. I have a root cellar that flooded the month before and so was empty at the time. Actually, it was very much like this room. I tied her to a chair. I asked her a great many things. She just stared down at the compacted earth at our feet. Not a single utterance. No emotion. Nothing. Finally, after two days, the girl relented. Of course, I couldn't understand a word of what she said. But, the curious thing was, it wasn't any conversational persuasion that ultimately ended her silence. It was this. Joel: George Corwin leans down and places his hand around Mary's neck. He squeezes lightly. George Corwin: Just this. So simple. So elegant. You have something I want. My hand can extract it from you. And, since it can, why shouldn't it? Why would God give me this strength if not to use it? Am I not of Him? Am I not doing His will by eradicating Godlessness from His new land? [Mary chokes and gasps. Corwin releases her. She sucks air into her lungs in wild, unrestrained gulps. Corwin listens until she quiets.] George Corwin: I saw it so clearly. I kept my hand there until the girl turned cold. And, I felt nothing. Because she was nothing. They are nothing. This hand, Mary, it holds such dominion over the bodies of the wicked. Such dominion over you. You have done evil, have you not? Mary English: Everyone has. Joel: George Corwin raises his hand and places it on Mary's shoulder. George Corwin: But you have done more. You are in league with the devil, are you not? Mary English: I - no, I am not. [Corwin chuckles]. Joel: Corwin moves his hand to her neck and delicately runs his index finger over her rapidly reddening skin. George Corwin: Do you know where I'll be mere days from now? Back at your mansion. To take your silly husband. But he won't come here. Very few people want to see the men questioned, you see. There's no sport in it. I'll take him to my root cellar. Unless, of course, there's a reason not to. Joel: Corwin places his hand on Mary's neck and begins to squeeze. George Corwin: [Overlapping with Mary English's strangled recitation of the Lord's Prayer] Did you sign your name in the book? Answer me. You are but a devil's whore, are you not? Yes, that's what you are. That's why you and your husband hold such sway on this earth. You have sold yourself. You will give of yourself to me now - [The door shakes behind the Sheriff. Corwin shoves his free hand onto Mary's mouth.] George Corwin: Who's there? Jonathan Corwin: [From the other side of the door] Me, nephew. Is it done? Joel: George Corwin removes his hand from Mary. He looks into her bloodshot eyes. George Corwin: Do you understand now Mary? Mary English: [Whispering] Yes. George Corwin: Good. Very good. Joel: Corwin walks to the door, unlocks, and opens it. Jonathan Corwin: Ah. Good afternoon Goody English. I trust my nephew has transferred you here in a fashion accustomed to your liking? Mary English: He - he has. Jonathan Corwin: Very good. Now, let us attend to the matter of your bond. I suggest thirty pound sterling. What say you nephew? Joel: Mary's hearing took place in the following days. She then was moved to the Salem dungeons to await further examination and, ultimately, a formal trial. The hangings had begun. While Bridget Bishop was the first to die, several others followed in rapid succession. There seemed to be no end in sight. [The phonograph recording begins to play] Sheriff Cabot: You done with your little show? Are you going to start answering some questions or am I wasting my time? Mysterious Man: It's miraculous the number of tourists that are in Salem right now. How many do you suppose came here to gawk at the ashes? Sheriff Cabot: Half a million we think so far. Mysterious Man: That's humorous. It won't be the last time Salem's tragedies bring hungry eyes to town. Alright, Sheriff. Begin. Ask me what I asked you. Sheriff Cabot: When did the fire start? Mysterious Man: September 19, 1692. Sheriff Cabot: You're insane. Mysterious Man: Where is next, Sheriff. Sheriff Cabot: Where did the fire begin? Mysterious Man: That depends on your perspective. Some would say at the very same spot that a sturdy ash tree on a craggy hill once stood. Nearby Korn Leather, but not at the same location. Others, like me, would say it actually began in a field on the other side of town. Sheriff Cabot: There's no way it began on the other - Mysterious Man: Just keep going. Sheriff Cabot: Why did it spread so quickly? Mysterious Man: Someone willed it to. Sheriff Cabot: Who? Mysterious Man: I shall take that to mean, "What started the fire?" Sheriff Cabot: Sure. For now. Mysterious Man: A dead man. [The phonograph recording ends]. Joel: In the days immediately following Mary's arrest, Philip English visits his wife three times a day. Five days after Mary is taken, Jonathan Corwin knocks on his nephew's door with an urgent message in-hand. [A knock sounds from a wooden door. Footsteps rapidly approach.] George Corwin: Yes? Jonathan Corwin: It's me. Open. [Corwin walks to the door and opens it. Jonathan Corwin enters and closes the door behind him.] George Corwin: Who today? Jonathan Corwin: Sit, nephew. George. What would you call the process in which we are engaged? George Corwin: I am not sure I understand. Jonathan Corwin: The trials. The hearings. The executions. If you had to name it something, what would you say it is? George Corwin: I don't know. A proceeding, I suppose. Jonathan Corwin: A proceeding? No George. A cleansing. We are cleansing this kingdom. George Corwin: Yes. Of course. Jonathan Corwin: The devil cares little for the station of his servants beyond the utility those stations may serve. But in that even is great power. Who can do more evil in the devil's name: A millman or a Governor? George Corwin: A Governor, of course. Jonathan Corwin: Aye. A Governor. But a Governor is well-protected, surrounded on all sides by a fortress of influence that shields him from God's wrath. And so we must destroy it stone by stone until all that remains is the man within. George Corwin: I understand. Jonathan Corwin: Do you? Why do you think we have not yet arrested Philip English? He has been named. George Corwin: I - I do not know. Jonathan Corwin: No, of course not. We haven't arrested him because he too is surrounded by influence. We took Mary and not Philip for one reason and one reason only: so that he could see her in chains. And with that, his resolve would surely break as several husbands' resolves have now broken. Then, when he was weakened thus, it would be a far simpler matter to execute God's divine justice. But, I hear he visits Mary three times a day in the dungeons. I hear they whisper in secret language. George Corwin: Deviltongue, no doubt. Jonathan Corwin: Latin, actually. The nature of their language is unimportant however nephew, it is the content of their words with which I am concerned. [Jonathan Corwin paces]. Jonathan Corwin: Philip English shows no signs of desperation. I have watched him these last few days. He is calm, poised. I fear our thinking was flawed. Instead of disheartening him, his visits with Mary seem only to reignite whatever hellwork the two concoct. George Corwin: Perhaps we should end the visits? Jonathan Corwin: My thinking exactly, nephew. Now listen to me and listen well. Today, you will walk alone to the English estate. Once there, you will execute the warrant for Philip English's arrest. George Corwin: Aye. Jonathan Corwin: Wait. This must be done delicately. His wife's imprisonment seems not to have influenced him in the desired fashion. So you must use some other means to convince him to come. George Corwin: Can I not simply bind him? Jonathan Corwin: No, you fool. Hands do the deeds of lowly souls. Men like Philip must have their minds bound. You must convince him that participating in, not only his capture, but the subsequent hearings and trials is in his best interest. George Corwin: But, if he is in chains, what do we care about his mind? Jonathan Corwin: Mark me. You do not become a man like Philip English or a woman like Mary English without being cunning. Devilishly cunning. I do not know what they plan, only that they plan. And so must we, even as we rest in the certainty of God's holy light. George Corwin: Wha - what do I say to him? Jonathan Corwin: I have an idea on that front. After his servant beckons him to the door - [A church bell chimes from outside the home]. Jonathan Corwin: Damn. I must go. We are hearing testimony. Listen to me. In order for the court to follow this trail of witchcraft to its source, it is vital that Philip and Mary English not escape justice. Whatever you need to say, say it. Do you understand? George Corwin: Yes uncle. Jonathan Corwin: Good. I have a brief window between hearings in three hours. I expect to find Philip English in this room then. Good day. George Corwin: Good day. [Jonathan Corwin exits. He leaves the door ajar. George Corwin closes it]. Joel: An hour later, George Corwin walks alone to the English mansion and knocks on the large door. [A knock sounds on the English door. It opens]. Philip English: Sheriff. George Corwin: Where is your servant? Philip English: I have sent her away. I hope you bring glad tidings. George Corwin: Grim ones, I'm afraid. Philip English: I suppose you have some ill-drawn tactic to coax me out? George Corwin: Why should I coax you out? Philip English: Come now. Do you think me a fool? George Corwin: I think you a man of great learning. Philip English: There is no need for such flattery, Corwin. I will go with you. I am already prepared. Let us leave. George Corwin: What? That easily? Philip English: Yes, of course. I respect the court. The Cat and the Wheel then? George Corwin: No. My home. Philip English: Just as well. Lead the way, High Sheriff. Joel: As the two walk through the Salem day, Corwin's unease dissipates. By the time they arrive at Corwin's home, the Sheriff has entirely forgotten all his fear and hesitation. After settling in, the pair begin chatting about politics, the merchant trade, and the ongoing conflict with the First Nations' Peoples. Finally, the entry door to Corwin's home opens a full three hours later and Magistrate Jonathan Corwin enters the room. Philip English: Then Bartleby lifted up his crutch and slammed it down on Franklin's thigh, calling him a damned fine marksman. [Philip and George erupt in laughter. Corwin laughs a little too long. The door opens behind them, quieting them instantly]. George Corwin: Uncle. Jonathan Corwin: Nephew. I see your day's deeds were successfully executed. Philip English: He is quite the Sheriff, is he not? Jonathan Corwin: Yes. Quite. Well, then. Shall we begin? Philip English: No audience? Jonathan Corwin: Not tonight. Philip English: A shame. Jonathan Corwin: Philip English, you stand accused of witchcraft. Multiple witnesses have accused you of spectral contact and abuse. They claim you came by such powers by way of a compact with the devil. Do you deny it? Philip English: I do. Jonathan Corwin: Therefor, we must now administer a search for a witch's mark. Sheriff, remove his clothing. Joel: George Corwin complies. Philip English is unaffected as Corwin removes layer after layer of expensive, well-tailored clothing. Eventually, English stands bare before the other men. Jonathan Corwin walks around him, examining his naked form. He lifts his arms and peers into his armpits. He spreads his buttocks, lifts his scrotum, shifts the curly matte of chest hair. Finally, he stops at a small, pink mark above Philip's left nipple. Jonathan Corwin: There. Look here, nephew. Is it not the devil's mark? George Corwin: Aye. That it is. Jonathan Corwin: Excellent. You may dress, English. You are to be escorted to the dungeon, where you will await a formal questioning. Bond, nephew? George Corwin: 100 pound sterling. Jonathan Corwin: Reasonable. I shall see - Philip English: Four thousand. Jonathan Corwin: Excuse me? Philip English: Four thousand pound. That's my bond. George Corwin: What are you - Philip English: It's a fascinating place, Salem. So close to this new world, yet so removed. Now, Boston, that's a burgeoning, vibrant city. We have many friends in Boston. One of them happens to be among the staff at their prison. So, I put up a 4,000 pound bond to see to it that we were held somewhere a touch more understanding of our unique social position. The offer was accepted. What with your hands so full in Salem, this seemed like a far better option for all parties involved. My wife and I will be transferred in the morning. So, unless there is a sturdy ash tree nearby and you should like to entirely upend the law, I would appreciate it if we moved along to the dungeons. Or shall I sleep at my home tonight? I know floor space is so very limited in your little prison. Jonathan Corwin: Get out. [Philip English saunters toward the door and exits]. Jonathan Corwin: Nephew - George Corwin: Now, wait. I couldn't have known - Jonathan Corwin: I heard you loose-tongued and jolly with him even as I entered. Did you not stop to consider why he was so jovial? George Corwin: I did. Jonathan Corwin: And yet, I did not hear you questioning him to get to the root of it. Did you ask him a single thing once you entered this house? [The church bell chimes again outside the house]. Jonathan Corwin: I don't have time for you. [Jonathan Corwin stomps to the door and exits. He leaves the door ajar. George Corwin closes it]. [The phonograph recording begins to play]. Sheriff Cabot: A dead man started the fire? Do you know how crazy that sounds? Mysterious Man: Many things are crazy. Why should I be different? Why should you? You may now ask for more information on any of our four answers and I will divulge. Sheriff Cabot: Why did it spread so quickly? Did someone spread it purposefully? Is that what you mean by "someone willed it so?" Mysterious Man: The easy answer is that we are in a drought. I would have thought your men would have surmised the connection. The more difficult answer is that the man who willed it to be so was also in a drought. There's a strange line between things here. It's unlike any place I've ever been. Sheriff Cabot: So you're traveled? Mysterious Man: Oh yes. Very much. I have seen a great many things. Sheriff Cabot: And how are we different here? What's this line business? Mysterious Man: The past echoes here in miraculous, terrifying ways Sheriff Cabot. Are you of any relation to Laurie Cabot by chance? Sheriff Cabot: I've never heard pf the name. Mysterious Man: Ah. I am too early. Do you know that nearly every single Sheriff before you has suffered some mysterious, coronary ailment? Sheriff Cabot: I did. Mysterious Man: You will too. Do you know why? Sheriff Cabot: Because someone wills it? Mysterious Man: Ah, now you're playing the right game, Sheriff. [The phonograph recording ends]. Joel: The following day, the Englishes are moved to Boston. Their entire immediate family, finds their way there as well. The Sunday before their trial, the prison Minister reads to the inmates from Matthew 10:23. Minister: You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Joel: Later that day, a prison break erupts. In the chaos, Philip and Mary English escape to a carriage, waiting nearby. They ride into the night, only stopping once they've reached New York. They are now well outside the reach of Salem's courts. Their children are protected. All of the Englishes that remains in Salem is their massive mansion in the center of town. After word of the English's escape reaches Salem, High Sheriff George Corwin, enraged, gathers a posse and ransacks the English home. The group steals or destroys nearly everything on the property. George even stows away some of the English family heirlooms, which hold only sentimental value, in his own home. While the English family is pacified, they still play a powerful role in the trials, remaining in constant communication with friends in and near Salem throughout the insanity of the months ahead. Still, Sheriff Corwin's attempts to dominate and topple one of the most powerful merchant dynasties in Salem ultimately proves to be a failure. So, it should be no surprise, then, that as the body count from the trials escalates into the double digits, and more powerful members of the Salem and Massachusetts elite are accused, the High Sheriff's dark tactics become more visible. Before long, however, he will commit an act so monstrous, its legacy will scar the American consciousness for centuries to come. Jonathan Corwin: Giles Corey. You stand charged of wizardry by the members of this community. What say you? Giles Corey: I never did hurt them. Jonathan Corwin: But your image did. In the dead of night. Tell us what your spirit did to these girls. Giles Corey: I have done nothing to damage them. Jonathan Corwin: Have you never entered a contract with the Devil? Giles Corey: I never did. Jonathan Corwin: What temptations have you had? Giles Corey: Temptations? Jonathan Corwin: Yes. Temptations toward the Devil's way. Giles Corey: I - I never had temptations in my life. Joel: John Hathorne, trial magistrate, another relative of George Corwin, and colloquially known as the "hanging judge" for his punishment predilections, enters the interrogation. John Hathorne: What? Have you lived without temptation? We have it on testimony that you have been tempted to leave Salem. Perhaps even to leave this world which, as you know, is the deepest affront against our God. Many in Salem have heard of it. Giles Corey: I only meant that - Jonathan Corwin: Giles Corey, you have been marked by Sarah Bibber. She claims you were frightened by a hellspawn in your cow house. Giles Corey: I never saw nothing but my cattle. John Hathorne: Tell the truth. What was it frightened you? Giles Corey: Nothing frightened me. Nothing frightens me now. Jonathan Corwin: We have three witnesses here that claim you told them directly you'd seen a terrible beast, one not of this world. Giles Corey: I do not remember it. John Hathorne: Abigail Hobbs. Stand girl. Recount to us now what you did the day before last. Abigail Hobbs: I have seen sights and been scared. I have seen dogs. John Hathorne: Ordinary dogs? Abigail Hobbs: Devil dogs. They come to me in the wood with a dark man. He offered me many fine things if I would but follow his will. John Hathorne: And what was his will? Abigail Hobbs: To serve him. To sign my name alongside Giles Corey's and the rest of the night flock. He say Giles Corey will crush me to death if I do not sign. [The crowd erupts. Jonathan Corwin bangs his gavel]. John Hathorne: Sit, girl. Jonathan Corwin: Giles Corey. You stand accused. Dozens of your neighbors have entered charges against you. Now comes the time. Enter your plea. [Giles Corey is silent]. Jonathan Corwin: Guilty or innocent man? [Giles Corey remains silent]. John Hathorne: You must enter a plea. Joel: Giles Corey steps away from the pew. He looks around the room. His gaze scans the faces of everyone he's ever wronged. He draws a deep breath and returns his focus to the magistrates at the front of the chamber. Jonathan Corwin: Guilty or innocent? Joel: With not a sound escaping his lips, Giles Corey simply shakes his head. Jonathan Corwin rises to his feet. Jonathan Corwin: Enter a plea. Joel: Giles shakes his head again. Jonathan Corwin: Sheriff Corwin. Take this man away. Hold him until he has come to his senses. Everyone else, dismissed. Joel: George Corwin takes Giles Corey away in chains. [Chains rattle. Music swells]. [The phonograph recording begins to play]. Sheriff Cabot: Who wills it? Mysterious Man: You know his name. You know his story. And I will tell you. But first we must complete our game. Another of the four answers. Sheriff Cabot: When did the fire start? Mysterious Man: Yes. That is the correct question and answer. Remember, I said - Sheriff Cabot: 1692. The Witch Trials. Mysterious Man: Not just the Trials. A certain date. September 19th. Do you know it? Sheriff Cabot: No. I think it's close to the end. Mysterious Man: That it is. [The phonograph recording ends]. Joel: Later that night, the Sheriff and his uncle speak at George's home. George Corwin: It is clever. Refusing to enter a plea. Jonathan Corwin: Clever? It's devilish is what it is. Still. I admit there is a sharp point to his tactic. George Corwin: Will he confess, do you think? Jonathan Corwin: Not of his own accord. His wife Martha has been in chains for weeks. He'll not be pressed on that front either it seems. George Corwin: Pressed - his specter, the girls say it sits on their chests until they cannot draw breath. Jonathan Corwin: Vicious magic, that. Nephew, I grow weary of these proceedings. There rises so much resistance to God's divine will. George Corwin: Yes. And so few tools to root out them that resist. [Tea cups clank. The pair sip]. Jonathan Corwin: Giles Corey must confess. Of that, I have no doubt. He holds sway, even among them that hate him. The evidence against him is quite a deal larger than most of the accused. If we cannot root out the devil here and quickly, I shudder at our prospects for the future. George Corwin: What would you have me do? [Jonathan Corwin rises and paces]. Jonathan Corwin: Visit Martha in the dungeons. See if she would speak to him. Convince him. George Corwin: And if she won't? Jonathan Corwin: Well. That decision, I'm afraid, rests upon your shoulders alone. We cannot have a repeat of the English affair. George Corwin: No. We cannot. I - I think I know what I must do. Jonathan Corwin: I'll leave it to you, nephew. Joel: That night, George Corwin travels to the dungeon to meet Martha Corey. On his way, he fetches the silent Giles Corey from his cell. As he enters Martha's room, he leaves Giles in the hall, out of Martha's line of sight. [A cell door closes. Chains rattle]. George Corwin: Goody Corey. Have you been fed tonight? Martha Corey: Yes. George Corwin: Good. That's good. Martha Corey: Why are you here Corwin? Have you come to hurt me? George Corwin: You are a godly woman, Martha. I am sure you have heard of your husband's silence in the court? Martha Corey: One of the exceedingly rare moments of silence from that man, I assure you. George Corwin: You seem displeased with him, Goody Corey. I come to you with a request. By this time tomorrow, your husband's plea must be recorded. Martha Corey: And by your estimation, how is one in chains such as I a player in this tale? George Corwin: If you would speak with him, implore him to respect the sanctity of our proceedings - Martha Corey: The sanctity? Did you say the sanctity? George Corwin: Yes. Or, at the least the authority. If he does not speak, I fear I must do something I am not sure I am prepared to do. Martha Corey: Ah. Now I see you, child. Now I see you plain. George Corwin: Will you speak with him? Martha Corey: He is here? George Corwin: Just outside. He hears your voice even now. Martha Corey: No. I'll not speak with him. I would have him hear this though. We are stone, old man. Stone and tears. And I shall see you when all the days before us are golden and the eternal winds have shifted toward our favor. George Corwin: Goody Corey, I would have you listen to me - Martha Corey: Some time ago, I met a man - a broken man. He had said and done terrible things. He had been scorned by his people. But, after many long years, he had finally tamed the beasts raging in his heart. He could, at the very least, honestly admit to himself who he really was. That was a miracle. And, though he sometimes faltered, I watched as every day he tried harder to live within God's love. The man broke and repaired my heart every day. He still does. He is my exact opposite, this man. He is loud and angry and vengeful in the light, but quiet and simple and Godly in the dark. George Corwin: How is that your opposite? Please, I don't understand what you mean. Am I to do this thing, this terrible thing? Or can you help me - Martha Corey: Corwin. You are, before me and my kin and my God, of little consequence. We have held fast to our ways and we will endure for it, even if you kill us, especially if you kill us. Mark me boy: You are no devil. You cannot corrupt a willful heart. That is why you will not break my husband tomorrow. You will try and you will fail. How could you ever hope to succeed, no matter the tactic? You are but a child who has attached his life to oblivion. And for what? What great riches have you gained from this affair that you will keep once it is finished? None. You cast away Heaven out of obedience. Like a child. Like an animal. Look me in the eyes boy. What do you see? George Corwin: I see nothing. Just your eyes. Martha Corey: Of course you see nothing. You come to the cell of the wife whose husband you pursue on the dawn. You come to a pit in the earth where you have cast the woman you will slay but five days hence scheming for a method by which to unravel her husband? I'll give you something better. Do what you will tomorrow. Because my husband has already won. I have already won. Play your part, little Corwin. Do the deed like the simpering, sore-addled simpleton you've allowed yourself to become. But spare me more breaths wasted. I have so few remaining. You have already lost everything you will lose, George Corwin. What's one more terrible deed or a hundred or a thousand? The ground has been ceded. You are empty. Now kill me or hurt me or leave me, child. George Corwin: I - I am sorry I disturbed you. Martha Corey: No you're not. Trouble me no more until my Father calls. George Corwin: As you say, Goody Corey. Joel: George Corwin drops his shoulders and slinks out of the cell. As he moves down the hallway, carting an old, silent, grinning man, an elderly woman's voice begins to sing in the darkness behind him. Martha Corey: [Singing] A-las! and did my Sav-ior bleed And did my Sov-ereign die? Would He de-vote that sa-cred Head For such a worm as I? Was it for crimes that I have done He groaned up-on the tree? A-maz-ing pit-y! Grace un-known! And love be-yond de-gree! Joel: A sleepless night awaits the young Sheriff. By midnight, he knows what he must do. It appears as a revelation in an unquiet dream. He awakes and immediately travels to a darkened field just outside of Salem Town. There, he gathers his materials and prepares for the events to come. On the dawn, George Corwin composes himself, collects Giles Corey, a handful of officers, and a walking stick. He transports them all to the field. He stretches Giles out on a long, wooden plank and instructs his officers to bind his limbs. A pile of large, gray stones wait beside the old man. Onlookers quickly accumulate. Everyone - George, Giles, the watchers, everyone knows what's coming, though few can believe it. George Corwin: Giles Corey. You stand accused of witchcraft. Owing to the laws of the Court of Oyer and Terminer, you must enter a plea. How do you plead? [Silence]. Joel: Corwin slowly collects a second plank and places it on Corey's chest. Once it is positioned, Corwin directs his officers. George Corwin: Five stones. Joel: The men comply. They place five large, heavy stones on Corey's chest. The old man gasps for air. George Corwin: What is your plea? Guilty or innocent? Giles Corey: [Barely audible]. More. Weight. George Corwin: What? Giles Corey: More wight. George Corwin: Five stones. Joel: The men hesitate, then follow their orders. One of Giles Corey's ribs snaps under the weight of the rocks. He grunts and writhes. George Corwin: Enter a plea, Corey. Guilty or innocent? [Corey attemps to control the sounds of pain and physical obliteration escaping from his lips. He gathers his breath and controls his response]. Giles Corey: More. Weight. Joel: The crowd is silent. Everyone looks to George Corwin. In the hush of the moment, Giles Corey's eyes find the Sheriff's. The old man grins. He whispers. Giles Corey: More weight. George Corwin: Ten stones. Joel: Gasps erupt from the crowd. Some women and children leave the scene. Corwin's men hesitate. George Corwin: I said ten stones! Joel: Slowly, they comply. As each of the stones presses onto Corey, the sounds of his agony become more and more pronounced. Eventually, even that vanishes as the animal need for survival kicks in. Corey thrashes and grunts. He growls and spits and laughs and howls. Finally, as Corey's sternum cracks, as his throat fills with liquid, as he arrives on the precipice of death, Corwin speaks. George Corwin: You are a wizard, are you not? Guilty or innocent? Joel: Giles gasps. His lips move, but he cannot seem to raise his voice above a whisper. He nods his head to Corwin, beckoning him to approach. Corwin inches toward the dying man. He places his ear beside Corey's lips as the old man strains to speak. Giles Corey: [through great pain] Curse you. Curse Salem. The devil take you all. Burn. Burn. Burn. Joel: George Corwin leans back and looks aghast at Giles Corey. A strained, delirious, maniacal grin paints the old man's jagged jaw. Giles Corey: [dying] More. Weight. Joel: In a rage, George Corwin leans onto his walking stick and lurches one boot onto the pile of stones atop Corey. Giles exhales his final breath as Corwin climbs fully on top of the splayed corpse, its tongue now jutting out from its mouth in onset rigor mortis. George Corwin: [screaming] How do you plead? How do you plead? Answer me! Joel: Corwin takes his walking stick and shoves the dead man's tongue back into his mouth. George Corwin: You fowl, loathsome, blight. How dare you refuse me. How dare you! Joel: Corwin lifts his stave high above his head, ready to strike the corpse. A sudden gasp from the crowd catches George's attention. His eyes turn slowly toward the gathered onlookers who watch him in horror. Slowly, he lowers the staff. George Corwin: This man was of the devil. And what was done here was in God's name. Do you understand me? Do you understand me?! Joel: A few people in the crowd nod. Most are too shocked to do anything. Corwin climbs down from his corporeal perch. He looks to his gathered neighbors. He looks to Salem in the distance. He tries to speak, but no words will come. He feels nothing as he lurks away from the scene at his back. He does not afford another glance or consideration to what once had been Giles Corey. [Music swells]. Joel: Shortly after Giles' pressing, Martha Corey was hanged. They were the only husband and wife pair to be executed in the Salem Witch Trials. Their land remained in their family. Their estate, secured. Not so fortunate were Philip and Mary English. When the trials ended, Philip had no desire to return to the place and the people that had nearly killed them both. Mary, however, was desperate for home. They returned to Salem the year after the trials. Unfortunately, Mary wouldn't enjoy it for long. Mere months after their homecoming, Mary died of natural causes. Philip was crushed. For the rest of his long life, he made getting revenge on Corwin and the magisterial elites in Salem a primary focus. He sued George Corwin directly over and over again, seeking the return of his precious family heirlooms and some remuneration for the massive wealth he lost as a result of the trials. All told, Philip English's estimated losses were between 7 and 10,000 pounds sterling. A few years after the trials, the courts began to re-compensate the victims of the hysteria. Philip only claimed 1,183 pounds sterling for re-compensation, completely ignoring his 4,000 pound bond and most of his losses. Of that, he was awarded merely 200 pounds. To put that into modern perspective, Philip English likely lost over a million 2020 American dollars. Of that, he asked for a little over 300,000 dollars in remuneration. He received only a little over 50,000 dollars. But, the remaining Englishes actually fared decently well financially after the Trials. This was largely owed to a swift decision in the days following Mary's arrest. Then, it seems, Philip had used one of his many ships to cart the family's most valuable possessions out to sea. When they returned to Salem, the ship docked in the port, and the English family's wealth was, at least partially, restored. There is little doubt in the mind of many that this was, in fact, Mary's idea. Philip English lived to be an old man. The same cannot be said of George Corwin, however. Only five years after the conclusion of the trials, he died of a mysterious heart attack. Philip English would not relent in his attempts to seek retribution, even in Corwin's death. English successfully sued Corwin's estate, which meant that Corwin's remaining family must pay for the direct crimes against the English family. Some local legends claim that Philip English, in an attempt to seek his payment, claimed that he owned the lien on the Sheriff's corpse. Corwin's family, endeavoring to protect his body, interred him in the same root cellar where he had reportedly tortured the accused. Lydia, Corwin's widow, eventually relented and returned the heirlooms to Philip English. Following this, Corwin's body was relocated to the Broad Street Cemetery in Salem, where he remains to this day. The Corwin house was torn down some time ago. These days, the land is occupied by a boutique hotel which is, reportedly, quite haunted by George Corwin's ghost. They say he chokes guests in the night. But, George Corwin's specter and legacy pale in comparison to Giles Corey's. [The phonograph recording plays]. Mysterious Man: Only two answers remain, Sheriff. Are you beginning to understand? Sheriff Cabot: I - I don't feel well. Mysterious Man: That will pass. I am waiting. Sheriff Cabot: Where did it start? You said maybe by Korn Leather, maybe in a field. Which is it? Mysterious Man: Near Korn is where 19 lost their lives at the end of a rope. The field is where one did beneath a pile of earth. Sheriff Cabot: The condemned. And Giles - [He coughs] Mysterious Man: Aye. I saw their faces with bulging, yellowed eyes. I smelled the waste evacuate their shells. I watched their children weep and grow into broken people who broke other people. The final answer, man. Sheriff Cabot: [Coughing] I can't breathe. Mysterious Man: The dead man who started the fire. You know his name Sheriff. Say it now. Be free from this. Sheriff Cabot: I - I can't. Mysterious Man: Say it. Sheriff Cabot: [With great difficulty] Giles Corey. [A sudden THUD slams down on a metal table. There is a writhing, choking, gasping, sick sound, then silence.] Mysterious Man: Aye. [Mysterious Man begins to sing. He sounds very much like Giles Corey]. A-las! and did my Sav-ior bleed And did my Sov-ereign die? Would He de-vote that sa-cred Head For such a worm as I? Was it for crimes that I have done He groaned up-on the tree? A-maz-ing pit-y! Grace un-known! And love be-yond de-gree! [Demonic sounds slowly rise. They reach a fever-pitch intensity. The phonograph recording abruptly ends]. Joel: Giles Corey's refusal to enter a plea and gruesome, public execution helped to change the tide in Salem. And it would not be long after that the trials would come to an abrupt and decisive end. Giles Corey's ghost is probably the most famous in all of Salem. There are reports from several eras since the Trials of Giles' specter haunting the town, expecially in the field where he was executed. Presently that land is Howard Street Cemetery, near the Salem Witch Museum. He is reportedly a harbinger of terrible things to come. In the summer of 1914, there were claims of over 300 sightings of Corey's ghost in the cemetery reported to local police. So significant were the accounts that the local Sheriff stationed several guards around the cemetery, just in case some elaborate prank was in motion. They waited and watched, but saw nothing of the ghost. Thirty minutes after the men were recalled, a fire broke out near the site of the Salem Witch Trials hangings, present-day Proctor's Ledge. Giles Corey: Burn. Burn. Burn. Joel: The fire destroyed nearly two-thirds of Salem and would have done more damage if not for a mysterious shift in the wind. Many claim the fire and other horrifying Salem events before and since are the work of Giles' dying curse, which still haunts Salem's Sheriffs, residents, and visitors to this very day. [Music Swells. End of Audio Drama]. Joel: I love this thing so much. I'm so glad you listened to it. Wow, wow. So many people to thank putting this thing together. You see the credits on the screen now. These people, every single one of them are phenomenal and deserve your attention and support. Check out the links in the description. Thank you so much for listening to this. I hope it made your October season a little bit spookier. Please, if it did, share the heck out of it. Put it everywhere. Put it on your social profiles. Share ToSalem, itself whatever incarnation of ToSalem you happen to have come across to enjoy this content. Subscribe to the channel and the podcast and all that goodness. Most importantly, I hope you have an incredible, incredible Halloween this year, even if it's a little bit different. I know I'm ramping up for a really, really incredible one. Leave me some comments down in the description about what you're planning to do this year, especially if your plans are a little bit different than they normally are. I would love to hear how you're celebrating. Let's give each other ideas about how to keep this thing spooky. My heart goes out to everyone watching or listening right now. I'm so, so privileged that you have spent this time with me and this incredible cast of creatives. Stay weird witches. I'll see you next time!