place and time witchcraft came to New England dominating the life of the village for 10 months - ANSWER Salem Village, 1692 How did bewitchment begin? - ANSWER a group of girls met to discover what sort of men their future husbands might be, Betty Parris (daughter of minister) complained of prickling, pinching sensations, knifelike pains, and the feeling that she was being chocked, doctors and ministers were at loss to understand the afflictions, their symptoms worsened, complained of being bitten and pinched by invisible specters, girls were pressed for identity of specters, named 3 women and a formal complaint was issued (suspects arrested) During New England's first 70 years, few witchcraft cases had come before the courts. Why was Salem different? - ANSWER Tituba had described other "witches", villagers felt they could no longer rest, women continued to name others, former minister, George Burroughs also arrested a civil officer or lay judge who administers the law, especially one who conducts a court that deals with minor offenses and holds preliminary hearings for more serious ones - ANSWER magistrates magistrates sought - ANSWER physical evidence (voodoo dolls and pins were considered incriminating), maleficium, and spectral evidence maleficium - ANSWER black magic, harm by occult means spectral evidence - ANSWER a victim's account of what they had seen during one of their "torments" (once seen as the most damning and dangerous kind of proof) Why were prisoners in trials often examined for abnormal marks? - ANSWER if the devil made a pact with someone, he supposedly required a physical mark of allegiance ("witch's tit")