The New World Times

By Amelia Z.

          Just a few days ago at Parris’s house, Tituba was accused of being a witch.

Today Tituba is going to tell us about her opinion on the Salem Witch Trials. Tituba is a West Indian slave. She is the slave of the minister.  Also known as Samuel Paris. She now lives in Parris’s house in Salem Village, Massachusetts. Tituba was believed to have told little girls stories about magic. Then one day the girls started to have fits and they blamed Tituba. Today we are in Parris’s house interviewing Tituba.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background and where you come from?

I was born in Arawak Village.  In 1674 I was captured and shipped away as a slave to Barbados.  Barbados is one of the islands of the West Indies. In 1680 I was bought in Barbados by Samuel Parris when I was just a teenager. A few years later Paris business in Barbados failed. So In 1689, Parris finally received an offer from a church in Salem Village, so Parris hired John as a tavern keeper and me as a weaver. I am an expert weaver, and I supply the woven goods that are used by the Parris family. Since Parris got a job in Salem Village we moved there. Now I am Parris servant. I manage the household, take care of Parris's invalid wife, and I also look after Abigail and Betty. I really enjoy being around the Parris family.

Can you tell us what happened during the Salem Witch Trials?

It all started in the January of 1692. Almost every day Abigail and Betty listened to me tell stories about my homeland Barbados, stories about forbidden things-magic, superstition and witchcraft, stories of animals that could talk, and of magic spells. Of course only when Parris was not in the house. I had no choice but to tell the stories, otherwise, Abigail and Betty would tell Parris and then I would be beaten and abused. Gradually, the minister's house became a meeting place for girls who wanted to hear my stories. More and more girls started to come to Parris house to listen to my stories. Which was not a good sign, but I still told the stories. Suddenly one day in February 1692 Abigail and Betty and many other girls that had listened to my stories started to have hallucinations, fits and seizures. I was terrified when they started to have fits because I was wondering what happened. They were acting so crazy.  They barked like dogs and they could not control how they moved. So Parris called the doctor Mr. Griggs. He thought that the girls were afflicted by witchcraft. Salem Village was not the first colonial village in which people had been accused of being witches. Claims of witchcraft are also common in Europe. One day the girls suddenly just blamed there fits on me. I thought I had heard wrong. I never thought that they would accuse me. But since I was accused, I had to go to court. Now I am back here at Parris house after being beaten and threatened by Parris. I was among the first three people to be accused of being witches. Sarah Osborne and Sarah Good were also accused by the girls.

How did Parris react to the girls being bewitched and you being a witch?

At first, he did not even believe that the girls were bewitched. He simply thought that the girls were just goofing around, or that Mr. Griggs was just making something up. But other people definitely believed that the girls were bewitched and they were terrified. But the girls fits just got worse and Parris began to believe it more and more. He was also was super surprised and shocked when the girls blamed me of being a witch because he had trusted me since I had been his slave for a very long time. I was also surprised. Then he became extremely mad and angry at me, because I am his slave, people were also looking at Parris suspiciously. He did not like this because he was scared that he would lose his job as a minister and he definitely did not want that to happen.

How did your life change when the trials and fits began to happen?

Many people started to become scared of me and tried to avoid me. From the day that Betty and Abigail accused me, everyone has been terrified of me. Whenever they see me they start to get quiet and never look me in the eye. For example the day of my trial at the court, the girls seemed fine when Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne were brought up to talk in court. But when I came into the court, the girl's fits came and got really bad. I was so nervous the day of my trial because I did not know what the girls would say about me. I knew some people would be terrified of me, but I did not think that this would spread so far and now everyone is scared of everyone and especially me. They also look at me very suspiciously.                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Did you confess after the girls accused you of being a witch?

Yes, I did confess. I was beaten and abused by Parris until I gave up and confessed that I was a witch. He made me confess and I also needed to, because if I did not confess then he would lose his job as the minister. Because people would be suspicious and think badly about him. Also if he got fired and lost his job because of me I would probably be beaten and abused again. The other two accused witches Sarah Osborne, and Sarah Good, protested their innocence.  I had to confess.

How many people were accused or died? How do you feel about people being accused, hanged or pressed to death? Why were people accusing each other?

More than 200 people were accused of being witches and only 50 confessed. About 25 people died. I feel very bad for all of the people who died or were accused. Almost all of the people who died were hanged.  One man was pressed to death because he refused to speak during his trial. I think that all the people who were accused are innocent. I think that it is not fair for these little girls to be accusing so many people and some of which they don’t even know. The people who were accused had no choice but to confess and say that they were witches. If they did, they could live, but they would get their property taken away. But if they didn't they would probably be threatened to tell the truth, also lose their property and end up dying anyways. People were accusing each other and calling their neighbors witches because no one would trust anyone anymore. People were very scared, and so was I.

Do you have any idea why the girls would accuse you?

I don't know for sure but it might be because I have been telling them stories about magic and about Barbados. As a servant, I was also the obvious person to accuse since I was always around. I became the focus of suspicion. They also knew that I was a slave and that no one would stand up for me or speak for me. Mr. Parris wouldn’t defend me because he was already looking at me with suspicion in his eyes. So I think that they accused me because I was an easy target.

Thank you so much, Tituba for letting us interview you!

No problem! Thank you for giving me the chance to tell my side of the story.

          Tituba has told us a great story from her life. She told a very interesting story of the Salem Witch Trials from her perspective. There are also many other people who have a different story to tell about the Salem Witch Trials. She has a lot to say about her experience during the Salem Witch Trials. She has mentioned that she was very scared during many times and was also was forced to confess to be a witch. She is a very intriguing person in real life and she also has a very interesting background story. If Tituba gets hanged it will lead to more chaos.