"Upon hearing the complaint brought to this court against Caleb Powell
for suspicion of working by the devill to the molesting of ye family of
William Morse of Newbury, though this court cannot find any evident
ground of proceeding farther against ye sayd Powell, yett we determine
that he hath given such ground of suspicion of his so dealing that we
cannot so acquit him but that he justly deserves to bare his own shame
and the costs of prosecution of the complaint."
The bad boy seems to have had a grudge against Powell, and, anxious to
see that person punched, he resumed his pranks both at his grandfather's
and among the neighbors.
Strange things happened. Joseph Bayley's cows would stand still and not
move. Caleb Powell, having been discharged, no longer boasted of his
learning. Jonathan Haines' oxen would not work. A sheep belonging to
Caleb Moody was mysteriously dyed. Zachariah Davis' calves all died, as
did also a sheep belonging to Joshua Richardson. Mrs. John Wells said
that she saw the "imp of God in sayd Morse's hous."
Sickness visited several families, and Goody Morse, as was her custom,
acted as village nurse. One by one her patients died. John Dee, Mrs.
William Chandler, Mrs. Goodwin's child, and an infant of Mr. Ordway's,
were among the dead. The rumor ran about that Goody Morse was a witch.
John Chase affirmed that he had seen her coming into his house through a
knot-hole at night. John Gladding saw "halfe of Marm Morse about two a
clocke in ye daytime." Jonathan Woodman, seeing a strange black cat,
struck it; and Dr. Dole was called the same day to treat a bruise on
Mrs. Morse. The natural inference was that the old lady was a witch and
the cause of all of these strange things, as well as of the
extraordinary occurrences in her home. Accusers were not wanting, and
she was arrested. In her trial all of this evidence was put in, and her
husband repeated his testimony at the Powell trial. The county court
heard it and passed the case to the General Court, from whence it was
returned.
The records abound in reports of the testimony. We will only quote the
evidence of Zachariah Davis, who said:--
"I having offended Goody Morse, my three calves fell a dancing and
roaring, and were in such a condition as I never saw a calf in before
... A calf ran a roaringe away soe that we gott him only with much adoe
and putt him in ye barne, and we heard him roar severell times in ye
night. In ye morning I went to ye barne, and there he was setting upon
his tail like a dog. I never see no calf set after that manner before;
and so he remained in these fits till he died."