Abigail Williams: Practicing Voodoo and Fortune

Abigail Williams, born July 12, 1680, was one of the initial accusers in the Salem witch trials of 1692, which led to the arrest and imprisonment of over 150 innocent people. Growing up she lived with her uncle Rev. Samuel Parris, and it is unknown who her parents were or how she was directly related to the Rev. of Salem. It is portrayed that Abigail was a dark haired, lovely looking lady, which often led her to trouble with older men. She was also a kind girl, whose personality was often mistaken for flirtatious acts. She gained attention when she began playing around with witchcraft.
The most important event that led to Abigail Williams’s infamy was the first act of witchcraft she partook in during January of 1692. (Lewis) Nine year old Abigail alongside a group of young girls began practicing voodoo and fortune. Not soon thereafter, Abigail and her cousin Betty began showing signs of illness. These signs ranged from pinch marks to bite marks. These marks however, were from a “higher power” and the girls were diagnosed by Dr, Griggs that they were now under the “Evil Hand”. Another event that heavily impacted Abigail Williams’s life began On February 29th 1692, when a formal complaint was issued against Tituba, Sarah Osborne, and Sarah Good for afflicting Betty, Abigail, and other local girls such as Ann Putnam, Jr. who had begun to suffer fits. Abigail Williams along with the other afflicted girls appeared at the trial hearings. In the presence of Good, Tituba, and Osborne Abigail suffered fits and outbursts.
At the same trial hearing, Abigail testified that she "saw the apparition of said Sarah Good at her examination pinch Elizabeth Hubbard and set her into fits and also Elizabeth Parris and Ann Putnam, Jr.". (Lewis) This quote plays a key role in the trial because no longer were Sarah Good and the other girls innocent. Now they too have gotten involved in witchcraft and have begun to act under the “Evil Hand”. Another quote which is prevalent in many