I am sitting in my prison cell as I write this. Since I have kindly been given a pen and some stationary from one of the guards, I thought I would write about the day’s events as though I still have my diary. I need to use this time to try to collect my thoughts and stay sane while I wait for my freedom. It has been four days since the executions on Gallows Hill and I am increasingly worried about receiving a fair trial. I have written a letter to five senior ministers of Boston with the hope that these men might move my trial to Boston or at least replace the magistrates in Salem. I am hoping that they receive this letter with kindness and goodwill and will provide for me what I have pleaded from them. I did make a second copy of the sent letter which outlines my wishes:
SALEM-PRISON, July 23, 1692.
Mr. Mather, Mr. Allen, Mr. Moody, Mr. Willard, and Mr. Bailey.
Reverend Gentlemen:
With deep gratitude I send you this letter in hopes that with your help, my wife and I will be officially vindicated of the atrocious accusations that have been made against us regarding the witch craze in Salem village. We have been falsely accused of practicing the dark arts for demonic purposes by certain young ladies in our community who have nothing better to do than ruthlessly implicate many innocent people for their own amusement. I hope to stress the seriousness of our situation due to the fact that other accused individuals have already been lynched and I believe that we do not have much time before we are unjustly hanged by the blood lusting court who has already condemned us before our trials have begun.
The Magistrates, Ministers, Jewries and in general, our whole community has become intoxicated with the Delusion of the Devil and has become enraged and incensed at rooting out the evil which supposedly lurks in our village. I know in my heart that this evil is a made up notion by people who, for whatever reason, find it necessary to see innocent people suffer. There are five accused in jail at this time, including me, my wife, and our son and the others have been making confessions that they have practiced witchcraft as well as accusing us of the same, but only after enduring hideous torture that no man could bear for long. These torture tactics include being tied up by the neck and heels until blood flows from their noses and in one instance, my son was thankfully taken pity on after being held like this for nearly twenty four hours! I believe these actions are very much like the Popish cruelties displayed by the Holy Inquisition! They have already destroyed what little property we owned and will not stop until we are dead.
If it is not possible to move our trials to Boston, we simply beg that you would endeavor to have the Salem Magistrates changed or in the very least, be present during our trials so that our good and honest souls can be saved with your assistance. I humbly beg you to pray to the Lord on our behalf.
We remain your poor, afflicted servants,
John Proctor and family
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