The Norton Anthology American Literature Vol.A 330-333 “The Trial of Martha Carrier” is an English Biography that took place at the Court of Oyer and Terminer, and was held by Adjournment at Salem on August 2, 1692 of a woman named Martha Carrier who was indicted for the bewitching of certain persons. Before the trial of this prisoner first begins, a few of her children confesses that they were witches too because their mother made them so. From the confessions of these children, there was enough evidence to proceed upon this trial. Martha Carriers reasons for bewitching was because the devil made a promise to her that she would become the Queen of Hebrews. These certain persons that Martha Carrier bewitched had testified against her during the trial because she pleaded “not guilty” to her indictment. There were six people total named Benjamin and Sarah Abbot, Allin Toothaker, John Rogger, Samuel Preston, and Phebe Chandler. They each shared their experiences of suffering pain that Carrier had caused including her children as well. The first testimony began with Benjamin and Sarah Abbot where they explained how angry Martha was, and what her anger had caused. Martha had told Benjamin that she would “hold his nose as close to the grindstone as ever it was held since his name was Abbot” (Norton 330). Benjamin later started swelling in his foot, and was being extremely tormented. Sarah Abbot had testified about her husband’s cattle strangely dying of no natural causes. Allin Toothaker had testified that the son of Martha named Richard Carrier had pulled him down by the hair of his head making him to weak to strike back at Richard so he then fell to the ground flat on his back. Martha told Toothaker that he should never be cured. John Rogger testified against Martha and her threatening words that his cattle would be strangely bewitched. Samuel Preston had testified against Carrier when he lost his cow in an unnatural and unusual manner, Martha tells Samuel when she had her differences with him that he lost a cow and it wouldn’t be long before he looses another.

And last it was Phebe Chandler who had testified against Martha during the Lords day while the Psalm sung in the Church, Phebe one day heard a voice that she took to be Martha Carrier’s had told her that within two or three days she shall be poisoned, within that time her right hand started painfully swelling as well as a part of her face. This swelling had continued for quite some time and a few times she had serious pains within her breast and her legs had been so seized that it was hard for her to make it to the house of God. When she attended the house of God Martha’s son Richard had looked upon Phebe where she began to feel a burning in her stomach, had been struck deaf so that she could not hear any prayers or singing to the last words of the Psalm.
The very end of this trial, in open court Susanna Sheldon had Martha Carrier’s hands “tied together with a wheel-band so fast that without cutting, it could not be loosed”, this hanging of Martha Carrier had been done by a specter and the sufferer’s confirmed it was the prisoners (Norton 330).
References

The Norton Anthology American Literature Vol.A 330-33