Miconception of Child's Play
Tituba was the servant of Reverend Samuel Parris and his family. She was known to educate the young girls of the town in the voodoo and supernatural elements of her cultural. With this in mind, Tituba was the obvious choice for the devil. Of course, Tituba denied bewitching the girls and any acts of witchcraft. Suspicion of Tituba grew when she innocently baked a rye cake with the urine of an afflicted victim and fed it to a dog under instruction of a neighbor. The connection between Tituba and the afflicted victim and the fact dogs were thought of as accomplices to witches put Tituba in a position she could not escape from.
The Examination
The only way to clear one's name was to either confess or name other witches/warlocks. With her life on the line, Tituba chose the ladder. When asked if she was bewitching the children, she denied, but later revealed that four other women were working with the devil and wished her to charm the children. "[G]oode Osburn and Sarah good and I doe not know who the other were Sarah good and Osburne would have me hurt the children but I would not shee furder saith there was a tale man of Boston that shee did see" (Examination of Tituba). Consequentially, Sarah Good and Sarah Osburn were the next to be accused and tried for witchcraft. Tituba's transference of blame served as the example for the rest of the accused. Those later tried for the same crimes followed in Tituba's footsteps and blamed others in order to save themselves. Tituba was not executed for witchcraft because of her cooperation and was pardoned for her crimes at the end of the trials.
Tituba was the servant of Reverend Samuel Parris and his family. She was known to educate the young girls of the town in the voodoo and supernatural elements of her cultural. With this in mind, Tituba was the obvious choice for the devil. Of course, Tituba denied bewitching the girls and any acts of witchcraft. Suspicion of Tituba grew when she innocently baked a rye cake with the urine of an afflicted victim and fed it to a dog under instruction of a neighbor. The connection between Tituba and the afflicted victim and the fact dogs were thought of as accomplices to witches put Tituba in a position she could not escape from.
The Examination
The only way to clear one's name was to either confess or name other witches/warlocks. With her life on the line, Tituba chose the ladder. When asked if she was bewitching the children, she denied, but later revealed that four other women were working with the devil and wished her to charm the children. "[G]oode Osburn and Sarah good and I doe not know who the other were Sarah good and Osburne would have me hurt the children but I would not shee furder saith there was a tale man of Boston that shee did see" (Examination of Tituba). Consequentially, Sarah Good and Sarah Osburn were the next to be accused and tried for witchcraft. Tituba's transference of blame served as the example for the rest of the accused. Those later tried for the same crimes followed in Tituba's footsteps and blamed others in order to save themselves. Tituba was not executed for witchcraft because of her cooperation and was pardoned for her crimes at the end of the trials.