Legends of the Old West - Introducing INFAMOUS AMERICA | Season One: "Salem"

Episode Date: September 26, 2018

There are people whose names will live forever in American history: John Wilkes Booth, Benedict Arnold, Bonnie and Clyde. There are robberies, manhunts, prison riots and unexplained phenomena that are still debated today. We'll journey through all of them on this show. In Season One, we'll tell the story of the Salem Witch Trials. This isn't the version you learned in history class... Visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com for more details and to subscribe.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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We've got access to pre-sale tickets so you don't miss it. Meeting with friends before the show? We can book your reservation. And when you get to the main event, skip to the good bit using the card member entrance. Let's go seize the night. That's the powerful backing of American Express.

Visit amex.ca slash yamx. Benefits vary by card. Other conditions apply. On the final night of the year, 1691, John Proctor sat in front of his fireplace staring into the flames. His wife Elizabeth was asleep. So was Mary Warren, the orphan girl who lived and worked with them. He rose from the hearth and stepped quietly to the door of his cabin. He opened the door and gazed out at a blackness that few people in the modern world can imagine.

The glow of the fireplace seeped out of his front door but could only penetrate the darkness a few steps past the threshold. Beyond that, deep shadows shrouded a wilderness that contained all manner of deadly creature. He and his fellow farmers of Salem Village were out here on the edge of civilization, easy prey for ravenous animals, civilization, easy prey for ravenous animals, devious Frenchmen, bloodthirsty Indians, and the devil himself. Satan thrived in the dark corners of the world, tempting the willing with promises of pleasures innumerable and attacking the souls of the innocent to build his army of minions. John Proctor was a Puritan, a devoutly religious man in a compact with God, but he wasn't stupid or naive or gullible.

As the new year of 1692 began, he would struggle to understand the events that tore apart his small farming community. In two weeks, two girls would fall victim to witchcraft. Within a month, the number would double. They accused three women of being witches. One of the women said there were nine more at work in Salem. Then more of the girls were afflicted. Five, six, seven, up to ten and then eleven. They suffered terrible fits and seizures. They named their tormentors and detailed the vile attacks they had experienced. The accused passed the blame to others, and before anyone could fully comprehend the scope of the madness, it had spread to all of Essex County, Massachusetts.

John Proctor closed his door against the brutal cold of a winter that was so harsh it might still be the worst on record. As he settled back in front of the fire, his mind was troubled. He worried about the huge farm he rented. He worried about his crops. He worried about his family. What he didn't know was that those worries would pale in comparison with what was to come. In three months, the orphan girl who slept peacefully in his house

would join the ranks of the afflicted. She would accuse his wife of being a witch. His wife would be taken to jail. She would be saved from the noose only because she was pregnant. As John Proctor gazed into the flames once more, he had no way of knowing that by the end of the year, he would be one of the 19 people marched to Gallows Hill. Welcome to a new show from Black Barrel Media called Infamous America.

I'm your host, Chris Wimmer. If you're a loyal listener to our other podcast, Legends of the Old West, we're going to take you down a darker road on this show. Here, we're going to mine American history for the people and events that live in infamy. We'll chase gangsters and assassins across the country. We'll follow manhunts that made history, but that you've probably never heard of. We'll explore the lives of traitors and mobsters and lawmen, and tackle events that still defy explanation today. And we begin with Season 1, Salem. In January 1692, two girls ages 9 and 11 began behaving strangely.

They contorted and convulsed in painful ways. They screamed and wailed when the Bible was read to them. They barked like dogs and grabbed burning logs from the fireplace and hurled them across the room. Many villagers of Salem concluded the girls had been touched by the evil hand. Soon, more girls were afflicted. They accused dozens of people of being witches. Those people accused others. Hundreds would ultimately be named. Twenty people would be executed, as well as two dogs. Maybe it was witchcraft, or maybe modern science can explain some of the girls' behavior, or maybe they just wanted attention from an oppressive society, and it simply spiraled out of control. I'll tell you the story and give you the details,

but it's up to you to decide. Our journey begins on Wednesday, October 3rd. We'll see you love. You can even stack sales on top of cash back. Just start your shopping with Rakuten to save money at over 750 stores. Join for free at Rakuten.ca or get the Rakuten app. That's R-A-K-U-T-E-N.