Before Salem: The SHOCKING Witch Hunt No One Talks About

Long before the Salem Witch Trials gripped the world’s imagination, another true story of witchcraft unfolded in the shadows of early America… and almost no one talks about it.

In this episode of Into the Fog, we travel back to 1651, to the Puritan town of Springfield, Massachusetts, where a man named Hugh Parsons was accused of witchcraft—and his wife, Mary, would soon accuse him of consorting with the Devil. What began as whispers about cursed milk and phantom visions soon spiraled into one of the most disturbing—and forgotten—witchcraft cases in early New England.

Was there truly something evil in the woods…?

Special thanks to historian and author Malcolm Gaskill, whose extraordinary book The Ruin of All Witches inspired this episode.
Malcolm also kindly supplied several historical photographs that appear throughout the video. You can read the full story in his book 'The Ruin of All Witches'

https://www.amazon.com/Ruin-All-Witches-Death-World/dp/0593467108/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0

All Music is licensed via Epidemic Sound and Artlist.

Chapters:
00:00 - The Forgotten Witch Hunt Before Salem
05:39 - Mary Parsons Arrives in America and Meets Hugh
10:46 - Paranormal Events Shake Springfield
19:44 - Disaster Strikes: Is Hugh Parsons a Witch?
27:05 - Mary Parsons Claims Supernatural Encounters
30:41 - The Tragic Death of Baby Samuel
38:02 - Witchcraft Accusations and a Terrifying Church Service
43:17 - Locals Fear Hugh Parsons’ Dark Powers
47:30 - The Terrible Fate of Mary Parsons
50:59 - What Became of Hugh Parsons?
53:26 - The Salem Witch Trials Begin (1692)
54:42 - Conclusion: The Devil Between Us

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READ PETER's NON-FICTION BOOKS:
Non Fiction on why it's healthy to like scary things:
The Frighteners (US Hardback) https://mybook.to/thefrightenersUS
The Frighteners (UK Paperback) https://mybook.to/thefrighteners
Also on Audible

READ PETER's CREEPY CRIME FICTION SERIES:
https://mybook.to/MattHunterCollection

CHECK OUT PETER'S ONLINE HORROR CHURCH, CREEPY COVE:
Creepy Cove Community Church Podcast offers complete and immersive church services broadcast from a mysterious fishing town - 'Like Songs of Praise meets Stephen King'.) www.creepycove.com

Peter regularly speaks at events, conferences and on radio. His literary agent is Joanna Swainson of Hardman and Swainson.

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