Sarah Kecham—­Cateron’s seizures—­Riding and singing—­English and French—­The naked sword

The testimony of Sarah Kecham.  “She saith yt being at Danel Wescots house Thomas Asten being there Cateron Branch being there in a fit as they said I asked then how she was they sayth she hath had noe fits she had bine a riding then I asked her to ride and then she got to riding.  I asked her if her hors had any name & she called out & said Jack; I then asked her to sing & then she sunge; I asked her yt if she had sung wt Inglish she could then sing French and then she sung that wch they called French.  Thomas Astin said he knew that she was bewitched I tould him I did not beleue it, for I said I did not beleue there was any witch in the town, he said he knew she was for said he I haue hard say that if a person were bewitched take a naked sword and hould ouer them & they will laugh themselues to death & with yt he took a sword and held ouer her and she laughed extremely.  Then I spoke sumthing whereby I gaue them to understand that she did so becase she knew of ye sword, whereupon Danil made a sine to Thomas Austen to hould ye sword again yt she might not know of it, wch he did & then she did not laugh at all nor chang her countenance.  Further in discourse I hard Daniel Wescot say yt when he pleased he could take her out of her fits.  John Bates junr being present at ye same time witnesseth to all ye aboue written.

“Ye testers are redy to giue oath to ye aboue written testimony when called therunto.  “Staford ye 7th Septembr 1692.”

ABIGAIL CROSS AND NATHANIEL CROSS—­The “garles desembling”—­Daniel Wescot’s wager—­The trick that nobody else could do

(Kateran Branch, the accuser of the Fairfield women, was a young servant in Daniel Wescot’s household.)

“The testimony of Abigail Cross as followith that upon sum discourse with Danil Wescot about his garles desembling sd Daniel sd that he would venture both his cows against a calfe yt she should doe a trick tomorrow morning that no body else could doe. sd Abigail sd to morrow morning, can you make her do it when you will; & he said yess when I will I can make her do it.

“Nathaneel Cross being present at ye same time testifieth ye same with his wife.

“The above testers say they are redy to giue oath to ye aboue written testimony when called to it.”

SARAH BATES—­An effective remedy for fits—­Burnt feathers—­Blood letting—­The result

“The testimony of Mrs. Sarah Bates she saith yt when first ye garl was taken with strang fits she was sent for to Danil Wescots house & she found ye garle lieing upon ye bed.  She then did apprehend yt the garls illness might be from sum naturall cause; she therefore aduised them to burn feathers under her nose & other menes yt had dun good in fainting fits and then she seemed to be better with it; and so she left her that night in hops to here she wold be better ye next morning; but in ye morning Danil