Rose Earhart, Dorcas Good, The Diary of a Salem Witch (New York: Pendleton Books, 2000).
Dorcas Good is a novel in diary form. The main purpose of the novel is to chronicle four-year-old Dorcas Good's time in a Salem jail, held for witchcraft. It also follows her through early adulthood, showing some of the hardships that she faced, mainly as a result of her witchcraft accusation and the harsh treatment she received from her father.
Dorcas Good was accused of witchcraft soon after her mother was accused of the same crime, in early 1692. Before she was accused, Dorcas had to endure being sexually and physically assaulted by her father. She had also spent much of her time going door to door, with her mother, begging the residents of Salem for food, or for clothing. According to the novel, the young girl was arrested at home, and her own father encouraged the town sheriff to take her into custody. Dorcas's problems seemed to snowball at this point. She was sent to jail to await trial for witchcraft. She ended up next to her mother in jail. Her mother's punishment for being a witch was to be hanged. Dorcas stayed in the jail long after her mother was taken away and punished. .
Dorcas was finally released to her father's custody, only after spending over seven months in the dark jail, chained to the wall, and being held down by heavy weights. The novel skips ahead to her teen years, she had become a prostitute, her father selling her nightly to the local men or traveling seamen. Her father continued to physically and sexually abuse her, while making his living off of her prostitution. Dorcas was a miserable girl with no way out. Eventually she used her mind to communicate with her deceased mother, in a cave under Gallows Hill. Dorcas also used her mental powers to help the trapped souls, from the witchcraft hangings, find peace. Upon doing that she committed suicide by drowning herself.
In which it did so in the case of four year old Dorcas Good. Dorcas was the daughter of Sarah Good, one of the accused. ... It is reported that Dorcas would rock back and forth in her jail cell and not speak. ... When the trial of Dorcas came about, she confessed, therefore setting her free. ... The example of Dorcas is just an illustration of the living environments of the accused. ...
When she confessed she also named Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne as witches. ... Sarah Good fit the profile for a Witch almost perfectly. ... The most damaging piece of evidence though, was a confession by her four year old daughter Dorcas Good. Dorcas was arrested on March 23rd and gave a confession which implicated her mom as a witch. ...
With this in mind, the feeling that everything was looking good for the better change in my circumstances. ... Arriving at work on time put a smile on my face, and greeting co-workers with a good spirit on such a gloomy morning was much appreciated. ... "Dorcas", the Executive Director call out, "come help out, assistance is needed in the storeroom," doing as I was told I join in the moving of the lower floor school materials to another safe place in the building. ... "Dorcas" one of my co-worker call out with a smile on her face, looking across the main street tha...
On February 29, warrants were dispatched for the arrests of Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne. ... On May 2, Sarah Morey, Lydia Dustin, Susannah Martin, and Dorcas Hoar were examined, and trying to flee, George Burroughs was arrested in Wells, Maine on May 4. ... Rebecca Nurse, Susannah Martin, Sarah Wildes, Sarah Good and Elizabeth Howe were then tried for witchcraft and condemned. Then on July 19, Rebecca Nurse, Susannah Martin, Elizabeth Howe, Sarah Good, and Sarah Wildes were executed. ... Dorcas Hoar was the first of those pleading innocent to confess. ...
This was called spectral evidence and was enough to put Good in jail. ... At this same time the four-year-old daughter of Sarah Good, Dorcas Good, is accused, Posey 4 arrested, and imprisoned. Her accusation arose when the afflicted girls claimed Dorcas bit them repeatedly. Dorcas Good was the first child accused. ... John refuses to give his good name up by signing a confession. ...
Although she was given a good defense, Celia would be hung for her crime. ... Helen Jewett, whose real name was Dorcas Doyen, was sent to Judge Weston as a little girl. ... The Westons lived in Augusta, and Dorcas would earn her keep by being their servant. ...
