10/06/2026
It’s SPOOKY SEASON! Happy October!
As a lifelong Masshole, and Susannah (North) Martin descendant, I would be remiss to forget to remind you that the Salem Witch Trials left families with losses that no later apology or exoneration could repair.
Giles Corey was pressed to death beneath stones because he would not submit to a court that had already decided his guilt. His death embodies the crushing weight of false accusation, the loss of freedom, reputation, livelihood, family, and life itself.
The accusers acted from fear, malice, delusion, or some combination of the three, but their reasons did not lessen the impact of what they did. They named innocent people, and those people died. They hid behind a shield of faith and said they were protecting them from Satan’s lies.
Those accusations have echoed for more than three centuries and have become a pivotal moment in American history. While the victims were eventually cleared it was far too late for them or their families to be made whole. They lost land, property, and money, and have every right to be upset about those losses as they impact their enduring legacy.
Accountability does not end with regret that someone was hurt. (Oopsie!) It requires an admission of what was done, a public correction wherever the accusation was heard, and restitution for every loss that can still be repaired. Salem’s victims were denied that repair until there was almost nothing left to restore. When repair remains possible, refusing it becomes a choice.
