witchcraft

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Massachusetts Takes a Look at Its Witchcraft Past

Group seeks to clear names of all those accused of witchcraft in the 1600s

(Newser) - In 1648, Margaret Jones, a midwife, became the first person in Massachusetts—and the second in New England—to be executed for witchcraft, decades before the infamous Salem witch trials. Nearly four centuries later, the AP reports that the state and region are still working to come to grips with...

Connecticut Exonerates Witches Hanged in 1600s

Lawmakers pass legislation acknowledging miscarriage of justice

(Newser) - Connecticut lawmakers have voted to formally exonerate accused witches who were punished by death nearly 400 years ago. The bill introduced in January by state Sen. Saud Anwar passed the Senate with a 33-1 vote on Thursday after clearing the state House in a 121-30 vote on May 10, per...

Long Before Salem Witch Trials, Alse Young Was Hanged

Connecticut considers exonerating all its accused witches centuries later

(Newser) - Decades before the infamous Salem witch trials in Massachusetts, Alse Young was killed at the gallows in Connecticut, becoming the first person on record to be executed in the American colonies for witchcraft. The Windsor town clerk registered the death on May 26, 1647, in a diary entry that read:...

Survey: Belief in Witchcraft Remains Widespread

Researchers say 40% of people around the world think it's real

(Newser) - About 40% of humans around the world may believe in witches or witchcraft, but it varies depending on where you live, according to a new survey recounted at Live Science . The study—published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One —was based on dataset gathered in six phases by Pew...

After 329 Years, a 'Witch' Is Cleared

Elizabeth Johnson Jr. was convicted in the Salem Witch Trials

(Newser) - The last of those wrongly convicted during the Salem Witch Trials has been cleared 329 years later thanks to the hard work of a Massachusetts teacher and her eighth-grade students. They pushed to have Elizabeth Johnson Jr. exonerated of witchcraft. Johnson faced allegations along with many of her extended family...

Scottish Leader Formally Apologizes to Executed 'Witches'

Nicola Sturgeon calls centuries of persecution 'injustice on a colossal scale'

(Newser) - On International Women's Day, Scotland's leader offered a formal apology to the thousands of people, almost all of them women, who were convicted of witchcraft in previous centuries. Sturgeon described the persecution and execution of the alleged witches as "injustice on a colossal scale, driven at least...

Cops: Psychic's Big Scam Involved a Guy's House

Samantha Stevenson allegedly convinced a client to sell his house

(Newser) - Toronto police are dusting off a witchcraft-related law just in time for Halloween. After a year-long investigation, York Regional Police have charged fortune teller Samantha Stevenson, also known as Evanna Lopez, with fraud, possession of property obtained by crime, and pretending to practice witchcraft, reports the Toronto Star . The latter...

Kavanaugh Now Has to Deal With Witches' Hex

A Brooklyn book store plans the public event this weekend

(Newser) - Brett Kavananaugh might want to peruse Witchipedia's entry on protection from curses . It's knowledge he'll apparently need Saturday when a Brooklyn book store hosts a public hexing of the newest Supreme Court justice. Thousands are interested in the sold-out event at Catland Books, though just 60 people...

Can You Read This Witch Spell? A Chicago Library Needs You

The Newberry is asking for public's help in translating 17th-century charms manuscript

(Newser) - In the market for some 17th-century spells written by (possible) real-life witches? The Book of Magical Charms, a handwritten manuscript penned by two unknown Brits in the 1600s, is shelved at Chicago's Newberry Library, along with two similar books, Quartz reports. The charms manual includes everyday tips and remedies,...

After Bizarre Scene, Rwandan Soccer Bans Witchcraft

Player tries to disrupt goalie's 'juju'

(Newser) - Rwandan soccer officials have added a new rule to the game: no witchcraft. The move comes after a bizarre turn of events at a match between teams Mukura Victory and Rayon Sports on Dec. 16. After hitting the crossbar, Rayon's Moussa Camara can be seen in video footage dashing...

Spot Where Salem 'Witches' Were Hanged Identified

Proctor's Ledge is the fateful spot

(Newser) - Nearly a century ago, historian Sidney Perley identified the place in Salem, Mass., where 19 accused witches met their end in 1692; now, finally, confirmation. The Salem News reports that the seven scholars who compose the Gallows Hill Project have after a five-year effort definitively determined that Proctor's Ledge...

Salem Witch's Prediction Comes True in Court

Judge grants protective order to 'psychic' Lori Bruno Sforza

(Newser) - A Salem witch has come out on top in a court battle with a warlock without the help of a single curse or spell. On Wednesday, a judge ruled New Orleans warlock Christian Day must give up all contact with 75-year-old Lori Bruno Sforza or face up to two and...

Salem Witch: This Warlock Is Harassing Me

The pair head to court Wednesday to decide if she gets order of protection

(Newser) - A woman who calls herself a witch priestess is taking the self-proclaimed "world's best-known warlock" to court over accusations of harassment. Lori Sforza, who runs a witchcraft shop and leads a pagan church in Salem, Mass., filed for court-ordered protection against harassment from Christian Day, whom she accuses...

Cops: Ritualistic Murder May Be Tied to Blue Moon

Florida mother and her 2 sons had slit throats and hammer wounds

(Newser) - An elderly woman and her two sons have been found dead at their home in Pensacola, Fla., the apparent victims of what police are calling a ritualistic murder that coincided with last week's blue moon (ie the second full moon in July). Voncile Smith, 77, Richard Thomas Smith, 49,...

King-Protecting 'Witchmarks' Uncovered in Home

Though King James I never made it to the Knole estate in Kent

(Newser) - Most old homes bear normal signs of wear and tear. The strange gouge marks beneath the floorboards of "one of Britain's most important historic houses," however, tell a pretty interesting story, the Independent reports: They were intended to guard King James I from witches and other evil...

Pacific Fears Spread of Sorcery-Killings
 Pacific Fears Spread 
 of Sorcery-Killings 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jun 9, 2013 11:37 AM CDT

Pacific Fears Spread of Sorcery-Killings

Papua New Guinea brings back death penalty as countermeasure

(Newser) - A conference being held at Australia's National University generally would fly under the radar—but when the topic is witchcraft, the equation changes. What experts are talking about: The fear that sorcery-related violence could spread from Papua New Guinea to other parts of the Pacific. Time reports that deaths...

'Penis-Snatching' Case Startles Visitor in Africa

Anthropologist 'intrigued' by alleged witchcraft

(Newser) - An American anthropologist was surprised to encounter reports of penis-snatching in an African village—but only because the "crime" is normally confined to more populated areas, the Daily Mail reports. Writing at AlterNet , Louisa Lombard recounts her visit to the village of Tiringoulou in the Central African Republic, where...

Accused Witch Burned Alive in Papua New Guinea

Despite scores of witnesses, no arrests have been made

(Newser) - The AP has a horrific story from Papua New Guinea, where a 20-year-old woman was tortured by a mob and then burned alive after being accused of witchcraft. Hundreds of bystanders watched, and some even photographed her death, but local police have yet to make a single arrest. Kepari Leniata,...

Saudi Arabia Takes Heat Over Beheading of 'Witch'

Amnesty International condemns move

(Newser) - It sounds like something out of the wrong century, but Amnesty International finds itself condemning Saudi Arabia for beheading a woman accused of being a witch. Amina bin Salem Nasser was decapitated yesterday after being convicted on charges of "witchcraft and sorcery," though the government didn't spell...

Ex-TSA Employee: I Was Fired Because I'm a Witch

Carole A. Smith claims religious discrimination got her canned

(Newser) - Carole A. Smith ranked among the top 10% of workers when it came to catching weapons on the X-ray machine at New York's Albany International Airport. So why did the TSA fire her? She says it was over her religious beliefs: Smith is a practicing Wiccan, or, as she calls...

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