John Hathorne was the magistrate of Massachusetts Bay Colony towards the beginning of the Salem Witch Trials and is known for how vocal he was during the trials.
Hathorne was absent from the list of men appointed to the Court of Oyer & Terminer in June 1692. That court relied heavily on the spectral evidence, examinations, interrogations, and affidavits previously conducted by Hathorne, co-signed by Jonathan Corwin, and recorded by Rev. Samuel Parris and/or Ezekiel Cheever Jr.
On September 22, 1692, the date of the final eight executions, Hathorne was present at a meeting (Sewall Diary) with Stoughton and Cotton Mather to discuss using court records in a new publication designed to promote the trials.
Unlike Samuel Sewall, Hathorne is not known to have repented for his actions.
Life and Family
What is most known about Hathorne is his actions during the Salem Witch Trials, and not much is known about him outside of that.
His father was Major William Hathorne, who was one of the first settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Most early settlers had much influence, and their children tended to have more options in the colony due to already being established.
His father held many positions of influence for several decades.
John was born in Salem in 1641 and later married Ruth Gardner (also an established family) around 1674.
Hathorne picked up where his father left off and had much skill as a merchant. He built quite a fortune with land and merchant trade to England and the West Indies.
In addition to lands in the Salem area, he also had interests in the lands of what is now Maine. He assumed positions of authority in the town and was appointed a justice of the peace of Essex County and served as a member of the colony's council of assistants.
In this role, he was called on to mediate disputes in the county's towns, including Salem Village.
Salem Witch Trials
The Salem Witch Trials began in the first quarter of 1692 and would continue throughout the year.
When the accusations began to circulate in Salem Village, Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin were called upon to investigate the matter. They would call both the accusers and the accused to determine if there was enough evidence for trial.
Hathorne relied heavily on spectral evidence given by the accusers and is noted for what seems to be the harsh treatment of those he questioned. One of the criticisms of his leadership during the Salem Witch Trials was his inability to be objective and weigh the evidence properly. He seemed extremely harsh towards the accused, did not give them adequate time to refute the accusations, and had his mind made up before the accused stood trial.
During his time at the trials, there were 19 innocents killed and 1 that was pressed to death for refusing to give a plea.
John Hathorne had a reputation for badgering the accused and having an agenda already in place. One of these examples was the exchange he had with Martha Corey, which resulted in him calling her a liar:
“Hathorne: Tell us who hurts these children?
Corey: I do not know.
Hathorne: If you are guilty of this fact, do you think you can hide it?
Corey: The Lord knows.
Hathorne: Well, tell us what you know of this matter.
Corey: Why am I a Gospel woman, and do you think I can have to do with witchcraft, too?
Hathorne: How could you tell that when the child was bid to observe what clothes you wore when someone came to speak with you?
Cheevers interrupted her and bid her not to begin with a lie, and so Edward Putnam declared the matter.
Hathorne: Who told you that?
Corey: He said the child said
Cheever: You speak falsely
Then Edward Putnam read again.
Hathorne: Why did you ask if the child told you what clothes you wore?
Corey: My husband told me the others told
Hathorne: Who told you about the clothes? Why did you ask that question?
Corey: Because I heard the children told what clothes the other wore
Hathorne: Goodman Corey, did you tell her?
The old man denied that he told her so.
Hathorne: Did you not say your husband told you so?
Hathorne: Who hurts these children now look upon them?
Corey: I cannot help it.
Hathorne: Did you not say you would tell the truth? Why do you ask that question: how come you to the knowledge?
Corey: I did, but ask.
Hathorne: You dare thus to lie in all this assembly. You are now before authority. I expect the truth. You promised it. Speak now & tell who told you what clothes?”
He is also remembered for how harsh he treated the first casualty in the trials, Bridget Bishop:
Bishop: I am no witch
Hathorne: Why, if you have not wrote in the book, yet tell me how far you have gone?
Bishop: I have no familiarity with the devil.
Hathorne: How is it, then, that your appearance doth hurt these?
Bishop: I am innocent.
Hathorne: Why you seem to act witchcraft before us by the motion of your body, which seems to have an influence upon the afflicted.
Bishop: I know nothing of it. I am innocent to a witch. I know not what a witch is.
Hathorne: How do you know then that you are not a witch?
Bishop: I do not know what you say.
Hathorne: How can you know you are no witch and yet not know what a witch is?
Bishop: I am clear...
The questioning seems absurd, but when spectral evidence is allowed to be used, these are the types of questions that come from it. Hathorne is relying on it in both instances, but it can clearly be seen during the questioning of Bridget when he asks her how her appearance is hurting the afflicted girls.
Within that question, he is already condemning her and making an assumption that the afflicted girls are not acting and are telling the truth. The fact that he did not seem to question the girl's erratic behavior is problematic.
It should also be noted that many of the women who were on trial were elderly. His treatment of Rebecca Nurse is also known to be harsh. Rebecca Nurse had a great reputation within the community and was known for her pious behavior, yet he made the same assumptions and gave her similar harsh treatment.
He did not allow the accused a chance to defend themselves, and due to the use of spectral evidence and believing it as absolute, it became near impossible for the accused to defend themselves.
Conclusion of Trials
After the mass execution on September 22, 1692, many in power began to question whether or not the court was doing a good job.
Governor Phips played a more active role as well by replacing the court, which led to the end of John Hathorne participating in the trials.
Phips forbade the use of spectral evidence and began releasing those who had been convicted.
Hathorne would live out the remainder of his life in Massachusetts and never apologized for his actions. Despite his lack of remorse, his descendants were ashamed to have him in their family tree. The most notable descendant that was ashamed was Nathaniel Hawthorne, who is rumored to have changed the spelling of his name to separate himself from John and William.
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