What was the touch test used during the Salem Witch Trials? - ProProfs Discuss
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What was the touch test used during the Salem Witch Trials?

Asked by T. Wikati, Last updated: Mar 27, 2024

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O. Bickis

O. Bickis

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O. Bickis
O. Bickis, Corporate employee, MBA, Stockton

Answered Mar 07, 2019

The touch test was premised on the idea that victims of sorcery would have a special reaction to physical contact with their evil doer. In the cases where a possessed person fell into spells, the suspected witch would be brought into the room and asked to lay a hand on them.

The touch test was premised on the idea that victims of sorcery would have a special reaction to
No reaction signaled innocence, but if the victim came back into reality, it was taken as proof that the suspect had put them under a spell. In court, they would often look for the devil's mark on the person being accused. They would prick whoever was charged with being a witch with a needle or pin. If the person felt pain, then they were not a witch. If they did not, then they were. Touch tests played an integral role in the 1662 trial of Rose Cullender and Amy Denny.

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