How did people find out if someone was a witch?

Answer 1

Answer that's wrongThey determined real witches by how they acted but that was wrong to ask cause they were all blamed cause people could be who they want to be. AnswerThe Salem Witch Trials were started by a few young girls (mean spirited) and angry at a maid in the home of one of the girls so they decided to get even with her and called her a 'witch.' One of the girl's younger sisters was very ill, laying in a feverish state in her bed and they blamed the maid for putting a hex on the young child. Immediately the maid was arrested. The village of Salem turned into terror, ignorance, mass hysteria and accusing one another. Friend and neighbor turning on each other. Some came forward lying that their neighbor or friend was a witch to save themselves ... after all if you come forward and accuse another then it meant you were innocent!

One must remember during the Salem Witch Trials when 6 men, the rest women were accused of witchcraft and questions the women (all imprisoned and some died in prison awaiting execution by hanging or tied to a stake to burn to death) only said that they were tortured and tormented. Unlike today the women accused of being witches were unable to say how they were tortured, but one can only guess.

Researchers who have read documents, etc., have come up with a few clear statements of torture to try and make the accused admit they were witches and all refused.

• The accusers would tie up the accused and cast them into a water hole, such as a river or a pond. If the accused floated, they were considered to be in collusion with Satan, on the other hand, if they sank, they were cleared of the charges of witchcraft. The innocent women of course would fight for their lives and none sank, all floundered.
• Those women who were pregnant were allowed to give birth before they were executed. There is some speculation that during imprisonment that some were raped.
• A 'Witches Cake' would be made from human urine mixed with rye flour and once the cake was baked a dog was brought in and fed the cake. If the dog ate it the accusers assumed that each bite the dog took would send the so-called witch accused into great pain and groans and howling.
• 1 of the 6 men Giles Cory who was 80 years old refused to condemn any women in the village of witchcraft and refused to admit he too was a witch so they laid him out in a field and piled heavy stones on him hoping that he would admit to being a witch. He did not and he died.

To this day researchers re Salem Witch Trials are still trying to trace back what really happened and what would cause such mass hysteria. One theory is that the rye that the villagers used was often moldy which would cause fevers, chills, stomach aches and sometimes death, but there has been little proof of this.

Answer 2

Basically, they would pick someone who behaved in an eccentric manner, had very few friends, and nobody knew very much about. Usually this meant the little old lady nobody bothered to visit. Nice, no? Other factors included whether the person had any knowledge of herbal lore, be it medicinal or otherwise, and whether the person kept a dog or a cat for a pet (no joke).

Answer 3

There were many "tests" to see if a women was a witch. In some cases they would bind the womens hands and feet and throw her into a body of water. If she floated, she was a witch. Sometimes they would try to burn the suspect at the stake. If she didn't burn, she was a witch. The tests grow more and more gruesome but they share the theme that if the subject survived, she was guilty, and if she died, she was innocent.

Answer 4

People who had something against them said they saw them commiting witchcraft. That person just said so and the "witch" was killed.

Answer 5

they did a series of tests. If someone was suspicious, they wold do these tests and if they failed, they were killed

Answer 6

They were thrown into a river or lake. If they drowned they were innocent and if they survived they were condemned as a witch!

Answer 7

They used various stupid methods like weighing someone in a large scale against a huge bible book.