"The Courtroom" "Sarah Williams, will you not confess to agreeing to collusion with Mr.

Forrester, where you therein performed acts of a satanic nature against the will of God, killing your husband, Mr. Robert Williams, who would, if not had you persuaded him to write a will five days beforehand, leaving everything to you, would have died intestate?" Judge Randolph, the head of this tribunal, said. "I keep my deposition as I have with all the others, and I will stand by it to the grave. I am faithful, and in no way am I guilty of any crime. I do not know Mr. Forrester and I loved my husband dearly." "Perjury, perjury! Stop this devil's mistress from spreading her lies! Burn her! Burn her! She's a witch!" "Order, order!" the second judge, Judge Allister, decreed. The room was silent once more. "Miss Williams," the third of the tribunal, Judge Walker, sighed, "This is the third time you have asked for an appellate court ruling, all adjudicated by men of equity, and in the past two, you have been found guilty. All evidence, whether incriminating or exonerating, has been exhumed and analyzed again and again. There is nothing to show of your innocence and many witnesses of the crime. Make this easier on yourself and allow yourself salvation so that you will be saved by God and forever out of the devil's reach. Tell me what has happened to you, child." "Judges Walker, Allister and Randolph, let us examine, again, these witnesses." Mr. Carson, the defense attorney, said, clearing his throat. "The woman, Abigail Reed, who had first

started this litigation, had a strong motive for framing Goody Williams. She, in fact, had a vendetta against her for taking what she felt was her position as the most fruitful woman of the town when so many of her babies- whom the defendant had been the midwife for, had died under her care. She also had a vendetta against the deceased, who had, in her belief, convinced Goody Williams to murder her babies. She has since died." "Who is to say that this witch did not murder her as well?" the same man that had cried witch before shouted. "Goody Harris has become incommunicado from her old age, and her accounts of what had transpired are to be discounted." "Incommunicado? Not from age I say, but her tongue is being held by the devil himself!" "Hold your tongue, Mr. Weatherby." Judge Allister quipped. "Ahem, as I was saying," Carson prompted. "These two witnesses cannot be trusted. Furthermore, is this tragedy that has befallen this poor woman a crime of hers? It is a crime against her, and another that you should accuse her and put her worldly possessions on lien! If anything, she should file a tort against you. And is it an ipso facto crime for a woman to simply outlive her husband? Is that truly what this case comes to?" Judge Randolph sighed and said, exasperated, "Mr. Carson, it is clear that you are grasping at straws here. You are a pettifogger, nothing more. You do not wish to see the laws of god-" "Of wrongful men!" Carson interrupted, but was ignored.

"But rather you seek the riches of the devil's work. I find the defendant guilty of all crimes once more. The defendant, Goody Williams, will hang at dawn until dead."