Killing the Witches: The Horror of Salem, Massachusetts

By 1777, the colonists had been at war with the Crown for two years, declaring an independent United States of America. After writing the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson took a particular interest in religious freedom, writing a bill for the Virginia assembly. It stated that “the opinions and belief of men depend not on their own will but follow involuntarily the evidence proposed in their minds; that Almighty God hath created the mind free” (215). He found an opponent in Patrick Henry, who supported taxes for state-sponsored churches. Once Henry became governor, he lost his vote, and the General Assembly passed Jefferson’s bill.

Years later, as delegates gathered to write a new Constitution for the United States, “the first priority is finding common ground on the subject of religious freedom” (217).

Fifty-five delegates, including an 81-year-old Benjamin Franklin, met in Philadelphia in May 1787 to discuss a new form of government for the United States. In addition to disputes between large states and small states, and questions over the size of the federal government, one major issue was religious freedom. For advocates of a federal bill of rights, including to freedom of religion, “the Salem witch trials are used as an example of local governments out of control” (221). Franklin was probably the most esteemed of all delegates, but he ceded the presidency of the convention to George Washington. No one was better prepared for the Convention than James Madison, an introverted scholar with a deep knowledge of political science and history. He was eager to ensure freedom of religion and speech into the Constitution, while his fellow Virginian Patrick Henry publicly opposed the Constitution from back home.

During the Convention, there was fierce debate over how to apportion a legislature, whether by state or population, and Franklin urged a compromise. Adding fuel to the fire, Connecticut’s Roger Sherman proposed that “the new America should be a Christian nation…church and state should be ‘mutually beneficial’ and that taxes should be collected to support local ministers. He says there is no room in this world for any faith other than Christianity” (226). The Convention was able to compromise on the matter of representation, but it was another two years before Madison was able to incorporate a Bill of Rights as the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. On the day of signing the Constitution in September 1787, Franklin declared, “[O]n the whole, sir, I cannot help expressing a wish, that every member of this convention, who may still have objections to it, would with me on this occasion doubt a little of his own infallibility, and to make manifest our unanimity, put his name to this instrument” (229-30). America remained a mostly Christian country, but there would be toleration of different sects and faiths. The memory of what happened at Salem would remain salient and start to feature prominently in popular culture.

In 1947, 13-year-old Ronald Hunkeler received lessons from his Aunt Tillie on how to commune with the dead. Soon, there were disturbing incidents, such as the sound of water dripping and an insistent scratching noise, and a picture of Christ that appeared to shake on its own. Suddenly, Aunt Tillie died, and so Ronald “channels his grief in a way that Tillie would have approved: conjuring up her spirit on the Ouija board” (234). More strange events occurred, including mysterious sounds and shaking objects, and the rest of Ronald’s family noticed. Ronald’s health declined, and his parents pulled him from school and sought psychiatric help without success. The family consulted a minister, who “thinks the events are elaborate pranks” (236) and offered to host Ronald in his home one night. After witnessing seemingly inexplicable events, the minister decided to consult a Catholic priest, on the grounds that “the Catholics know about things like this (237).

Father Edward Albert Hughes has little experience with exorcisms or demonic possession, but he likewise found the case of Ronald Hunkeler very disturbing, especially when the boy spoke to him, in Latin, saying “o priest of Christ…you know that I am the devil. Why do you keep bothering me?” (239). Transferred to Georgetown University hospital (a Catholic facility), Ronald spoke many languages, including Aramaic—the language spoken by Jesus. Father Hughes attempted to pray over the boy and expel the demon, but Ronald broke free of his restraints and attacked the priest, who ultimately suffered a nervous breakdown. Ronald’s parents decided to call in Jesuit priests, thought to be experts on demonic possession.

Jesuit priest William Bowdern performed an exorcism over Ronald, whose parents took him to St. Louis. Strange events continued to transpire, from a moving bookcase to scars emerging on his skin. Demonic possession is still considered a real thing by the Church, although exorcisms are extremely rare occurrences and the church usually delegates to secular mental health experts. But in this case, Father Bowdern thought that the possession was authentic and underwent an intense series of nights with Ronald. There seemed to be success, after a round of prayers ended with Ronald sleeping through the night. Then, things took another turn for the worse, with Ronald warning, “[A]ll people that mangle with me will die a terrible death” (248). Ronald was baptized into the Catholic faith, but he tried to crash the car on the way to the church. On Easter Sunday, after a full month of sessions, a voice claiming to be Saint Michael ordered the demon out of Ronald. Father Bishop submitted a case history but urged that it remain confidential. It reached the Washington Post but did not use Ronald’s actual name.

Ronald Hunkeler returned to a normal life, but Georgetown student William Blatty became fixated on the case and wanted to know the details, eventually managing to get his hands on Father Bishop’s journal. By 1971, he published a fictionalized version of the story called The Exorcist, and after he promoted it on The Dick Cavett Show, it became a major bestseller, adapted into one of the most acclaimed horror films of all time. Shooting the film was intense, and the director intentionally drove its young star, Linda Blair, into physical and emotional anguish in order to capture more authentic emotions. There were also bizarre circumstances, including the deaths of nine cast and crew members during filming and unexplained images captured by the cameras. The director walked away convinced that demonic possession was real.

In 1973, Ronald Hunkeler was a NASA engineer with a wife and children. When the film version of The Exorcist was released a day after Christmas, he feared that the popularity of the subject would expose him as its source. Some of the priests involved attended the film’s premiere. The area around the Hunkeler house continued to exhibit strange phenomena, including a man killing his mother because “some power just took over me” (261). After going through a divorce and estrangement from two of his children, Ronald Hunkeler spent the rest of his life evading suspicion that he was the source of the book and film.

In 2020, and Ronald Hunkeler was dying at the age of 84. Suddenly, a priest arrived, even though no one called for one. The priest, whose name remained unknown, performed the last rites, and Hunkeler died shortly afterwards. His partner later confessed to a reporter, “I have no idea how the Father knew to come but he got Ron to heaven (263).

The concept of demonic possession still exists in a form where accusations mean guilt. This includes the press affecting and running people’s lives (265). People like Rosanne Barr and J.K. Rowling become subjects of mass criticism after they make controversial comments. The authors see a faint echo of the Salem Witch Trials in the public criticism of celebrities: “Literally no one is safe from the new witch hunt” (267). In 2018, a teacher was arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing a male student. She was found not guilty and eventually won $5 million in a suit against the county. The authors close by suggesting that “there is an active evil in our country” lurking behind these accusations, and that “something is generating all this. Something” (267).

Salem has turned its history of witch trials and mass hysteria into a powerful industry, driving tourism and the entertainment industry. People involved in modern forms of witchcraft and the occult flock to cities, with roughly 10% of the population being Wiccan, whereas there were no actual witches in 1692. Many commemorate the spots where the victims were put to death. The authors conclude that “the Salem witch trials are a unique part of U.S. history. There is no question the Puritans lost their way and committed atrocities, but justice did ultimately prevail and a terrible situation was used for good as the Constitution prohibits an established or official church” (273). The term “witch hunt” now more broadly encompasses a host of social actions, with the implication that they are unjust and destructive. The death of the witches was tragic, but it helped lay the groundwork for a country where “people can also make up their own minds about good, evil, God, and the Devil. Americans possess the absolute right to believe or not believe” (274).