WVXU: Bethel, Ohio, had its own witch trial

During the Salem Witch Trials of the 17^th century, things never seemed to go well for the accused. But in Ohio, a witch trail didn’t end with a drowned “witch”.

Trials of one sort or another continued long after the infamous Salem Witch Trials. Even today, we still have the term "witch hunt."

"People, when they say that now, they tend to mean trumped up charges that are baseless and that are simply done as a kind of cynical cover for what people actually want to do, which is to just persecute people," Erika Gasser, a UC associate professor of history, tells WVXU in “All Things Considered”.

Gasser says it's important to remember actual witch trials were conducted by people who were sincere, and after formal trials ended many Americans still wanted officials to prosecute those they suspected of harming them. 

Listen to how the trial unfolded. 

Featured image of witch with pumpkin: Photo/Yakovleva/Unsplash