In this ongoing series, we explore the role of the Masshole throughout history.
The Salem Witch Trials edition were one of the most Masshole periods of American history - one which reshaped judicial process because dreams were briefly considered legally admissible evidence.
The Witch Trials were more about real estate than they were about witchcraft. Because an accuser could lay claim to the accused's land and property (sort of a spooky version of civil forfeiture), there was a financial incentive to make accusations. And it was a reminder that the civic figures - many of the judges, ministers, and sheriffs - that could have stopped the trials had a financial motive to keep them going. (That said, we wonder if the Witch Trials were the origin of the word "wicked" in the New England lexicon).