JUDGE JOHN HATHORNE
Judge John Hathorne was chosen to be a salem magistrate of the Salem Witch Trials by Governor Sir William Phips. Judge Hathorne took on the role of a prosecutor rather than an impartial judge during the trials. Judge Hathorne’s questioning always began with a presumption of guilt rather than innocence, and he appeared to be on the side of the accusers. Judge Hathorne altered the traditional trial by getting the prosecutors to not only admit to their crimes, but to confess other names of this unlawful act, which made the court process go faster. Judge Hathorne’s task was to query the victims about serious accusations in a time when virtually all Christians believed in witchcraft. Hathorne believed the devil could use witches to undermine the purpose of the church and do harm to people. As justice of the peace, Judge Hathorne conducted initial examinations of the suspected witches.
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