When Ann Putnam Jr. accused Martha Corey, she once said that a pale old woman had been sitting in her grandmother's seat.
In a town like Salem, a family's prosperity was tied to the number and placement of its seats in church. After the witch trials, the Putnam family had fewer seats in the church. Fourteen years later, the former prophet prayed under the new minister's leadership for forgiveness from those who had been arrested or accused.
Her confession twice mentioned, "I acted together with others," and three times stated, "I was merely an instrument."
The ministers were not teenage girls. They knew perfectly well what had happened.
From the moment Ann Putnam Jr. said that the Devil could change shape, and that his appearance changed but not his sex, it meant that every minister could be accused just as Burroughs had been. Their lives were threatened by an invisible sword. If they did not do something, they too would be forced to "perform," just like those victims standing in the accusers' seats.
The king of France had used this tactic before, though people in France had done it more openly, directly seizing the Pope and taking him to Avignon. Even Increase Mather, who had an unusual relationship with Phips, knew how vast the difference was between controlling others and being controlled by them.
So, after reaching an agreement, the ministers went to Alden's home in Boston and removed every piece of "evidence" that might be connected to witchcraft accusations.
Naturally, professionals left no trace when destroying evidence. Once they were done, the ministers went to Boston's Old South Church, the church led by Samuel Conrad. It was the only church involved in the Salem witch trials that had both a minister and an accused person, and John Alden had