John Willard, born no later than 1672, was one of the people executed for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts, during the Salem witch trials of 1692. He was hanged on Gallows Hill, Salem on August 19. At the time of the first allegations of witchcraft Willard was serving as a constable in the village of Salem and his duties included bringing the accused before the court. Soon, however, he began to doubt the truth of the accusations and in May 1692 he refused to make any more arrests. In retaliation Ann Putnam and others accused him of witchcraft, and of murdering thirteen citizens.
Read more about John Willard: Timeline (1692)
Famous quotes containing the word john:
“The very fact that there are experts may be intimidating; we hate to think that there must be one best way to handle any situation as parents and that we dont know what it is. So as we get more and more advice we seem less and less sure of what we ought to do for our children.”
—C. John Sommerville (20th century)