#spectral attack

The Crone of the Catskills “As the days went on, the statue appeared to move around the home seemingly of its own accord, muddy footprints began to manifest on the floor, and the pungent scent of stagnant pond water filled the house. On the seventh day, they saw her crouched in the shadows of the living room: The Crone, a horrifying apparition with an emaciated body and eyes that shined in the darkness.”

The Night Hag, by Henry Fuseli, 1741-1858.

"Spectral evidence" is a form of evidence based upon dreams and visions. It was admitted into court during the Salem Witch Trials by the appointed chief justice, William Stoughton. The booklet A Tryal of Witches, taken from a contemporary report of the proceedings of the Bury St. Edmunds witch trial of 1662, became a model for and was referenced in the Trials when the magistrates were looking for proof that such evidence could be used in a court of law. Spectral evidence was testimony that the accused witch's spirit, called a spectre, appeared to the witness in a dream or vision, sometimes as they would appear normally, other times as a foul hag, a swarm of insects, or a black cat or wolf. Thus, witnesses and accusers would testify that "Goody Proctor bit, pinched, and almost choked me," and it would be taken as evidence that the accused were responsible for the biting, pinching and choking; even though they were elsewhere at the time. Thomas Brattle, a merchant of Salem, made note that "when the afflicted do mean and intend only the appearance and shape of such an one, say G. Proctor, yet they positively swear that G. Proctor did afflict them; and they were allowed to do so; as though there was no real difference between G. Proctor and the shape of G. Proctor." Reverend Cotton Mather argued that it was appropriate to admit spectral evidence into legal proceedings, but cautioned that convictions should not be based on spectral evidence alone, as it was possible for the Devil to take the shape of an innocent person.

Witchcraft at Salem Village: With an Account of Salem Village, and a History of Opinions on Witchcraft and Kindred Subjects, Volumes I and II, by Charles Wentworth Upham, c.1856.