The Curious Incident at Blackrock Township

The incident began in 1705 at Blackrock Township in the Province of Massachusetts Bay in the house of the [[Rev. Steadfast Hopkins|family]]. After evenmeal, the reverend's daughter Freegift Hopkins fell into a [[violent fit|2]].

Within a fortnight, four other village girls fell prey to similar fits. Suspicion immediately fell upon the Hopkins' serving girl, "an [[oft rebellys and headstronge|3]] native of the West Indies" named [[Ezola Midnight|ezola]].

"Steadfast Hopkins v. Ezola Midnight: The Deposition of Freegift Hopkins aged about 14 years who testified and said that on the 14th of April 1705 "I saw the Apparition of Ezola Midnight come and afflict me & did tortor me most greviously: I veryly believe in my heart that Ezola Midnight is a [[dreadful witch|consort]]." Freegift Hopkins affirmed to the jury of Inquest. that the above written evidence: is the truth upon the oath: she has formerly taken in court of Oyer & Terminer: Septr 9: 1705" -- Trial transcripts from Massachusetts State Historical Archives, Hopkinsville

"The monthe, we don trade a cow of considered worthe for a girl to work the farm. This girl is called by the heathen name Ezola & resisteth all manner of Christian blandishments. She came to us from Santo Domingo at the age of 19 summers. She is oft rebellys & headstronge as is the way of her kind and persists in the blasphemies of her ancestors but [[she can be made to recite the Lord's prayer if she is put to the lash|4]]. However she has a gift to quiet the baby with the lulling songs of her tung." -- Diary of Rev. Steadfast Hopkins (9/12/1703)

B: And thou hast consort with the divill? E: Nay, I have not had consort with the divill. B: When dost thou firste consort with the divill? E: Nay, I say agin: I am innocent. B: [[Confess thine witchcraft|darkwalk]], wench, and end thine torment. Should thou [[remain obstinate|darkwalk2]] in thine sin, thou should suffer tortors most foule. -- Trial transcripts from Massachusetts State Historical Archives, Hopkinsville

"Under torture, Ezola confessed to having signed a compact with the devil, even saying that the devil had assigned unto her a familiar spirit named Red Rags. The trial transcripts don't include a description of Red Rags, but scholars generally accept from Ezola's later descriptions that he was either a [[cat]] or a [[stoat]]." -- //The Blackrock Trial Reconsidered//, By Donald E. Westingmore, PhD (University of Massachusetts Press, 2010)

"Ezola Midnight was carried in a Cart, through the streets of Blackrock Township, to Execution. When he was upon the Ladder, she made a proclamation nunto [sic] the goodly peoples of Blackrock who had assembled to see God's justice be done: [[A pox|pox]] upon your heads and the heads of your children forevermore, spoke Ezola Midnight, followed by muche chatter in the heathen tung of her peeple before she was silenced by the hangmans noose. A special curse I call upon the house of the reverend hopkins and his kin, sayeth Ezola. -- Anonymous, //Of the Witch at Blackrock// pamphlet (circa 1720)

"Red Rags haveth four legs. He haveth a tail & teeth veryly like nives. He speaketh in a voice like thunder and he asketh only for a suckle of blood in payment for the [[terrible deeds|deeds]] he does." -- Ezola Midnight, //A Narrative of Witchcraft & Divillry as Told by a Native of Hispaniola// (Boston, 1712)

"Red Rags is a critchur of the earth, he burrows beneath the dirt & knoweth all things underneath. He is veryly sly like the wizzle & he knoweth howe to avoid trouble with many cunning [[ruses|treasure]]." -- Ezola Midnight, //A Narrative of Witchcraft & Divillry as Told by a Native of Hispaniola// (Boston, 1712)

"Mine father oft lamented that Ezola should bring infamy unto our house with her sharp tung and backsassery. Oft she would spin greate yarns of her life in Santo Domingo for the amusement of the village children. She spoke once that she met a bugge-man in the woode which much desired to eat hir numbles but she did worry him about the arse with a tambran switch. Mine father thot such talk unchristian and did oft give her the lash but such tales led us sure to be she must haf league with the [[divill|4]]." -- Freegift Hopkins, quoted in //The Curious Incident at Blackrock Township// (Boston, 1710)

"As soon as she was turned off [hung], the [[Rev. Hopkins]] addressed himself to the People, saying that the divil often had been transformed into the Angel of Light. And this did somewhat appease the People, and the Executions went on; when she [Ezola Midnight] was cut down, she was dragged by a Halter to a Hole, or Grave, between the Rocks, about two feet deep; she was so put in that one of hir Hands, and hir Chin, and a Foot of one of them, was left uncovered." -- Anonymous, //Of the Witch at Blackrock// pamphlet (circa 1720)

B: And what did Red Rags say to you? E: He came unto me in the night and he sayeth 'Serve me.' B: And what didst thou reply? E: I sayeth: [[Veryly]]. -- Trial transcripts from Massachusetts State Historical Archives, Hopkinsville

B: Dost thou confess to the torment of Freegift Hopkins. E: Veryly. Red Rags asketh me: 'What will thou havest me do to her?' And I sayeth 'I wish thou to torment her. Giveth her great pain in hir numbles.' B: Why hath thou done this? E: Veryily for a revel. B: What of thine coven? And hast thou committed witchcraft with others? [[Yay]] or [[nay]]? -- Trial transcripts from Massachusetts State Historical Archives, Hopkinsville

"A gloryous day! The witche Ezola Midnight hath confessed her idolatry & blasphemies. Mayhaps the magistrate will find the hangman's noose a fitting end for this servant of the divill. From now on her [[wagging tung]] will be stilled & she shall do no more mischiff to our faire township." -- Diary of Rev. Steadfast Hopkins (10/9/1705)

The Curious Incident at Blackrock Township A Twine game by Bitter Karella Additional information comes from the Hopkinsville Historical Society and the Blackrock State Park archives.

"The magistrate could scarce believe what number of witchs conspired to mischief & all men and women of goodly repute. Yet when I revilled that the house of Hopkins were all of them witchs, he took my word to be false unless that I could give detail. [[Which I did do|Hopkins]]." -- Ezola Midnight, //A Narrative of Witchcraft & Divillry as Told by a Native of Hispaniola// (Boston, 1712)

"The wench was muche given to idle chatter throughout, but dide veryly become obstinate & refuse to name her coven. The divill did bind her tung, so she was sentenced to the death of [[not a witch|noconfess]]. God's will be done." -- //Rememberances of a Country Magistrate//, By Bartholemew Ashe (Cambridge, 1732)

"Ezola Midnight was subjected to an unusual form of torture called //the dark walk// for three days. At the end of the third day, she called out to Court Magistrate Bartholemew Ashe that she was ready to [[confess]] to anything." -- //The Blackrock Trial Reconsidered//, By Donald E. Westingmore, PhD (University of Massachusetts Press, 2010)

"Ezola Midnight was subjected to an unusual form of torture called //the dark walk// for three days, but she continued to maintain her innocence. She was eventually sentenced to hang, but she always protested that she was [[not a witch|noconfess]]." -- //The Blackrock Trial Reconsidered//, By Donald E. Westingmore, PhD (University of Massachusetts Press, 2010)

"The native girl sed that a shade in the form of the Reverend Hopkins first brought to her a book and bade her sign her marke & veryly she did sign for she afeared the lash. She sed that afterward she did oft see the Reverend in the company of a black dogge that would whisper strange tellings to the Reverend & make him aware of strange knowings. She sed the Reverend Hopkins did fly through the air to a sabbath & many other [[wonders]]." -- Anonymous, //Of the Witches at Blackrock// pamphlet (circa 1720)

The Hopkins household in 1705 Rev. Steadfast Hopkins, 52 Prudence Hopkins, 40? Freegift Hopkins, 14 Diffidence Hopkins, 8 months Ezola Midnight, 22? -- [[Blackrock Township records|start]]

"The confessed witch Ezola Midnight was spared from the hangman's noose on account of haffing riveeled other foule witchs for God's justice. The Reverend Steadfast Hopkins refuseth to divulge the whereabouts of his coven & denieth his witchcraft and so was sentenced to [[hang by the noose]]." -- //Rememberances of a Country Magistrate//, By Bartholemew Ashe (Cambridge, 1732)

"The town could scarce belieff mine father was a foule witch yet the proof of Ezola's words could not be denied. Ezola did not show for the hanging, for she did veryly vanish as a fogge from out township when the magistrate releesed her from bondage. Mine mother beliffed she escaped to Nouvelle-France to live free amung the savages but I haffs herd from sea merchants tales that she [[returned to her peoples in Hispaniola|Grave]]." -- Freegift Hopkins, quoted in //The Curious Incident at Blackrock Township// (Boston, 1710)

E: Mine familiar came unto me & asked that the childe Freegift Hopkins shood be tormented with much paine for so does it plees the divill. B: And thou didst this of thine will? Were thou alone in thine blasphemy? How many other witchs did belong in thine coven? [[Name thine accomplices|Hopkins]] or [[remain silent|nay]] & see how the mercy of the court falls. -- Trial transcripts from Massachusetts State Historical Archives, Hopkinsville

The Rev. Steadfast Hopkins [[died|Grave]] of a mysterious illness within the year. The rest of the Hopkins family is believed to have perished during a cholera outbreak in 1706. -- //The Blackrock Trial Reconsidered//, By Donald E. Westingmore, PhD (University of Massachusetts Press, 2010)