Marucci's Bizarre Bazaar

Salem Witch Trials
by Peter Marucci

Effect: “Contrary to popular belief, no one was ever burned at the stake in the Salem witch trials, that shook a small, New England community in the summer of 1692.

Nineteen men and women were hanged and one was pressed to death under rocks. Dozens – nay, hundreds – more spent days, weeks, and months in jail with no charges, no trial, no bail.

Tonight, you (to a spectator) have a chance to decided whether the devil was at work in Salem, Massachusetts, more than 300 years ago and you will also have a chance to save one of the victims.

(The magus shows a small packet of cards on which the names of several of the victims and their dates of execution are inscribed – one per card:

Susannah Martin, hanged July 19, 1692

Sarah Good, hanged July 19, 1692

Rebecca Nurse, hanged July 19, 1692

Sarah Wilds, hanged July 19, 1692

Bridget Bishop, hanged June 10, 1692

Elizabeth Howe, hanged July 19, 1692

(As each card is shown it is turned face down and put under the packet. When they are all shown, the magus shuffles the cards and hands the packet to the spectator for a random method of selecting one card.)

Take this packet of cards, with the names of some of the victims. We’ll use an old-fashioned type of elimination to get a true random selection of just one survivor. Deal one card off the top, face up to the table; the next card, face down under the packet to the bottom. Continue in this manner until you have only one card left.

(The spectator does.)

Now, turn the final card over and see who it is that you saved!

(The last card is the picture of a real witch! The spectator has saved the one person who was actually guilty!)

Working: This should be simple enough.

You’ll need seven blank-faced cards. (I use Bicycles, because the white border on the backs conceals the fact that not all the cards are facing the same way all the time.)

On six of the card, write the name and execution date of the six women accused of witchcraft (above). On the seventh card, stick a picture of a witch (you can get one from your computer’s clip art).

Put all seven cards together in a packet, with the six women face up and the witch face down on the bottom.

Show and read each face up card and, when you are finished, put it face down on the bottom. When you have done all six, without mentioning the number, the seventh (witch) card will have its back showing and look like the first card you turned.

Shuffle the cards, bringing the witch card second from the bottom.

Hand the face-down packet to the spectator and instruct her on how to eliminate all but one card.

This is the “Australian deal” – one card down, and the next card under (until there’s just one card left).

This now works automatically and, when the spectator is holding the last card, face down, it will be the witch.

Ask her to turn it over; she does – and reveals the actual witch.

Second thoughts: This is a very strong piece and probably should be used as a closer to a short, closeup act.

Everything here is true (dates, facts, numbers) and you can add to it; just don’t add so much that the magic is lost. Remember – you are entertaining the audience, not giving them a history lesson!

Enjoy it yourself, too.

Peter Marucci