Frank O. Small
“Salem Witchcraft Trial,” 1892

The year is 1692. In Frank O. Small’s painting, “Salem Witchcraft Trial,” a chilling psychological drama unfolds. At the center, on a raised platform, stands the accused: Pastor George Burroughs. In the foreground, 12-year-old Ann Putnam writhes in a fit, clutching her throat and pointing at him. She claims his invisible spirit is strangling her right there in the courtroom.

Small captures the absurdity of Salem, where men as well as women were tried as “witches.” The judges believed the children’s performance—after all, how could anyone prove an apparition wasn’t guilty? This courtroom spectacle cost Burroughs his life: he was hanged without mercy.

But the story’s final turn came years later. In 1706, Ann, now grown, faced a crisis of conscience. She went to church and publicly apologized to the families of those who had been executed. She admitted she had falsely accused innocent people, becoming Salem’s only accuser to repent.

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