The representatives of the family of John Ingersoll,—­a brother of Deacon Nathaniel Ingersoll,—­in 1692, occupied a series of houses on the west side of Daniels Street, leading from Essex Street to the harbor.  The widow of John’s son Nathaniel lived at the corner of Essex and Daniels Streets; the next in order was the widow of his son John; the next, his daughter Ruth, wife of Richard Rose; the next, the widow of his son Richard; the last, his son Samuel, whose house lot extended to the water.  Sarah, the witness in this case, was the wife of Samuel, and afterwards became the second wife of Philip English.  One of her children appears to have married a son of Beadle.  Their immediate proximity to the Beadle house, and consequent intimacy with his family, led them to become conversant with what occurred there; and Sarah Ingersoll was, in that way, likely to meet Churchill, and to have the conversation with her to which she deposes.

This brief deposition of Sarah Ingersoll is, in many particulars, an important and instructive paper.  It exhibits incidentally the means employed to keep the accusing girls and confessing witnesses from falling back, and, by overawing them, to prevent their acknowledging the falseness of their testimony.  It shows how difficult it was to obtain a hearing, if they were disposed to recant.  It presents Mr. Noyes—­as all along there is too much evidence compelling us to admit—­acting a part as bad as that of Parris; and it discloses the fact, that Mr. Burroughs, although not yet brought to trial, was immured in a dungeon.

No papers are on file, or have been obtained, in reference to the examination of Margaret Jacobs, which was at the same time and place with that of her grandfather.  We shall hear of her in subsequent stages of the transaction.

On the same day—­May 10—­that George and Margaret Jacobs were apprehended and examined, a warrant was issued against John Willard, “husbandman,” to be brought to Thomas Beadle’s house in Salem.  On the 12th, John Putnam, Jr., constable, made return that he had been to “the house of the usual abode of John Willard, and made search for him, and in several other houses and places, but could not find him;” and that “his relations and friends” said, “that, to their best knowledge, he was fled.”  On the 15th, a warrant was issued to the marshal of Essex, and the constables of Salem, “or any other marshal, or marshal’s constable or constables within this their majesty’s colony or territory of the Massachusetts, in New England,” requiring them to apprehend said Willard, “if he may be found in your precincts, who stands charged with sundry acts of witchcraft, by him done or committed on the bodies of Bray Wilkins, and Samuel Wilkins, the son of Henry Wilkins,” and others, upon complaint made “by Thomas Fuller, Jr., and Benjamin Wilkins, Sr., yeomen; who, being found, you are to convey from town to town, from constable to constable, ... to be prosecuted according to the direction of Constable John Putnam, of Salem Village, who goes with the same.”  On the 18th of May, Constable Putnam brought in Willard, and delivered him to the magistrates.  He was seized in Groton.  There is no record of his examination; but we gather, from the papers on file, the following facts relating to this interesting case:—­