There are a few theories about the witch trials. I believe the best one is greed and power. I you look at who the accusers were it makes some sense. In some cases the accusers were neighbors who acquired the victims land for a pittance after the trials. Some of the accused were people who didn't abide by the intolerance of the church and they somehow made it onto the list of the accused. There is a lot of sordidness behind the story. Dave, a descendant of both Susanna Martin and Samuel Wardwell