We know she died in prison in September 1692 but I've found nothing about when she was put there. One of the frustrations with this is that I have not been able to find a reference to her in any of the lists of those accused of witchcraft. There seems to be a well established list, but I'm not sure what qualified you to be included. A specific charge? This leads me to believe that either, as you say, they weren't accusing people of witchcraft by that time, but needed some excuse to get her "off the street," and therefore she wouldn't appear on the list we all refer to, or the list is in fact specific to a particular accusation or charge, and do not include many other people. Makes me wonder how many others there were. She was an older woman, wife of William Chamberlain, both well respected members of Billerica. Unless the charge of Mischief means turning over people's trash cans or causing other mayhem, until I can find what Mischief means I think the conclusion that she was there for some reason related to Witchcraft is the best assumption right now. If only I can find some other reference. Since Mischief may not be Withcraft, looking for general prison/arrest records rather than info related specifically to the Witchcraft trials may shed some light. Thanks to all for your input. George Lewis Date forwarded: Sat, 2 Nov 2002 13:43:33 -0700 From: "Francine Nicholson" <sorcha432@hotmail.com> Date sent: Sat, 02 Nov 2002 15:43:36 -0500 Subject: [SALEM-WITCH-L] Re: SALEM-WITCH-D Rebecca Chambers To: SALEM-WITCH-L@rootsweb.com Forwarded by: SALEM-WITCH-L@rootsweb.com > I can't help with sources but I expect you're correct in assuming that > your ancestor's "mischief" might have been a euphemism for witchcraft, > especially since Spetember, 1692 was a time when charges of witchcraft > were not being taken as seriously as they were earlier in the year. I > have a vague notion of "mischief" being a crime, though I'm not sure > it was a capital one (as witchcraft was). > > I wonder: how many people were impriosoned, tried, and convicted on > charges of "mischief" when people were really thinking--but souldn't > prove--"witchcraft. I've read of cases where people sued for civil > damage when someone accused them--but failed to prove--of being a > witch. Were such civil remedies also possible for charges of > "mischief"? > > Francine Nicholson >

"Mischief" is causing damage to another person's property, according to Black's Law Dictionary. The damage can have been caused deliberately (in which case it's sometimes called "malicious mischief") or through negligence. For instance if your cows destroyed part of a neighbor's crops, that could be considered mischief. The Oxford English Dictionary confirms that the legal term "mischief" meant tangible damage as early as the 16th century. Jenny Gibbons (jenny@panix.com)

Thanks Jenny for the info. I hope I can find more on her particular case, if it's there to be found. George Date forwarded: Sun, 3 Nov 2002 15:27:55 -0700 From: "Jenny Gibbons" <jenny@panix.com> Subject: Re: [SALEM-WITCH-L] Re: SALEM-WITCH-D Rebecca Chamberlain Date sent: Sun, 3 Nov 2002 14:28:57 -0800 To: SALEM-WITCH-L@rootsweb.com Forwarded by: SALEM-WITCH-L@rootsweb.com > "Mischief" is causing damage to another person's property, according > to Black's Law Dictionary. The damage can have been caused > deliberately (in which case it's sometimes called "malicious > mischief") or through negligence. For instance if your cows destroyed > part of a neighbor's crops, that could be considered mischief. The > Oxford English Dictionary confirms that the legal term "mischief" > meant tangible damage as early as the 16th century. > > Jenny Gibbons > (jenny@panix.com) > >