ands." It was doubtless
due to his intercession in a letter of October 13, 1662, that she was
released.

The letter:

"To the Honorable Deputy Governour & Court of "Magistracy att Harafort.
(Oct. 1662)

"Honoured and Worthy Srs.--

"By this occasion of me Brother in Lawe (beinge necessitated to make a
Second Voyage for ayde his distressed sister Judith Varleth jmprisoned
as we are jmformed, uppon pretend accusation of wicherye we Realy
Beleeve and out her wel known education Life Conversation & profession
of faith, wee dear assure that shee is jnnocent of Such a horrible
Crimen, & wherefor j doubt not hee will now, as formerly finde jour
dhonnours favour and ayde for the jnnocent). _Ye Ld Stephesons Letter_
(C.B. 2: doc. 1).

MARY BARNES. Farmington, 1662. Convicted January 6. Probably executed.
_Records Particular Court_ (2: 184).

WILLIAM AYRES and GOODY AYRES his Wife. Hartford, 1662. Arrested. Fled
from the colony.

ELIZABETH SEAGER. Hartford, 1662. Convicted; discharged.

Goody Seager probably deserved all that came to her in trials and
punishment. She was one of the typical characters in the early
communities upon whom distrust and dislike and suspicion inevitably
fell. Exercising witch powers was one of her more reputable qualities.
She was indicted for blasphemy, adultery, and witchcraft at various
times, was convicted of adultery, and found guilty of witchcraft in
June, 1665. She owed her escape from hanging to a finding of the Court
of Assistants that the jury's verdict did not legally answer to the
indictment, and she was set "free from further suffering or
imprisonment." _Records County Court_ (3: 5: 52); _Colonial Records of
Connecticut_ (2: 531); _Rhode Island Colonial Records_ (2: 388).

JAMES WALKLEY. Hartford, 1662. Arrested. Fled to Rhode Island.

KATHERINE HARRISON. Wethersfield, 1669. Convicted; discharged.

See account in previous chapter. _Records Court of, Assistants_ (I,
1-7); _Colonial Records of Connecticut_ (2: 118, 132); _Doc. History New
York_ (4th ed., 4: 87).

NICHOLAS DESBOROUGH. Hartford, 1683. Suspicioned.

Desborough was a landowner in Hartford, having received a grant of fifty
acres for his services in the Pequot war. He owes his enrollment in the
hall of fame to Cotton Mather, who was so self-satisfied with his
efforts in "Relating the wonders of the invisible world in preternatural
occurrences" that in his pedantic exuberance he put in a learned
sub-title: "Mir