What were the "jail" conditions for suspected witches during the salem witch hunt trials?

Question

i cant seem to find much information in detail of what there living conditions and what they went through in jail and for how long ...food and treatment and what they were subjected to do ..can anyone show me a link or help me explain what exactly they're ordeal was and what they went through ..thank you very much

Answer 1

Jails for suspected witches were small and unkempt. However if you could afford things, 25 cents for a pillow and 50 for clean sheets, then you were given these things. You also had to pay for food and water. However since your wealth was immediately grabbed by the so called " police" of that time/ jailers/ you did not have such money. The jail cells were grimy and disgusting obviously filled with excrement since they were most likely only given a small chamber pot to use as a toilet. There was no water to wash one selves with so they were most likely covered in their own vile. Depending on when you were called to court your stay lasted from days to months. Children were even kept in these cells and many went insane after even short periods of time.

Hope I helped:)  

Answer 2

  When I was in Salem a few years ago, they have a museum of a recreated jail.  The cells varied in size.  People had to pay for their own upkeep while in jail!  So rich people had a decent size room and good food.  The desitute had to STAND in a cell that was only about 3 feet square and 7 or so tall!  For weeks or months!

Answer 3

The root cause of the witch trials, was the mid wives taking business away from doctors, that is true.

Answer 4

As far as I was aware, there was no jail for witches. They were put to the test in a die a christian, or live and die at the hands of us clause. Many of these tests were as stupid as they drowned  a suspect in water. If she floated, she was a witch and was to burn at the stake, if she was human, she would have drowned and died as a christian. Needless to say, these were the biggest farce trials in history, and thousands upon thousands of young women, were kept afraid of the fear of being condemned witches. Any woman who delved in science was declared a witch.

I'm not big on the subject. I think the History channel did a program on this a number of years ago.  Try their site and many others. Wikipedia is a good site for this, although I dont trust wiki.

Hope I've helped. =)