| Sarah Good was the most famous of the witches of Salem Village.
Sarah Good was well known to the people of Salem Village. The community viewed her as a distracted and melancholic woman whose erratic behavior caused most people to believe the accusations of witchcraft against her. William Good, Sarah's husband, was a laborer who made a meager income which caused the Goods to rely on the charity and goodwill of their neighbors. At times, the Goods were forced to move in with their neighbors, an arrangement which never lasted for long.
Sarah Good's actions and attitudes caused friction with their hosts and eventually the Good's would be asked to leave. Some neighbors began to notice that their livestock would sicken and sometimes die after the Good's left their households which caused much suspicion and fear towards Sarah. On March 1, 1692, Sarah Good was taken to Ingersoll's Tavern in Salem Village, and was examined by magistrates John Hawthorne and Jonathon Corwin.
Over fifteen people gave statements claiming that Sarah Good bewitched their cattle and other livestock. Others would claim that Sarah would cause objects to disappear or would bewitch their families. When Sarah Good was questioned about these incidents, it was noted that her answers were given in mean-spirited and spiteful ways, using abusive words. During her examination, she stated that Tituba and Sarah Osborne were also fellow witches and she claimed that they frightened her into afflicting the girls.
Sarah's husband, William, also testified that he was afraid of her, that she was an enemy of God and he also believed she was a witch. Based on this evidence, she was ordered bound over for trial. Good's daughter, Dorcas, then only five, soon joined her mother in jail because the afflicted girls accused the young girl of biting them. Sarah Good was pregnant at the time of her arrest and gave birth in jail. Because of the lack of medical assistance and the unsanitary conditions, her newborn baby died.
Her trial was set for June 30, 1692, which was also the trial date for Rebecca Nurse, Susannah Martin, Elizabeth Howe and Sarah Wilde. All five were found guilty of witchcraft and were sentenced to death. At Sarah Good's execution, the Reverend Nicholas Noyes pleaded and urged Sarah to confess her guilt. He told her that he knew she was a witch and Sarah Good called the Reverend a liar and stated that she was no more a witch than he was a wizard.
Her final remarks to Reverend Noyes before her execution were that if he took her life, God would give him blood to drink.
Sarah Good was hung July 19, 1692. | 
