I've been reading "Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds" lately. Written in 1851 by Charles Mackay, the book is a fascinating look at crowd phenomenons and events that have upset social fabrics in Europe, from the 1200s to the 1830s.
Although the chapters on alchemy and the Crusades were interesting, perhaps the most eye-opening chapter was that on witchcraft. For nearly 200 years, people - mostly old, lonely women - were put to death on suspicion of being witches. So bad was the hysteria the onus was on people to prove they were not witches in order to not be put to the stake, drowned, or killed in other cruel devices. They were guilty until proven innocent.
And anyone could accuse anyone of being a witch. Mackay writes of children accusing adults and adults accusing children of witchcraft.
Eventually, the tide turned on accusers, and not only were people they accused innocent until overwhelming evidence could be provided, but soon accusers were prosecuted for faulty accusations.
However, all of Europe did not advance at the same pace. Here is one of the more interesting cases:
So for no reason, they killed a guy. Then they got off with only aggravated manslaughter. And the ringleader was acquitted.Julian Desbourdes, aged fifty-three, a mason, and inhabitant of the village of Thilouze, near Bordeaux, was taken suddenly ill, in the month of January 1818. As he did not know how to account for his malady, he suspected at last that he was bewitched. He communicated this suspicion to his son-in-law, Bridier, and they both went to consult a sort of idiot, named Baudouin, who passed for a conjuror, or white-witch. This man told them that Desbourdes was certainly bewitched, and offered to accompany them to the house of an old man, named Renard, who, he said, was undoubtedly the criminal. On the night of the 23rd of January all three proceeded stealthily to the dwelling of Renard, and accused him of afflicting persons with diseases, by the aid of the devil. Desbourdes fell on his knees, and earnestly entreated to be restored to his former health, promising that he would take no measures against him for the evil he had done. The old man denied in the strongest terms that he was a wizard; and when Desbourdes still pressed him to remove the spell from him, he said he knew nothing about the spell, and refused to remove it. The idiot Baudouin, the white-witch, now interfered, and told his companions that no relief for the malady could ever be procured until the old man confessed his guilt. To force him to confession they lighted some sticks of sulphur, which they had brought with them for the purpose, and placed them under the old man's nose. In a few moments, he fell down suffocated and apparently lifeless. They were all greatly alarmed; and thinking that they had killed the man, they carried him out and threw him into a neighbouring pond, hoping to make it appear that he had fallen in accidentally. The pond, however, was not very deep, and the coolness of the water reviving the old man, he opened his eyes and sat up. Desbourdes and Bridier, who were still waiting on the bank, were now more alarmed than before, lest he should recover and inform against them. They, therefore, waded into the pond--seized their victim by the hair of the head--beat him severely, and then held him under water till he was drowned.
They were all three apprehended on the charge of murder a few days afterwards. Desbourdes and Bridier were found guilty of aggravated manslaughter only, and sentenced to be burnt on the back, and to work in the galleys for life. The white-witch Baudouin was acquitted, on the ground of insanity.
Amazing.
If you are interested, this book is available for free download here or in html form here. Although it is a bit of a read at over 700 pages, it is worth it just to see how stupid, naive, and insane societies were and continue to be.
