00:00Ironically, this book of intolerance and persecution was, in its own time, second only to the Bible in popularity.
00:08Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we'll be discussing those individuals who sought out and persecuted accused witches throughout history.
00:15Torture was an acceptable means to elicit a confession.
00:19And the so-called devil's mark, which wasn't too hard to find, provided undeniable proof.
00:27Thomas Colley
00:28If a woman's angry and she says something like that, and then something bad happens, you go,
00:34all right, that must be because she was a witch.
00:37This former chimney sweep wasn't a witch hunter by trade.
00:40He just moonlighted within this space when it came to the accusation and eventual murder of Ruth Osborne.
00:44The latter's only crime was allegedly running afoul of a local dairy farmer,
00:48who refused Osborne buttermilk when she came begging at his door.
00:51This farmer named Butterfield soon fell ill alongside his dairy calves,
00:55and rumors quickly began to spread of occult influences instituting these illnesses.
00:59This is where Thomas Colley comes in.
01:01Since it was this aforementioned chimney sweep who led the mob and participated actively in drowning Osborne,
01:07Colley was hanged for his crimes soon after his trial on July 30th, 1751.
01:11John Kincaid
01:12There were many devious ways by which those seeking out a living hunting witches could ply their trade.
01:17Witch pricker was the title given to those who used a special method to reveal witches within their community.
01:22In the 17th century, John Kincaid held this title within his native Scotland,
01:26utilizing specific tools that fooled communities into believing folk tales about supposed witches marks.
01:32Kincaid would take a bodkin or needle with a retractable point,
01:35which enabled him to control which of his victims could be proven innocent,
01:38and which could be designated in league with the devil.
01:40He was ultimately found out, however, and spent time in jail before finally giving up his witch-finding ways.
01:45It was widely believed witches could raise storms, destroy livestock, drive people mad, or even kill them.
01:52Jindrik Frantyshek Boblik of Edelstadt
01:55The number of deaths attributed to the direct involvement of Jindrik Frantyshek Boblik of Edelstadt
02:11are said to be close to a hundred people, including two members of the clergy.
02:15These inquisitions occurred during the northern Moravia witch trials of 1622,
02:20a period which lasted over 70 years to 1696.
02:23It was further alleged that Boblik found witch-finding to be financially lucrative during this period,
02:28as the lawyer frequently hired out his services to wealthy clientele.
02:31Boblik was also firmly in the pro-torture camp when it came to his methodology,
02:44with some accused witches, such as Dorota Davidová,
02:47dying in custody before his trial and sentence could be carried out.
02:50Christian Caldwell
02:57The world of witch-finding doesn't historically have too many stories of comeuppance or justice
03:09for those that took advantage of this hysteria.
03:11This is why the story of Christian Caldwell is so interesting.
03:14For starters, she disguised herself as a man so she could carry out her duties as a Scottish witch-hunter.
03:19However, she eventually accused the wrong person during her exploits,
03:22a royal associate with friends in high places.
03:24This associate, named John Hay, had Caldwell arrested,
03:27and it was here where her gender-swap ruse was uncovered.
03:30She was banished to an area of Barbados beset by fever and disease for her punishment.
03:34A big way for the accused! Move!
03:40Helen Ukpabio
03:42This mother of three presides over a church with 150 branches.
03:47She's also written a popular book, in which she advises how parents can identify a witch.
03:53We often think of this business of witch-finding as being something of the past,
03:56but this is sadly not the case.
03:57Helen Ukpabio has been preaching her own personal gospel of biblical literalism in Nigeria since 1992.
04:03during which she's accused countless children of witchcraft.
04:07Ukpabio's organization, the Liberty Foundation Gospel Ministries,
04:11has unfortunately grown in power and influence since then,
04:14although not without worldwide media scrutiny.
04:16Mrs. Ukpabio denied that her teachings and films could encourage child abuse.
04:21In this, our ministry, we have about 150 churches in Nigeria.
04:26This organization has spread the dangerous belief that children can serve as vessels for witchcraft spirits,
04:31which has resulted in increased rates of abuse and ostracization.
04:35Helen Ukpabio's ministry is still active at the time of this writing.
04:39The boy said that, the woman said that it is witch.
04:42Alonso de Salazar Frias.
04:43Reason thankfully ruled within the head of Alonso de Salazar Frias,
04:59a lawyer and inquisitor who abstained from the usual paranoia and hysterics associated with witch trials.
05:05Instead, Frias became known as the witch's advocate,
05:07since he actively worked against the execution and torture of the accused who stood before his court.
05:12His work during the Spanish Inquisition was rooted in reason,
05:15of conducting grounded interviews which greatly reduced the number of forced or coerced confessions.
05:19At first, it was those on the fringes of the community who were named.
05:24But mountain paranoia meant that soon no one was safe.
05:27This isn't to say that nobody died on account of Frias' ruling,
05:31since one witch who allegedly campaigned for the occult was burned at the stake under his watch.
05:36Jaune Malette
05:37It takes one to know one might have been the motto of Jaune Malette,
05:40a 16th century man who escaped a violent home life to supposedly shack up with a real-life witch.
05:45It was here where Malette allegedly learned the dark arts,
05:48utilizing this knowledge to aid his new career as a part-time witch hunter.
05:52Malette apparently needed little but his own word to successfully prosecute dozens of women in the Catalan region during the 16th century.
05:59News of these hangings and illegal burnings soon reached the actual Spanish Inquisition, however,
06:04and Malette was put on trial.
06:06He was eventually executed by the Inquisition in Barcelona on July 2nd, 1549.
06:11John Stern
06:11Who are they that have been against the prosecutions?
06:16They are allied with the enemies of God.
06:18I dare not list them.
06:19It wasn't uncommon for some witch hunters to have some help along the way,
06:23usually in the form of an assistant or a witch pricker.
06:25In the 17th century, John Stern worked to these ends for Matthew Hopkins,
06:29which some sources claiming that the former proved to be a negative influence upon Hopkins as the Witchfinder General.
06:34This was seen primarily with regards to Sterns' willingness to lie in order to acquire confessions from his accused.
06:40He eventually retired from the business of witch finding
06:42and wrote a book that attempted to reframe his collaboration with Hopkins in a less devious light.
06:47Now, Matthew Hopkins, sir.
06:53Heinrich Kramer
06:54It's called Malleus Maleficarum, the Hammer of Witches.
07:00It was known as the Malleus Maleficarum, or the Hammer of Witches,
07:04and it served as ground zero for witch trial hysteria and cruelty.
07:07Heinrich Kramer was the author of this book, published in 1487,
07:10and which contained detailed descriptions of demonology that struck an imaginative chord within its readership.
07:16Kramer also proclaimed in the Malleus Maleficarum that the Catholic Church should actively prosecute
07:20those accused of sorcery or witchcraft.
07:23Meanwhile, his trials were controversial,
07:25specifically one against a woman named Helena Schuberin,
07:28who vehemently denounced Kramer's sermons and growing influence.
07:31Schuberin was ultimately acquitted and Kramer expelled
07:33for reportedly being obsessed with the woman's personal independence and sexuality.
07:38It's extremely striking that most of the accusers came from one side of the factional dispute
07:45and most of the accused from the other side.
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08:03Matthew Hopkins
08:04Remember John Stern, you ride with me only because you help me in my work.
08:08You call it work?
08:09It's the Lord's work.
08:11The genre of witch hunter pictures isn't exactly a big one,
08:14but Witchfinder General from 1968 is one of the most famous and successful examples of folk horror.
08:20Genre icon Vincent Price portrays the real-life Matthew Hopkins,
08:23a self-styled Witchfinder General, who was unfortunately quite successful at his job.
08:28If she is a witch, the water will reject her and she will float.
08:32If that is the case, she will be handed over to the magistrates, put on trial and, in all likelihood, hanged.
08:40It's been alleged that Hopkins and his assistant, John Stern, were responsible for the deaths
08:43of approximately 300 women during the course of their careers.
08:47His legend today is almost akin to that of a slasher villain,
08:50a harrowing figure with dubious morals and a revealing desire for notoriety and financial gain.
08:55There were more witches out there for Hopkins to hunt down.
08:58What are some examples of modern-era witch hunts? Let us know in the comments.
09:03They commanded their spirits, some to kill a man's horse, some to lame a cow, lame a child.
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