Dorcas (Dorothy) Good

Dorcas was the five year old daughter of Sarah and William Good. Both Dorcas and her mother were accused of practicing witchcraft in Salem at the very beginning of the Salem witch trials in 1692. Dorcas was interrogated by local magistrates (judges), confessed to being a witch and incriminated her mother. Dorcas was forced to testify against her mother, saying she was a witch and had seen her mother consorting with the devil.

Mary Walcott and Anne Putnam Jr. claimed she was deranged, and repeatedly bit them as if she were an animal. Dorcas received a brief hearing in which the accusers repeatedly complained of bites on their arms. She was then convicted and sent to jail, becoming at age five the youngest person to be jailed during the Salem Witch Trials. Two days later, she was visited by Salem officials. She claimed she owned a snake—given to her by her mother—that would talk to her and suck the blood from her finger. She showed the judges the bite, most likely a flea bite. The officials took this to mean it was her "familiar," which is defined as a witch’s spiritual servant.

Dorcas was in custody for nearly 9 months until she was released on bond. She was never indicted or tried. After being released from jail several months later, she suffered from psychological issues for the remainder of her life.