Taken Too Far (Entry 4, Act 3)

As court proceedings continued in the manner that they had, with the accused taking the stand, attempting to defend themselves, the girls acting out from affliction, and so on, usually ending with a confession or sentence. One day was especially interesting and a strange turn of events; the day of Martha Corey's trial. Her husband Giles was trying to prove her innocence after previously claiming that she read from strange books, and soon the Deputy Governor Danforth came out from the courtroom to speak with us. Judge Hawthorne and Francis Nurse showed up, and Corey tried to help Nurse prevent his wife's execution. But things really heated up when John Proctor joined us with Mary Warren, who admitted to falsifying the accusations. Reverend Parris, who was in court came in and tried to convince the judges that the three men were trying to undermine court proceedings. However, Dangforth put him at ease and called for the girls, who showed up, lead by Abigail. When questioned about the truthfulness in Mary Warren's statements, they immediately began to see specters apparently sent out by Warren herself. This struck me as odd, as they would usually have been able to identify a witch afflicting them with ease. As Mary Warren continued to try and convince the girls to confess, the more they turned on her. Proctor was trying to prove that they were liars, defending his family, the Nurses, and the Coreys. Meanwhile, Parris attempted to turn the judges on the men. I joined in with Proctor, and I explained to Danforth that the girls were fooling us all, however, he didn't believe us four intelligent men, and I had seen enough, having signed for nearly seventy-five deaths prior, and I had decided that the court was foolish and blind. I quit the court and walked out when Danforth had Proctor, Nurse, Parris, and Corey arrested. So, I had given up on what Salem was and could be, and would no longer be involved here, and I left Salem for good.