Something wicked this way comes, Western Standard readers, in the form of a spooky tale that saw an accused Canadian witch stand trial, which, surprisingly, occurred not too long ago.If you've ever watched a witchy movie or listened to a witchy tale around the campfire, the notorious story of the Salem witch trials will be all too familiar to you.This hauntingly real tale has inspired many fictional occult stories, with the events transpiring in Salem, Massachusetts, from early 1692 until mid-1693.Witch hysteria, however, was not limited to the south — it also unfolded right here, in the great white north..As Smithsonian Magazine reports, anti-witch furor originated in the medieval and early modern eras in Europe, after Christianity adopted the belief that the devil made pacts with witches — granting them powers to harm others, in return for their loyalty.By the time of the Salem witch trials, in the latter half of the 17th century, witch frenzy had already started to wane in Europe. But back in the New World, it was just gaining traction, ultimately leading to 150 people being arrested on grounds of witch suspicion.Of the people arrested, 26 were convicted, and 14 women and five men were executed — though none through burning at the stake, as fictional tales have led people to believe.Instead, they were either hanged or pressed to death by piling stone on top of a wooden board placed on their chests.The trials began when one girl fell ill while her playmates simultaneously began exhibiting some odd behaviour..A doctor tried and failed to cure the girls, prompting many to suspect that a supernatural cause was the only explanation.Whispers began to circulate that witchcraft was involved, and three townswomen were labelled occult dabblers: Tituba, a slave; Sarah Good, a poor beggar and social misfit; and Sarah Osborne, a contentious woman who rarely attended church.One of the scapegoats, Tituba, proclaimed she was in fact a witch — possibly to avoid unfair prosecution — and that she and the other women flew through the air on poles. Sound familiar? Skeptics were made less so after Tituba's confession, and the hunt was on..In a series of unfortunate confessions — mostly thanks to the accused hoping to avoid hanging — the jails became packed with suspected witches.A special kind of court was created, dubbed the court of "oyer and terminer," which allowed judges to hear "spectral evidence," testimony of "victims" stating that the spectres of the accused witches had visited them.Much of the evidence that would never normally be allowed at a trial, such as hearsay, gossip, and unsupported assertions, was used while the defendants had no right to counsel or to an appeal.By the fall of 1692, many were urging the courts to abandon the use of spectral evidence, which they eventually did..Without the help of spectral evidence, the court was forced to rely on clear and convincing testimony, causing many cases to be abandoned.The original three scapegoated women were then released.By May 1693, the remaining accused and convicted were also released from prison, and the witch craze slowly dwindled.It was more than 200 years later, in a small town called Morris Township, in Huron County, Ontario, one Miss Maggie Pollock reignited the public's fascination with the occult.On top of working on her brother's farm, Pollock operated a supernatural side business.By her own admission, from an early age, Pollock experienced visions and communications with the spirit world..This gift allowed Pollock to assist fellow Morris Township residents in locating lost or stolen items, by inquiring of spirits about the items' whereabouts.Usually, she would charge 50 cents (a bit more than $8 Canadian in today's money) for her supernatural services.Offering work like this was quite a controversial thing to do at the time, but Pollock claimed that it was a God-given gift and there was nothing untoward about it.To her, it would be immoral to not help others using her gifts..In June of 1919, Pollock was brought to Huron County Jail after being accused of "telling fortunes."Under section 365 of the Canadian Criminal Code at the time, it was illegal in Canada to pretend to practice "any kind of witchcraft, sorcery, enchantment or conjuration" and to tell fortunes.Fun fact for readers — the fraudulent practice of witchcraft was actually illegal until 2018, when the section was repealed.In the town of Goderich, one witness testified he had given Pollock 50 cents for a séance..The witness was John Leonhardt, who went to see Pollock about retrieving some stolen oats.Leonhardt testified that Pollock performed a supernatural ritual to reveal the location of the oats he believed had been stolen from his farm.It was never revealed in court whether Pollock's occult trick actually did help find the oats in question, but she did claim to have a vision of the thief's horse.Appearing before Goderich Judge Henry Dickson, Pollock was branded a fraud — the court certain of her guilt.."She did unlawfully pretend from her skill and knowledge in an occult and crafty science to discover when and in what manner certain goods and chattels, to wit, certain grain and oats, supposed to have been stolen from one, John Leonhardt," stated the court.Pollock's case was then appealed at Osgoode Hall in Toronto, where it was heard — very fittingly — in October of 1920.This appeal would prove futile, with the court upholding Judge Dickson's ruling.Pollock did not receive any jail time — instead, she was fined $200 (about $3,000 today) and ordered to cease all her occult services..However, so long as Pollock did not mention supernatural sources, she was allowed to continue giving opinions on where lost property might be found.During the course of the trial, a few testimonies would corroborate Pollock's supernatural gifts, including one from her neighbour, Mrs. Sinclair, who swore that Pollock had helped her find a lost diamond ring.Pollock claimed she had communicated with Sinclair's dead mother, from whom she had learned Sinclair had thrown out the ring with some dust. Pollock advised Sinclair that she would not find it until the snow melted..Despite this, Sinclair's husband attempted to melt the snow himself.But this did not work, and Sinclair wrote to Pollock asking why she had not yet retrieved her ring.Pollock responded that Sinclair must be patient.Sure enough, the snow thawed weeks later, and the ring was discovered.Despite the court's ruling, the mystery surrounding Pollock's ability turned her into a great fascination for the public..A large number of supporters believed in Pollock's abilities, and she received letters from people as far away as Florida, Texas, Missouri, Nebraska, California and Vancouver.The police themselves asked for the help of Pollock in locating missing bodies of drowned people — more than once — including a man who drowned in Wingham and another who fell through ice in New Hamburg.The Seaforth News even reported Pollock was visited by High Constable AJ Wharton of London, to discuss the escape of two murderers from the London Jail in 1927.Pollock passed away in 1931, remembered as "a well-known and highly respected resident of Morris Township," still practicing her gifts until her death, despite her conviction..As for whether her gifts were real or not, the secret behind her magic died with her.
