1 Photo
A woodcut image of a 17th century witchcraft scene from the cover of Loretta Orion's book.
In February, 1658, 16-year-old Elizabeth Gardiner Howell, daughter of East Hampton’s most prominent citizen, Lion Gardiner, fell violently ill with puerperal fever. Elizabeth had recently given birth and in a state of delirium, accused her neighbor, Goody Elizabeth Garlick, of witchcraft, a capital crime. Following the mysterious death of her accuser, Goody Garlick, was tried for witchcraft.
On Friday, October 25 at 7 p.m., celebrate Halloween at the Montauk Library with Loretta Orion, Ph.D., author of “It Were As Well to Please the Devil as Anger Him: Witchcraft in the Founding Days of East Hampton,” and her husband, Hugh R. King, East Hampton’s Town Crier.
Orion’s new book is about the witchcraft trial of Goody Garlick, which took place before three magistrates in East Hampton. The trial was interrupted when Lion Gardiner, accompanied by armed guards, transported Garlick to Hartford, Connecticut where a higher court under the auspices of John Winthrop, Jr. took place. Though the jury did not find enough evidence to prove guilt, they did find grounds for suspicion. Afterward, Elizabeth Garlick and her husband returned to live in East Hampton.
So Was Goody Garlick really a witch? And why is the outcome of her trial so astonishing?
As fellow-author Dava Sobel said of Orion’s book, "This is a fearsome tale of neighbor against neighbor in the early days of East Hampton..."
The talk will be followed by a Q&A and book signing facilitated by The Friends of the Montauk Library. This event is free. Montauk Library is located at 871 Montauk Highway. for more information call 631-668-3377 or visit www.montauklibrary.org.
Staff Writer on Oct 20, 2019