Elizabeth “Goody” Garlick, wife of Joshua Garlick lived in East Hampton. She once worked on Gardiner Island. In February 1657, sixteen-year old Elizabeth Gardiner Howell became sick shortly after childbirth. When her husband came home, she began screaming about a witch. She ran a fever and became delirious. She described a black thing at the foot of her bed and Goody Garlick at the other. Though they tried to cure her, Elizabeth died a few days later.
Magistrates were called to the meeting house. Goody Garlick was brought before them. She did not speak a word in her defense. There were eleven witnesses testifying against her. The magistrates ruled that Elizabeth’s death was caused by witchcraft and Goody Garlick was responsible. In addition, she was connected to four other deaths via witchcraft. She supposedly cast evil eyes and sent animal familiars out to do her bidding. Someone claimed that she picked up a baby and after putting it down, the child took sick and died. She was blamed for illnesses, disappearances, the injuries and death of livestock.
The
only person that defended Goody Garlick was her husband Joshua Garlick. At the
last moment, Lionel Gardiner, Elizabeth’s father defended her. The magistrates agreed
to send the accused to the General Court of Connecticut. At the time, East Hampton
was a colony of Connecticut.
Luckily for her, there was John Winthrop Jr., the newly appointed sheriff. Winthrop was dubious that your average farmer’s wife could perform the kinds of magical acts attributed to witches. In May of 1658, the General Court declared Goody Garlick not guilty. Lionel Gardiner decided Goody and Joshua Garlick should move back to Gardiner Island, which they did for the rest of their lives.
Sources:
“Before Salem, There Was the Not-So-Wicked Witch of
the Hamptons.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 25 Oct. 2012, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/before-salem-there-was-the-not-so-wicked-witch-of-the-hamptons-95603019
Rattiner, Dan. “Goody Garlick: The True Story of the
Woman Tried for Witchcraft in East Hampton.” Dan's Papers, 3 May 2018,
https://www.danspapers.com/2012/11/goody-garlick-the-true-story-of-the-woman-tried-for-witchcraft-in-east-hampton
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