D. Brenton Simons. Witches, Rakes and Rogues: True Stories of Scam, Scandal, Murder, and Mayhem in Boston, 1630-1775. 2005: Commonwealth Editions, Beverly.
Fans of scandal and intrigue, and who among us here at BMG is not, will enjoy this astutely selected compendium of outrage and mystery from early New England. Think Kerry Healey’s marriage is worthy of comment? How about Governor Richard Bellingham, who fell in love with the fiance of his lodger in 1641, broke up the engagement, and married the woman in a ceremony he appears to have conducted himself. Frown at the intolerance of the regressives? Read here about Mary Glover, executed in Boston for witchcraft in 1689, several years before the Salem trials. She allegedly cast a spell of possession over the children of the family who employed her daughter, after they accused her of theft. Finally, ever worry that our debates might get out of hand? Read here about the fatal 1728 duel on Boston Common between Henry Phillips and Benjamin Woodbridge. Woodbridge is buried in the Granary burying ground near the Park Street Church, near where he fell. Phillips died a year later, a lonely fugitive, in France.
The 26 stories offered are carefully researched and presented in an entertaining, understated style. A conversation-starter, with its provocative title and blood-red cover, on the coffee table or at the beach this summer, and a good way of reminding oneself that the present day is not the only one to see drama, ambition, and passion play out in Massachusetts.
