Excerpt of material written by Cotton Mather:

Magnalia Christi Americana published in 1702;
Book VII p. 25, Chapter IV
Ignes Faturi or The Molestations given to the Churchs of New-England by that Old Sect of People called Quakers.  And some uncomfortable occurrents relating to a Sect of Other and Better People

Transcribed by Gratia Dunham Mahony

            “I will give my Reader the Entertainment of Two or Three very well attested Stories, and then ask his leave to have done with a Generation which it can be no great Satisfaction to meddle with.

            About the beginning of November, 1681 a Man whose Name was Denham, with Two Women, all belonging to Case’s Crew, went unto Southold upon Long-Island, where they met with one Samuel Banks of Fairfield, the mose Blasphemous Wretch in the World.  These joining together with some others of their Bran at Southold, went into the company of one Thomas Harris, a Young Merchant of Boston, who had before this been a little inclining to the Quakers; and they fell to Dancing and Singing after their Devilish manner about him.  After some time, Thomas Harris fell to Dancing and Singing like them, and speaking of Extra ordinary Raptures, and calling those Devils that were not of this Religion, and a perfect Imitation of all their Devilism.  When he had shown these Tokens of Conversion, as they accounted it, they solomnly admitted him into their Society, and one of them thereupon promised him, Henceforward thy Tongue shall be as the Pen of a ready Writer, to declare the Praises of our Lord.  The Young Man, who before this was of a compos’d Behaviour, now ran about with an odd Note of Joy! Joy! Joy!  And called them Devils that any way opposed him, and said, (more than he intended) that his own Father was a Devil!  Quickly after this, going to Lodge at a Farm not far off, where dwelt a Quaker of the Same Spirit, he would go to Bed before the rest of the Family; but upon another Young Man’s coming to him, he said, he must get up and return that Night unto Southold, where he had left his Company; and though the Young Man would have persuaded him to lye until Day, he would not be persuaded, up he got, and went his way.  Within some while he was missing, and upon enquiry he could not be heard of, only his Hat, and Gloves, and Neckcloth were found in the Road from the Farm to the Town: Two Days after which, Banks looking into a Bible, suddenly shut it again, crying out, his Friend Harris was dead.  On the Day following Harris was found by the sea-side, about a quarter of a Mile from the place where his Appurtenances had been found before, having Three Holes like Stabs in his Throat, and NO TONGUE in his Head, nor the least sign thereof; but all clear to his Neck-bone, within, his mouth close shut, and one of his Eyes hanging down upon his Cheek out of his Head, that although it was whole there, it was hardly to be come at.  This was the end of a TONGUE that was to be as the Pen of a ready Writer!  The Night after he was Buried, Colonel Young, the High Sheriff, as himself assured me, was in the Dead of the Night awakened by the Voice of this Harris, calling very loudly at his Window, with a demand of him to See Justice done him; the Voice came Three times that Night with the like demand; and the Night after it came into the Colonel’s House, close to his Bedside, very loudly repeating of it.  But the Auther of the Murder could never be discovered!

p. 26

            About a Year or Two before this Tragical Accident, there was another not quite so Tragical.  Some of Case’s Crew howled a Young Woman into their Company, who immediately fell to Railing on all the World, and then to Raving at such a rate, that several Persons watched her, though she was now grown so preternaturally strong, as to break away from them, let ‘em do what they could.  In the Dead of the Night, those that watched her heard a doleful Noise, like the crying of a Young Child, in the Yard or Field near the House, which filled the Auditors with fearful Apprehensions; but the Young Woman then violently broke from them, saying, the Lord calls me, and I must go!  It was a considerable while before they could find her, and when they did find her, she was bereaved of her Understanding, full of horrid and uncouth Actions; and so she continued until Justice Wood, by the use of means, recovered her, which none of her Quaking Friends were able to do: But this convinced the Neighbours that the Devil was among them!

            I’ll give but one Instance more of their Exorbitancies.  It was much about this time that one Jonathan Dunen, of Case’s, drew away the wife of a Man to Marshfield in Plymouth-Colony, to follow him, and one Mary Ross falling into their Company, presently was possessed with as Frantick a Demon as ever was heard of; she burnt her Clothes; she said that she was Christ; she gave Names to the Gang with her, as Apostles, calling one Peter, another Thomas; she declared, that she would be Dead for Three Days, and then Rise again: and accordingly she seemed to die.  Dunen then gave out, that they should see Glorious things when she Rose again; but what she then did, was thus: that upon her order Dunen sacrific’d a Dog.  The Men and the Two Women then Danced Naked althogether; for which, when the Constable carried ‘em to the Magistrates, Ross uttered Stupendous Blasphemies, but Dunen lay for Dead an Hour on the Floor, saying, when he came to himself, that Ross bid him, and he could not resist.

            O Capita Anticyris vix  Expurganda duabus!
            More passages, akin to these, may be read in Dr. More’s Addition to Mr. Glanvil’s Saducismus Triumphantus.”