Noted Ad Executive and Prizewinning Author's New Book Exposes Hidden
Forces Behind Salem Witch Hysteria


Stephen Hawley Martin, a former principal of The Martin Agency credits
an ancestor who was an accused witch has having fostered his independent
spirit. It has also prompted him to offer up a new theory about what
caused the witch hysteria of 1692.

Richmond, VA (PRWEB) August 15, 2006 -- Stephen Hawley Martin, cofounder
of the world-famous advertising agency, The Martin Agency, grew up in a
household that never forgot it was descended from a woman who was hanged
as a witch.

A Witch in the Family
"The first family discussion I remember started with an English lesson.
'Pictures are hung,' my mother told me. 'People are hanged.' I lived
with those discussions constantly, and they had a definite effect on my
world view. For example, as an outward display of contempt for what my
mom and dad considered a narrow-minded and dangerously-superstitious
world view, they named my sister 'Susannah North Martin' after the
family martyr."

Martin has written a book about his ancestor and the Salem witch
hysteria called "A Witch in the Family" that's now available online. He
credits the atmosphere created around the Martin household by the ghost
of Susannah for instilling a nonconformist attitude in him that
ultimately led to the founding of two successful advertising agencies
and a book publishing company.
"What happened in New England long ago was tragic and horrific," Martin
said. "And if someone you are directly descended from was caught up in
it and actually killed by it, you might say it makes you look at things
differently. For one thing, you don't automatically assume people in
authority know what they're talking about. It's given me the tendency to
keep my own counsel and to hold off on accepting conventional wisdom
until some evidence or pattern causes it to click into place in my gut."

It has also led Martin to dismiss the usual explanations for the witch
hysteria of 1692.
"It definitely wasn't ergot of rye, and I have a hard time believing all
the accusers were faking their symptoms," Martin said. "One vomited
blood in court in front of the judges and a whole courtroom full of
spectators. Others had deep skin lesions that appeared to have been made
by human teeth. Some coughed up pins."
What does Martin think led to the witch hysteria that left two dozen
dead?

"Like most things, a combination of factors brought it about," Martin
said. "But the most powerful single element was belief. Just about
everyone in Massachusetts at that time believed witchcraft was real. And
you know what? In a society that fully believes in witchcraft,
witchcraft has power –– it is real. In primitive societies, for
example, it's been documented that people have dropped dead after being
cursed by a shaman."

Does that mean there really were witches in Massachusetts?
"Oh, there were witches in New England all right," Martin said. "But
that doesn't mean the people who were hanged were witches, or that the
accused were actually bewitched." Martin smiled. "To find out what
really happened, you're going to have to read my book."
Martin has won several national awards and prizes for his novels. The
full title of Martin's new book, which was published by The Oaklea
Press, is "A Witch in the Family: An Award-Winning Author Investigates
His Ancestor's Trial and Execution." It can be purchased at the
publisher's web site, http://www.OakleaPress.com, or at Amazon.com.
Search ISBN 189253844X.

To learn more about Stephen Hawley Martin, visit
http://www.shmartin.com.