A dimly lit 1693 council chamber, where council members debate fiercely about the insufficiency of evidence against witches, documents and books scattered across the table, some members nodding in agreement while others look unconvinced, the air thick with the gravity of their discussion.
“When, under the duress of pain, the witch has confessed, her plight is indescribable. Not only cannot she escape herself, but she is also compelled to accuse others whom she does not know, whose names are frequently put into her mouth by the investigators or suggested by the executioner, or of whom she had heard as suspected or accused.”
~ Friedrich von Spee; Jesuit priest, concerning the confessions of people accused of witchcraft in the German city of Würzburg, Cautio Criminalis (Precautions for Prosecutors, 1631).
Here is an Excellent Supplement by S. Kreutter titled ‘The Devil's Specter: Spectral Evidence and the Salem Witchcraft Crisis.’ It does a deep dive on the sorts of evidences & methods used by courts during the time to try those accused of witchcraft.
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1.68 Insufficiency of Evidence Against Witches