Which judge did Cotton Mather write to on May 31, 1692, about the prosecutions?

Cotton Mather wrote to Judge John Richards on May 31, 1692, about the mounting witchcraft prosecutions. Richards was one of the judges appointed to the new Court of Oyer and Terminer, which was preparing to hear the accumulated cases.

Mather was a prominent Boston minister who took an interest in the crisis and in the religious meaning assigned to the accusations. Richards reportedly asked Mather to accompany him to Salem, but Mather declined because of ill health. Instead, Mather sent a lengthy letter offering advice as the trials approached.

The letter is important because it shows Mather engaging directly with a judge before the major trials began. It is also easy to confuse Richards with William Stoughton, the court’s chief magistrate, or with judges such as Samuel Sewall and Jonathan Corwin. Mather wrote to several officials during the crisis, but the May 31 letter was addressed to John Richards.