For example, when she was put on trial, Tituba claimed that she and many others were met by the Devil and signed a pact, agreeing to practice witchcraft. As in the case of Rebecca Nurse, when the court read her verdict of innocence, the accusers immediately began convulsing and appeared to be under a spell (Brooks). There is no evidence to support the claim that these women were actually under the influence of withcraft. They simply needed a scapegoat to confirm the scandalous speculation that they were witches plotting against the pious residents of Salem. Likewise, once the minister dons the black veil, his processions are suddenly influenced by supernatural elements. The first episode occurs when Mr. Hooper presides at the funeral of a young woman after the Sunday service. Hawthorne describes the funeral: "One person who witnessed the interview between the dead and the living had no scruple in stating that the instant the priest's features were exposed, the corpse had trembled slightly, causing the shroud to rustle, although the face retained the composure of death" (Hawthorne 1043). The corpse seems to awaken from the grave and is disturbed by the presence of the black veil. Strangely, only an elderly lady in the town witnessed the body being moved. He must have spread word of the supernatural event, which causes the townspeople to unite in their delusions against Hooper's veil. Another ceremony affected by the veil is the wedding of a Milford couple. Hawthorne describes the event: "The bridal couple rose before the minister, but the cold fingers of the bride trembled in the trembling hand of the groom, and her deathly pallor caused whispers that the maiden who had been buried a few hours before had come from the his grave to get married” (Hawthorne 1044). It seems that the presence of Mr. Hooper's veil has the