It's May 14th, 1878 at the Essex County Courthouse in Salem, Massachusetts. Justice

Horace Gray takes his seat, and the rest of the packed courtroom follows his lead. Aside from the attorneys,

witnesses, and court officials, dozens of spectators have crammed into the courtroom. Justice

Gray isn't surprised. He's a fifth-year-old veteran of the bench, but this might be the strangest case

he's ever presided over. Most days, his docket is predictable, unpaid debts, petty thefts, the occasional bar fight.

But today's defendant is something else entirely. A local faith healer has been accused of

malicious animal magnetism. And as far as Gray can tell, that means causing harm to another

person just by thinking evil thoughts.

With the court still not settled, Justice Gray picks up his gavel and bangs it repeatedly until the room comes to order. He then calls on the plaintiff's attorney to present the case.

A man with mutton chops and intense eyes gets to his feet. Justice Gray has never seen this man

before, and he doesn't

look much like an attorney, and everyone in the courtroom watches as the man paces the floor

in front of the judge's bench. Then, in a thick German accent, he begins to outline the most

astonishing series of events Justice Gray has ever heard.

Over the next few hours, the court will be gripped by the extraordinary testimony that one man can hurt another just with the power of his mind.

What makes it all even more sensational is where it's happening, because almost two centuries

after the infamous Salem witch trials,

America's last witchcraft trial will begin in the same town on May 14, 1878.

Hopefully by now, you've heard me mention the European Christmas Market Tour I'm putting together for this December,

an incredible 10-day journey throughout France,

Germany, and Austria, packed with tradition, Christmas cheer, and history, of course.

Well, I have an update. The trip is confirmed. We've booked enough places to definitely go ahead,

...