Paths Crossing in Cyberspace

Isn't it strange and wonderful how the Internet connects individuals? Some years ago I corresponded with a man who was trying to track down a friend of mine. He turned out to be a direct descendant of the Putnams of Salem, Massachusetts. It was at Salem in 1692 that one of the most disturbing travesties of justice occurred, resulting in the deaths by hanging and incarceration of some 24 innocent people. A couple of weeks ago I was looking at my father-in-law's family tree and realised that my wife's eight times Great Uncle was married to the daughters of one of the victims (he married them one after the other). Giles Corey, in his 80's, was a prosperous farmer in Salem Village. He was accused of witchcraft by three girls, one of whom was a Putnam, and spent five months in prison before his case was heard. Knowing that he would not be tried fairly and faced execution by hanging, he refused to stand trial. By doing this his land and property was not forfeit and would pass to his son-in-laws, one of whom was my wife's relative. His decision also meant that he would be pressed with stones in an attempt to extract a confession from him. The authorities did not count on Giles Corey's bravery. He was stripped and a board was placed across him and stones were then piled on. Each time he was asked to confess he would only ask for more stones to hasten his end - and so he died. I am still friends with Mr Putnam, in fact, he is sending me a copy of his latest book, which recounts the death of Giles Corey.
The last few weeks of November were fairly hectic in the recording studio. As one of the busiest Santa's on UK radio I have been Ho Ho Ho'ing daily. Also, I have added a new country to my Credits list having completed a couple of voice-over jobs for a Norwegian studio. Other voice-overs included work for clients in the USA, France and Spain. Another few weeks and I'll be able to take one of those rare breaks away from the microphone. Bring it on!