Though she initially escaped, the mob burned her home to the ground.
The townspeople labeled her a witch, and on a cold night in the winter of 1697, a mob chased her out of her home. Their eyes turned to Moll Dyer, a woman who lived alone on the outskirts of town, and whose knowledge of herbal remedies (which the townspeople often sought) made her the perfect target. People began searching for a scapegoat for their relentless bad luck.
Around 1697, a bout of influenza, a brutal winter, and failing crops pushed the town into desperation.
