Founded in 1626 by Roger Conant, the town of Salem, Massachusetts, is still best known for its infamous witch trials, that occurred from May to October, 1692. All told, 19 individuals (mostly women) were hanged, and many other suspects were imprisoned.

The whole thing started when a few young girls claimed that they were possessed by the devil, and subsequently accused three Salem women, including Tituba, a West Indian slave, of witchcraft. As Tituba and others were pressured and incriminated others in false confessions, public hysteria rose to a fever pitch.

Fast forward 299 years to modern day Salem. It is now 1991, and Martha Conant Brailsford, a direct descendant of the town's founder, has just met Tom Maimoni, while they were both walking their dogs.

Martha, known as a soft touch, was feeling sorry for Maimoni, who told her that his wife had recently died of cancer. Actually, Tom's wife was very much alive, but the cancer story usually worked for picking up women.

One thing led to another, and on July 12th, Martha accepted Maimoni's invitation for a ride on his sailboat, Counterpoint.

Six days later, her body, virtually reduced to a skeleton, was found by a Marblehead lobsterman, who was pulling traps near the entrance to Salem and Marblehead harbors.

Maimoni's version of events is that Martha hit her head on the mast in rough weather, and was knocked unconscious. He panicked when he could not revive her, and thinking her dead, tied an anchor around her legs, a diver's belt around her waist, and threw her overboard. An autopsy showed that Brailsford died from drowning.

At least hanging is faster.

Maimoni fled, but was found a few days later in northern Maine. His second degree murder conviction was upheld on appeal in 1996. He will be eligible for parole in 2008.

Much was made of the fact that Laurie Cabot, the official witch of Salem, and other witches, were consulted to help solve the case, but in the end, it was easy to connect Martha to Tom Maimoni, and the body was simply found by a lobsterman.

Apparently, Tom had a history of luring women onto his boat, and then demanding sexual favors. It is unclear why Martha Brailsford, supposedly happily married, and living in a community in which nearly everyone owns a boat, would be so inclined as to venture out alone with Maimoni. After all, why should she be so desperate for companionship, and if she wanted to sail so badly that day, there were friends who could readily oblige. One can't help but think that there is a lot more to this story.

The deadly spirit of Salem lives on.