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[sc:wptop]Hello, SleepyHeads! This week on Witness Prophecies, we discuss Sleepy Hollow Season 4 Episode 4, entitled The People v. Ichabod Crane, which originally aired on January 27, 2017. Ichabod Crane is on trial for the murder of Abbie Mills in an illusion of despair, as the team desperately fights to save him.
Ichabod Crane is encased in a black spider silk cocoon, and in his mind, he is on trial for murder, accused by a demon taking the form of his dead son, Henry Parrish. The courtroom is filled with people who are jeering against him, incited by Henry’s words. Jenny Mills enlists the assistance of Jake Wells and Alex Norwood to find Crane after finding the black spider silk goo in his apartment. Jake discovers that the substance, Sicarius Spei, is the Slayer of Hope – it is “Despair.” It was identified by Benjamin Franklin, and Grace Dixon destroyed it by creating a “fire of joy.” They determine the ingredients they need to make the “fire” and begin collecting them.
When Jenny is arrested at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds while trying to find the cave where Crane is imprisoned, Diana Thomas arrives to free her and help her. The Sicarius Spei attacks them, and when Diana shoots it, Crane begins to bleed. They must leave and find another way to free him from the cocoon.
Meanwhile, Crane is on trial in his illusion and his prosecutor is his son, Henry Parrish aka Jeremy Crane. Henry accuses him of the murder of Grace Abigail Mills, his partner, and says that everyone around him dies. Crane defends himself as Henry continues his attack, trying to make Crane feel guilty for all he has allegedly done.
While Jake and Alex are obtaining 10th century Chinese welding torches, they watch Jobe steal drawings from the Smithsonian and kill the security guard, and they realize that Malcolm Dreyfuss and his assistant have demonic ties.
Jenny, Diana, Jake and Alex go to the cave, cut the spider ties, kill the Sicarius Spei, and free 
Crane from his cocoon, however he doesn’t revive. Crane’s soul is adrift and he needs an anchor to this world. Diana calls Molly and asks her to talk about the man in her sketchbook, Mr. Crane. Molly says she would tell him to never give up hope. Crane revives – he heard Abbie’s words in Molly’s voice. There is much that they will need to discuss.
With the mission accomplished, Alex and Jake leave the Vault. The inert black goo in the jar, Alex’s souvenir, suddenly comes to life, and we see a face…but who is it?
We saw Ichabod Crane in a very vulnerable position in this episode, while the people around him, Jenny, Diana, Jake, and Alex worked to save him. We watched the incredible John Noble reprise his role as Henry Parrish (aka Jeremy Crane) to persecute his father, Ichabod, but Henry was apparently the demon, the Sicarius Spei, taking the form of Henry from Ichabod’s memories. We haven’t seen Crane in this type of position in a long time, and it seemed to make him more human. It was also the perfect setup to bring in Molly Thomas to pull him back to this world – as Crane did with Abbie Mills in Season Three.
While Crane was in his illusionary cocoon, he also couldn’t provide the historical background story to help solve the mystery of the Sicarius Spei. That was left to other people, with Jake taking a key role and showing us his incredible intelligence and knowledge of all the Vault’s secrets. He was the person who realized what Benjamin Franklin had written and found the writings of Grace Dixon. Jenny provided the cipher and Jake got to work. It was a pleasant surprise to see Onira Tares reprise her role as Grace Dixon.
What are Malcolm Dreyfuss and Jobe doing? We have seen that the ley lines can provide the coordinates so that forces of evil can channel their power. Is this what this duo intends to do? It would appear that stopping these two will become our team’s priority, and we will fluctuate between their plans and whatever mischief the Headless Horseman has in mind as we continue this abbreviated season.
History Lesson of the Week – The Women Present at Valley Forge
Valley Forge is the story of the six month encampment of the Continental Army of the newly formed United States of America under the command of General George Washington, a few miles from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. No battle was fought there, but from December 19, 1777 to June 19, 1778, a struggle against the elements and low morale was overcome on this sacred ground, which is now a National Park.
The suffering and sacrifices of the American soldiers at Valley Forge are familiar, iconic images, but there is another side of the picture. Valley Forge was where a new, confident, professional American army was born. Three months of shortage and hardship were followed by three months of relative abundance that led to wonderful changes in the morale and fighting capabilities of the Continental Army It was at Valley Forge that a vigorous, systematic training regime transformed ragged amateur troops into a confident 18th century military organization capable of beating the Red Coats in the open field of battle.
There were more than men in the camp – there were also women who were instrumental in supporting the troops.
Abigail Adams wrote to her husband John to “remember the ladies” during the Continental Congress, which must include the many women who played a vital role during the winter encampment at Valley Forge from 1777 to 1778.
Martha Washington joined her husband for part of each winter encampment, he attended, including the 1777-1778 encampment at Valley Forge. Martha arrived in the beginning of February and left in the beginning of June. According to Pierre Etienne Duponceau, secretary to Baron Von Steuben wrote, “In the midst of all our distress there were some bright sided of the picture which Valley Forge exhibited…Mrs. Washington had the courage to follow her husband to that dismal abode…”
Catherine “Caty” Littlefield Greene, the wife of Gen. Nathanael Greene, entertained other officer wives and took part in the celebration of the French-American Alliance on May 6th, 1778.
Hannah Till was an African American slave who worked as a cook and servant at Washington’s Headquarters during the encampment. Her wages for her work were paid to her master until she was able to redeem her freedom in June of 1780.
Elizabeth Thompson was an Irish woman well into her seventies working as a housekeeper for General Washington from 1776 to 1781. She managed all the cooks and servants and was involved in the packing and unpacking of the household goods for Washington’s many headquarters throughout the war.
Women also earned wages by tending to the sick and wounded. One nurse, named Jane Norton, who when trying to obtain her pension, mentioned her service caring for the sick and wounded during the encampment of 1777-1778. Polly Cooper was a young woman who came to Valley Forge and assisted the soldiers caring for the sick and dying. As a thank you for her service Martha and George Washington presented her with a black shawl.
Mary Hayes, also known as “Molly Pitcher” was the daughter of a New Jersey Dairyman and was married at the age of 13 to a barber named William Hayes. Her husband enlisted in the PA Artillery and Mary joined him during the Philadelphia Campaign. During the battle of Monmouth her husband was wounded and Mary took over firing the artillery.
These are just a few of the women, the people, who served the new America at Valley Forge.
“Let it be told to the future world, that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet and to repulse it.” (Quote from: The Crisis by Thomas Paine)
Link to US History.org – Historic Valley Forge
http://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/index.html
Link to National Park Service.gov – The Women Present at Valley Forge
https://www.nps.gov/vafo/learn/historyculture/valleyforgewomen.htm
SleepyHeads! What will Team Witness do now that they know Malcolm Dreyfuss and Jobe have demonic connections? Tune in next week to find out!
February 3, 2017 – Season 4 Episode 5 – “Blood from a Stone”
And SleepyHeads – don’t forget about the book, Sleepy Hollow – Creating Heroes, Demons & Monsters, by Tara Bennett and Paul Terry. You can order it on Amazon, by using the Golden Spiral Media link.
SleepyHeads! Look into your crystal balls and let us know your future “prophecies” of events that may occur by sending us your feedback! Our deadline is 7PM Eastern, on Saturday. You can use our Feedback page to type an email, record a voicemail, or upload an audio file, or call 304-837-2278. We’d love to hear from you! And while you’re at it, why not take a few minutes to leave a rating and review in iTunes?
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