▁" high ly ▁liter ate " ▁and ▁" s at ir ical ▁tone " ▁of ▁the ▁letter ▁was ▁seen ▁as ▁writing ▁beyond ▁its ▁time , ▁leading ▁Perry ▁Miller ▁to ▁call ▁it ▁a ▁" mil estone ▁in ▁American ▁literature ." ▁Br attle ▁den ounced ▁the ▁per sec ution ▁of ▁sus pected ▁w itch es , ▁and ▁his ▁letter ▁revealed ▁a ▁" ch ink ▁in ▁the ▁arm or " ▁of ▁Pur itan ▁ide ology . ▁Br attle ▁presents ▁a ▁comp elling ▁argument ▁against ▁the ▁legal ▁prem ises ▁and ▁procedures ▁involved ▁in ▁the ▁aff lict ions , ▁accus ations , ▁and ▁execution s , ▁with ▁a ▁particular ▁focus ▁on ▁the ▁invalid ity ▁of ▁spectral ▁evidence ▁in ▁proceed ings . ▁He ▁argued ▁that ▁the ▁procedures ▁were ▁so ▁contrary ▁to ▁established ▁practice ▁and ▁were ▁dire ▁in ▁their ▁consequences . ▁ ▁Br attle ' s ▁letter ▁was ▁designed ▁to ▁illustrate ▁the ▁wrong ful ▁conv ict ions ▁that ▁the ▁Court ▁of ▁O yer ▁and ▁Term iner ▁made ▁during ▁this ▁time ▁as ▁they ▁based ▁their ▁evidence ▁on ▁w itch craft ▁from ▁int ang ible ▁evidence . ▁He ▁was ▁careful ▁to ▁not ▁critique ▁the ▁" S alem ▁Gent le men ", ▁which ▁he ▁referred ▁to ▁as ▁the ▁jud ges ▁and ▁minister s , ▁but ▁rather ▁focused ▁on ▁crit iqu ing ▁the ▁methods ▁they ▁used . ▁After ▁Governor ▁Ph ips ▁read ▁Br attle ' s ▁letter , ▁he ▁ordered ▁that ▁the ▁courts ▁could ▁no ▁longer ▁use ▁int ang ible ▁evidence ▁as ▁a ▁source ▁to ▁conv ict ▁individuals ▁of ▁w itch craft . ▁Ph