Complete the following PEAR response. First, read the paragraph provided. Then, compose a PEAR response that answers the question below. Use a quote from the paragraph as evidence to support your answer.
When the town of Salem was founded, it was a charter colony, meaning that the laws and ruler of England still applied there and needed to be followed. Under these laws, in order to accuse someone of any crime punishable by death, the accuser had to put up a bond (a large sum of money). If the accusation was found to be false, the accuser would lose that money. A few years after its founding, however, Salem lost its charter. The laws of England no longer applied. As a result, when the first group of men came forward accusing three women of witchcraft, no bond money was collected. (Source: Aaron Mahnke, “Unobscured”)
How might the fact that bond money was no longer necessary have affected the witchcraft accusations in Salem?