Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1831-09-17
From, The Stanford, ICON. Sentinel.

From, tie Stamford, CON n'"""'
Isr,sr1cIpE.- EFFECTS OF A Re-
,,e,ous PHRENzY.-'rhe following melancholy
occurrence from fanaticsrn, which has recently
taken place IN an adjoining town, has oeen reiat-
ed to US by person who learnt the particulars
from the wife of the unfortunate man, and from
persons residing in the vicinity OF the bloody scene.
A Mr.. Stephen Miller, OF new canaan, Tor
many years past very reepsctaole memoer " inc
Congregational church.in North STANFORD, u"der
tho nasinraI charge of the Rev. Mr.. Fuller. on
Thursday NIGHT last. killed his two children. and
nearly killed his wife. while III state oil aboer-
r,,;,n Of mind. The circumstances which led
IN the act are rs foilows-not long since the church
~ North Stamford held four days meeting
Mr.. NJ. was constant in his attendance, anu was
apparently much exercised in his mind win the
RELIGIOUS services of the meeting. On fridaY'
the Cd inst. he attended similar meeting al New
Canaan, conducted by the Methodist persuasion;
ON hi, return home he told his wife he should 90
no more work, and that he intended To leave all
his temporal concerns to Providence, and prepare
himself for death. From that moment he com
menced fasting, declaring he should IN future live
upon fa,th-he then occupied most OF his time,
during the hours of labor, in reading the Scrip
lures or PRAYER. On Tuesday morning last he
told his wife she must not cook any victuals but
that she and the children must also fast; with thus
request Mrs. NJ. complied, suspecting his mind
was not altogether rarinnal. The neighbours dur
inr this time had not discovered any thing IN the
conduct of Mr.. Nj. to excite suspicion oil his III
sanity On Thursday night he retired to bed at
his usual hour with his family consisting OF his
wife and two children, one three and the other one
year of age. About midnight thunder shower
rose and the noise of the thunder awoke them from
k,,h hon al a. no
shower was very heavy, to which he replied. Eyes,
the day Of Judgment is at hand, and we must get
up and prepare for it," He Immediately left his
bed, took his elder child and commenced beating
il in terrible manner. to keep las he remarked
at the time,) ..The Devils of:"-Mrs. Miller
spranr out Of bed and nterferred-Miler let go
OF the child and seized her BY the hair of her head,
and before she could extricate herself from his
grasp. he tore all her night clothes oft, and bruiZ.
ed, bit and scratched her flesh most shocklngly;
on making her escape she fed below stairs, and
he followed close atter-in her attempt to pass the
outer door he caught her by the ance she tell out
side, the door at the same time closing against her
leg; in this condition she lay nearly an hour, ma
ked and the rain pouring down in torrents, he.
during the time holding her by the ANGLE inside
the door. He finally, and of his own accord, let
90 his hold. aud she fed to tie nearest neighbor,
almost lfeess. The neighbours being alarmed,
repaired to Millers's house and found him rang
ing about it: the windows were mostly broken to
pieces-The younger child was found lying IN
the weeds, about two rods from the house, awful
ly wounded in several parts Of the body by blows
apparently inflicted upon it with hoe-it linser-
cd few hours and died. The other child was
found a corpse in the cellar wretchedly mangled.
From traces of blood. and other appearances,
it is supposed the last mentioned child was kill
ed by beating its head against the castings of the
window in the chamberin which the tragedy com.
menced, and that the body was then hove out of
the windows and afterwards taken up and thrown
through another window into the cellar Mrs.
Miller remained at the house where she first gave
the alarm, and where she yet remains unable to
leave her bed, in consequence of the injury she
received
Mr. Miller was taken before a magistrate on
Saturday, and after an inquiry had. was commit
ted to Fairfield Jail to await legal investigation
of this unhappy circumstance. at the next Term
of the Superior Court for this county. which COM
mences at Danbury, on the last Tuesday in
this month.