Wilmington expositor. (Wilmington, Del.) 1831-18??, 1831-09-30
From the Stanford Conn. Sentinel.
INFANTICIDE.
Horrible elects IF Religious Phrrnsy.


It Horrible Effects Of a Religious Ptrensy.
!; The following melancholy occurrence from
dlreligious fanaticism, has been related to us BY
: la person who learnt the particulars from the
, wife of the unfortunate man, and from persons
r lresiding in the vicinity of the bloody scene.
\ A Mr. Stephen ] Miller, of New Canaan.
2 flor many years very respectable member of
1.-THE Congregational church, in North Stanford,
under the pastoral charge of the Rev. Mr..
Fuller, on Thursday night last. killed his two
'Ichildren and nearly killed his wife, while in
state of alteration of mind. The circumstances
! which led to the act are as follows:-Not long
J since the church at North Stanford held Il
I' four days meeting" Mr.. M. was constant
lin his attendance, and was apparently much
Exercised in his mind with the religious servi~
: ces of the meeting. On Friday the 2ds inst.
he attended similar meeting at New Canaan.
conducted by the Methodist persuasion; on
his return home he told his wife she should do
inc more work, and that he intended to leave
his temporal concerns to providence, and pre-
, pare himself for death. From that momenn
/. he commenced fasting. declaring he should in
future live upon faith---he then occupied most
of his time during the hours of labor, in rea.
S ding the scriptures 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 this request Mrs. M. also COM
S piled; suspecting his mind was not altogether
r rational. The neighbors at this time had noe
If discovered any thing in the conduct of Mr.. Ma
r to excite suspicion of his insanity. On Thurs
e day night he retired to bed at his usual hour
is with his his family consisting of his wife and
g two children one three and the other one year
). of age. About midnight thunder shower
n rose, and the noise of the thunder awoke them
e from sleep-Mrs. M. observed to her husband
that the 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 it in a shocking man
e ner, to keep Gas he remarked at the time,
a i" The devils off, Mrs. Miller sprung out of
+ the bed and irterfered-Miller let go Of the
r child, and seized her by the hair of her head,
ID and before she could extricate herself from his
,o grasp, he tore all her night clothes off, and
l. bruized, bit and scratched her flesh most shock
NJ ingly; on making her escape she fled below
IN stairs, and he followed close after--in her ate
ne tempt to pass the outer door he caught her by
I'd the ANGLE, she fell outside, the door at the same
4. time closing against her leg; in this condition
n she lay nearly an hour. naked. and the rain
to pouring down in torrents. he, during the time
re- holding her by the ANGLE inside the door. He
n finally and of his own accord let go his holds
he and she fed to the nearest neighbour almost
,g ,lifeless. The neighbours being alarmed, re-
of paired to Miller's house and found him rang
re ing about; the windows were mostly broken &c
adj peces-the young child was found lying in
&c. the weeds, about two rods from the house, aw'
he fully bruised in several parts of the body BY
lat blows apparently inflicted with hoe-it lin
Il gered few hours and died. The other chile
he was found corpse in the cellar wretchedly
ch mangled
N. From traces of blood, and other appearan
tes css, it is supposed the last named child wa
we killed by beating its head against the casing
,us tof the window in the chamber in which tn
his tradegy commenced, and that the body wa
A. then hove out of the windows and afterward
the taken up and thrown through another window
his Into the cellar. Mrs. Miller remained at tn
m house where she yet remains unable to leav
md her bed, in consequence OF the injury she re
ceived.
,by MIR. Miller was taken before magistrat
,ter on Saturday, and after an inquiry. was CONT
in ted to Fairfield Jail to await legal investigator
to of this unhappy circumstance, at the next ter
hos of the Supreme Court for this county, whic
YES commences at Danbury, on the last luesda
in this month. -
Merit is often an obstacle to fortune, and ii
lsu- reason is, because it always produces two bs
,nce effects, envy and fear. Envy in those who ca
it of not rise to the same degree of perfection,
mes. fear in those who are established, and WI
pro- dread that by advancing a man possessed
that more abilities and merit than themselves, tn
may bsa suPplanted'
.~.usaszasuss@z