Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1842-08-03
From The Nee Orleans Pieayune. July 81.
A MURDERER'S ARREST.

A MURDERER'S ARREST.
Under this caption in our paper Of Tues
day we briefly noiiced the arrest of one
Wiley Freeman, for the murder Of his
wife. The particulars we received al Too
late an hour on The previous evening to
give them in full. They were yesterday
crowded out" 10 use technical phrase,
by news from Mexico, Texas, &c. They
are OF an extraordinary character, and in-
asmuca az they show that the Omniscieut
cyr is ever on he murderer. they poini OUT
moral On ic it is well to reflect.
Frcemun Is about fory-eish, ye rs Of
age; his co'intenance bcspeaks shrewdness
and intelligence, aud it also plainly tells
Of uiiud narrowed up with feelings off u.
tense agony AMI hitler. biting remose.-
He was raised in Edgrfeld. South Caro-
lima. and Was married al the early age Of
iwcnty-lwo years. His wife he had
Suown from carly infancy-they wen, 10
-choo together and participated 10 tho
village sports. Their union seemed to be
su@h one as would insure perpetual hap
pincss-undyrng love. The poet says
"Buthappy'hcy. The happies, ofIheir kind,
Whom gentle stars unite, and in one fate
Their hearts, their fortunes and their be-
inSs blend"
But. alas! though early association and
similarity OF tastes and ages would seem
To have combined TO .ender Mr. Freeman
and bis mife bIissfuI aud happy. feelings
apparently aI ~ar with nature rose up and
made them m err e. After having lived
together for s"me ~ enty-two years, and
after having given 10 the world eleven
children. the marriage VOW, mutually Ia
ken, wa- nrokcn, aud tho parties who
pledged themselves 10 live aid love togeth-
c. IN sickness and IN heaIth--througb good
and evil ipIlune--became severed, disuni-
! ted.
Freeman, appears, became the scottish
slave cofnlemperancc. of and, as necessary
conseq,f nee, Jailed to discharge the duties
incumbent on every husband-on every
father. Tho mother Mrs. Freemanl-as
mothers ever do-clung 10 her children,
and used her every exrrion to supply them
with those ncressaries and that education
and prolec mn which it was the duty Of a
father TO provide. 49, ssss ~.
Freeman s,-sLd svsurtimes ycprIe crd :
take from his wife the youngest members
ur the family aud this would seem 10 have
bceu done more with view Of narrowing
The Others feelings than for any paiernal
affection which he felt for his children.
On Que occasion b. took of the TWO
younger children and placed them al The
house OF a sister Of his. Their mother,
feeling solIcilous Tor their welfare, sent ono
Of her sons, young man seventeen years
old. after them, who brought them back TO
their mother. They had not long left when
Freeman returned to his sisters and found
them eone-hi tnlnd dethruned by rum,
and hi. soul fred by an un!oundcd jealousy,
tior this cursed passion. too. preyed on
hmj he hastily seized his rifle, swearing
that he would Take Ihc life Of his own son.
He loaded his piece with two balls, hur-'
ried after his children with the design Of
of splling their blood. but failed to over
lake them.
Having 80 failed. and having delermiu-
ed To do a loul and bloody deed. he went
on 10 the house Of hI, vi lie. ~ hom lie found
engaged at her domestic dutics-he level
led his rifle AT her. and ere she had time to
say, God have mer, y on me !" he lodged
the fatal bullets IN her body. She lived
bul few hours afterwards.
This, as we said on Tuesday, was on
The 10th Of june. 1887 He fed. Tho
authorities Of the state offered reward for
him. aud he vas taken in the state Of Ala
bama. lie was scnt back aud imprisoned
in the distric, jail Of Edgefeld. From this
he managed 10 escape before The time for
his trial came on.aud mado his way through
Tennessee and Mississippi to this city,
here, being an active mechanic, be work
ed lnr n considerable time with Mr. Scwell,
the builder, aud III the construction OF she
Nashville Railroad Bur, though he found
employment. he found not peace-tbe can
ker-worm of guilt guawed at his heart. and
The spirit of a murdered wife haunted his
wakeing Thoughts and sleeping hours. Ur-
Scd on. therefore, by spirit Of disquie- !,
Iude, he went TO Texas; from thence no
travelled with caravan 10 Mexico
worked At various employments there. bu,
still so perturbed was his mind thai the Ia
bor Of the day brought not sleep TO his eve
lids.
In cndeavorius to ay. as it wcrc. from
his own inamy, he came back to tina CITY
remained here wc know not how long
left and was making his way through the
interior Of the state, when he was arrested
in The parish of Rapidcs on the 18th inst.
And here n new feature in this e1traor-
dinary story presents itself 10 the reflective
md one showing forth in colors TOO per-
cepriblc 10 he mistaken, tho reirlb'uSo
Justice thai belongs to Omuipo'encc.
At the time rha, Freeman murdered
his wife, she had an only brother, named
John Crawford, residing in The Stale OF
Alabama. some five hundred miles distant
from Edeefcld Having heard OF the Ia {
taI affair ard Of Freeman's escape from g
prisou. he left his home. resolved TO put-
sue him unto death aud avcnge sis'eta
blood. He followed in hi. wake in 'pts
rity, Texas. and elsewhere; but never coula z
he lay his eyes on him. ..:.:s
Alicr four years crusade oil this sind
and q holy one /, was-he became bro,
L.. Il npEng. ann !.