The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-01-10
SUPERSTITIOUS HALLUCINATION AND
MURDER.

Our readers have been informed that one
Justus Matthews, common, ignorant man,
was murdered at New Haven, Connecticut. on
Sunday night, December 23d. The history of
this murder is. one of the most remarkable mar
ratives we have ever read. Mrs. Rhoda Wake.
man, aged above seventy years, and her half.
brother, Samuel Sly, aged above fifty, illiterate
and vulgar persons, protesting to be doctors of
medicine, have lived in the same house to-
gether for years, and seem to have been the
leading members of a most absurdly fanatical
religious community of about dozen persons
Mrs. Wakeman was regarded, indeed, as the
head of the society; being, as she alleges, a
prophecies, and having once been for many
hours welcome guest in Heaven, after her
murder by her husband, who died many years
ago. Her direct commission from Heaven,
after her resurrection, to teach and convert
the world, gave her great authority with the
people; she exercised it by the most grotesqu ne
perversion of Scripture and the most blasphe-
nous assumptions. Her house was the place
of meeting for her disciples, among whom was
the deceased, who, becoming remiss OF late in
his attendance and devotions, fell under her
dispeasure and gave her great Distress almost
even unto death, because he possessed an evil
spirit that prosecuted her. How he came by
this evil spirit is related by Sly, the following
passage from whose confession affords fair
insight into his mental condition. and that of
his sister, and indeed of their whole party
"Wakeman (the husband of Rhoda) had
power from all departed spirits from the fall of
man, and it was transferred to Eben Gould
He died, and Amos Hunt took it. Hunt and
his wife used to come to our house, and read
and pray with US. He brought on Sunday
seven little cakes; they were all poisoned, and
they poisoned those who ate them. Mr. Sill
man tasted the cakes. When Hunt betrayed
innocent blood by giving us the poison, he
spiritually sold the whole world. Eben Gould
was the second beast Of Daniel After his
death, the PO,cer was scattered over the whole
world Amos Hunt having "laid the curse
upon the throne of God" according to Sly,
and having afterwards drought it down upon
Justus Matthews" it became necessary, in the
opinion of the disciples, that Matthews should
be dspossessed of the evil spirit, even by death,
if other means should fail. Accordingly, Mat
thews went on Sunday night to Mrs. Wake
mans, to have the demon exercised. There
he was biindfolded and left alone in front
room below stairs till one or two O'Clock, the
rest remaining in prayer in another room, some
of them occasionally visiting him singly or
together, and beseeching him to give up the
evil one. He was told from time to time that
his spirit was seriously injuring Mrs. Wake
man, and might kill her; whereupon, the gen
eral Judgment would ensue; and that he had
better be killed than allow this. There was
some testimony that he expressed a willingness
to die, if necessary, Finally Sly after consult
ing with jackson, one Of the party, got from the
cellar a stick of hazelwood, previously placed
there to be used in Disseminating Matthews,
and struck him over the temple, as he sat
blinded, with such force as to bring him to the
floor. He then cut his throat with his pocket
knife, and afterwards stabbed him with a table
fork. Matthews groaned, but did not utter a
word. The body was shockingly mutilated.
Sly then went up starts, and engaged in prayer
with the others
From the above account, condensed from
the very voluminous testimony taken before
the jury of inquest, the reader may learn the
nature of this most extraordinary case, and will
doubtless wonder that such things can be, and
even that such people can exist in Connecticut
in the nineteenth canturv,