The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1856-01-11
THE DARK DAYS OF Is55-SPIRIT.
UALIsM AND THE MURDER cALEN-
rRrnm the W. Herald

OAR.
IFrom the n. I. Herald
There is not much doubt that In point Of
morals al the North and East we are retro
grading. We build great clippers and aston
ishing bridges, but in the arts we are o''''na
the old Greeks; in the graces we sadly need
missionaries; wild Indian is more polite
mors oencrous. more civilized than many a
New York politician; in morals we have en-
omples of deformy almost as gross as those
or,bo lowest South Sea FLANDERS; and future
,istoians will write that we are more super
s,itious and bgotted than the most insane
worshipper of Brahma-the most profound
devotce of Johanna Suuthcote, or the most
ardent disciple Of witch.hnnging, Quaker
whipping Cotton Mather.
The criminal calendar Of eighteen hundred
and ffty-fvo will substaLtia,e Il great deal Of
what we have said. The Mormons at Utah
the Free Lovers in New York and Wisconsin
the insane asylums filled with manincs on
the subject of spirtualism-the general ten.
dency on the part Of large portion of our
infatuated people to run after anything that
is new, however absnrd it may be, and the
readiness of certain presses, such as the Tri-
bune, to sustain novel doctrines without any
regard to their foundation or tendency, is fur.
ther evidence that, although we may be "smart
people" in the making Of revolvers and patent
pitclforks, we are in some respects the great.
est mass of fools that ever lived IN any age of
the world.
There is not so much talk nowadays about
the spiritual humbug; but we hear of it fire.
quently through its effects. About four
months ago Kentuckian, who had emgr,,t-
ed to California. became impressed with the
idea that he was medium. He was n person
of fair character, respectable connections, and
some education. He took up the doctrine of
"affinities" and formed connection with Il
young woman, (also partially insane on the
subject of spiriiualism,) whom he afterwards
murdered. He was executed, after having
made q full confession.
Wemght multiply these cases to an almost
indefinite extent. There is not IN insane asy-
lum in the country that does not contain one
or more victims of this delusion, and their
insanity is generally ncurable. In New Fla.
ven, Connecticut, last week, a most horrible
murder was committed by the dupcs of an old
woman, who pretenGs that she is one raised
from the dead, and who has quite n large cir
Gle of followers. The scene was more horri.
bic than any that ,ranspired in Massachusetts
during the dark days of the Salem witchcraft
delusion. A man named Mathews, it seems,
was bindfolded, bound and murdered by the
New Haven maniaes, on the ground that he
was possessed by IN evil spirit that must BE-
cast out. His sister blindiolded him and tied
his hands. One woman testified mt the in.
quest that she believed in the divinity of Mrs.
Wakeman, Qhe prophe,ess.) 81 believe" said
this witness, Abigail Stables by name, "that
Judgment would come if Mrs. Wakeman
should die; Mathews (thc dead man) was
driving awny her spirit with his evil powers"
She also swore that Mathews TASTED three
days in order to starve out the evil spirit. It
further appeared that the murdered man was
persuaded that il he offered himself up rs n
sacrifice the Millennium would come, and that
he consented. He was first knocked down
with club, his skull fractured, and his throat
cut Ten or twelve people were in the house
they all heard his cries, but made no efforts
to help HIM. All this TRANSFERRED in the nine
teenth century, in the pleasant city of New
Haven, the capital of the moral State of Con-
nectcut, which is distinguished for the piety
and enlightenment of It's people, the excel
lence and number of its common schools
Let us not talk about foreign missions. We
could take lesson in decency and true reli-
gon from the man caters of Dorneo.
We have thrown together these facts to
show that while we are boasiing of our en-
lightenment and our greatness and our learn
ing, we are still, in some respects, little better
than ssvages. The spiritual delusion has
spread into all ranks of society, from the
highest to the lowest; the free love and aflini-
:y humbug has grown out Of ii, and the tone
Of public morals has been much lowered
The home circle has been desecru!ed-wves
have left their usbands-ehildren have dis
owned their parents The victims of all these
decisions have been swindlcd and humbugged
and murdered right and left. And the end is
not yet The affair at New Haven is the
breaking out of the same morbid disease in a
more malignant type. A partial remedy for
the mischief may DO found in the prompt
execution of the law. We hope that none
who participated in this foul murder will be
allowed to escape the scaiiold or the lunatic
asylum.
sB-A correspondent wi,cs to the London
Telegraph aWhen war was declared be-
tween the United States and Mexico n pla.
card appeared in the window Of a gunmaker
on Tower Hill, offering bounty to all who