The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1866-01-01
sPiktTUAllSM AND CRIME.
The Tragedy ct Battle Creek
Michigan.
Startling Revelation Of Superstition, Suf-
fering and Murder.

A. the late atrocoas affair in tbs city has excited con
siderable interest," not ony hero tet ~lth tho plpn
generally, II NJ advisable they should l." correctly "a
formed concerning u II IL with fhs end IA Kiew that
e following narrative ~ gwen OF the hrs and rcuui
stances and he parts acted ny ie nferont persons col
cerned n this cold blooded cme ~ FAR a. Is yai knoNn
from the examination thus fsr mad W sh,ll state
nothing bnt facts ~ they wTo hronrht out IN eYaeDre
raynR each 10 draw what Inference be may on
the morning OF saturday te lGlh int IL was arcdcn
tally discovered that the dead bodies of three chlldt
wcrc lying In shanty on the outssHt of The town, and
the poraon who discovered them ihe cilren a.
play bat few days before. Tint crcunstanro connecid
with thc fact OF their sudden death, indac sspicon 81
foul nlay He gave the information 20 IN" proper 40
thorities coroner's jury AZ once summoned sui
proceeded 10 the pa c, and csanh,aan uttered
into Upon the examlua'on the following facts wctc
encited:-
HISTORY Op THE CASE.
The mother OF tho children, calling herself hir sarah
Hayand phough i appears thar was her name Wy her
first husband and that she has since been married ~
by tho name OF Leonard who ~ tti liyngl came
to lhs city from Ypsantl last spring, brnang wth her
her family, consisting OF nye ch'ldrrn-tLo three now
dead whose respect vely four SIN and eirbt
years and two girls aged eleven and the other ihir
living we're quite limited shcsrcn,ed poor tcucu,.nt
In the city and OBJ aimed livelihood AZ h shc could
srinrTUALrsr CIRCLE.
Soon after her coming here man by the numn OF
State also arrived here. He claimed 10 be ~ ritual
doctor or "hcang medium" HIS method OF doctor
ing by making passes over his patients and other such
nalbe remedies He profe.scdly took board with Mn.
Aavland, and has LIVED With her ever since, taking con
troll OF her affairs, and, ns sbe saw helping her lie
appears IN have had considerable control over her,
as well as over the rest % females who snbss
quonty became members OF tho family. some time
during The simmer they took IA another boardsr about
twenty three years Of age by tho OF Lizzie Msrru
who engaged Ia the occupation ~ selling books and
muse I4zae has the appearance aud action Of weak
minded fanatic. She Ia thorough believer IN spiritual
ism and all the gross absurdities connected with a.
Soon aer taking her they took in another girl seventeen
years oil age, by the name Of Hattie HANNA II appears
thai NJ tho Summer Mrs Hayiland DR. Baker Lizzie
ard sometimes one or two Others, held grrtua rclcs
These they continued every Sunday and "Wednesday
night down 10 the time Of the late catastrophe. Hattie
HanuiE sometimes took part In thetn circles before she
TO live in the family. When they took her IN 10 live
til them II was not a boarder, tor she IN
well ~ work at tho tame, and has 70 cont nued ever
since che says But they took her ana This at time
when thew were often in need Of Tho nce"eari OF me-
TO "deselop ~ "test medium" The Doctor seems
TO have had great hope Of her promised to do all he
could 10 'develop" her and she being naturally qrck
witted assured she did develop with excesdug
rapidly, though no, IN the direction OF work
A srInIrrALrsr HONE.
These congcniG natures, often living In Various poor
tencments for some time, had communicated from
the "sprt world " telling them that there spot of
low marshy land Just ou,sd the buApsss part OF the
city, which had formerly been used A. an Indian
burying ground and where they bad also Deposited
their treasures The spr further told them that tney
shoald buy ,a pseo Of propsry aud build upon IT, ADD
ls 'h' For iSa s Sqa S @a Two
ai sixty dollars OF the Merritt glrabJul all the money
she hadaDd bought the isnd IN question, and erected
on !, bosn santy one room. eight feet ~ido BY fon
teen feet lUng without window or door, uhcrv the chill
drcD nnd young by the name u Merritt, idxyes
brother, Who had by this Time made hts sppesfales
sept The other room twenty ono ie"t long BY
fourteen feet vide. In ths were two lounges and =
bed; this was occupied rs the sleeping apartment 81
Baker md the three womsnthoy occupy ing the bod he
one OF tho lounges
EXPLANATIONS ron TRAVELLING.
After they were located here they SIN kept up their
sanasy ana % sJ'n's ~ s,r., and S,os
isng nor "doveIopm enis that Mrs Hsviland, br
Baker and she began u talk Of travelling and leeturng
and showing the world the reult OF all this develop,
mont In their plan for future opsrntion Mr. hasaDd
to lecture and srt a. talking medium, Hattie to
s,.onlsa Sy her gree, power .na Ss,soy%en
well ctted though ne wns ~ Get as manager and
ssn director and 10 protest the women and take good
care " The money made.
THE CHILDREN Az OBSTACLE.
70 this arrangement the Ioctor tod Mrs Uxviland
there was one obsisclsthe children stood In the ~a.
and they could hot 20 away aud leave them, nsler
CO Id they take them the travelling expedition
VIVA, 10 be done, The spirits again came t' ,he
rref During their Subsequent crclea" tbs mother II
tho oidr.n, who. a. already ianaod, prvfssra ~ be
,olEng medium, Impressed BY tho s,Arfs ssy-
crli that the three children witch found d~si
tho o'isr inorniug would PAS away before oug -
hAd aich impression IN Tessrf 10 the 9Th tao Ga
dcn They already su'ely prov ded Tor w oale sis
should leave them 90 ~ travelling Tie oldest onr hA~
bn working fr va~cs Ia one OF the hotels % Tho pac.
for some us va only In gard T. Nc younger ADJ
more hclyes three that shs Atd thee i.rlcant 10.
pTcss.ous. aud QUE II u. oth"r me'iums. Who Du.
spot" al uic PROMPTING 81 some slni, ~ s"nrso al
they would Isss away before ,Hc uDos ne~ ~. IN 10
shortly afer these sFgs'yc nnInnra Which usrt GFyt
hoard time during ~. 'aN, Baker team " a.
about Ito prohsty Of the OBJ dr hs death svcryNlero
be vcnt nhsfr De a. all familiar And mech id
he tax on tls subject and uh .usb Yp.iit eneg con.
csfDlng ,hoir deaih That sprerrrd from TO tnp
% S.,nesss he aroused the suspligD 81 his ~suufi
sneos that All vaa no' st long before enylhins persr
20 az a. say that th-s~ Children Should do Do t.i
already sAd enough b direct sttsnuon 10 hm having
cofDyIicAy with Iscif desih
pEsTH oF TuR CafrDns..
IN 4. t.lfur dan a
-as s,nssy ~ x, a.,e:aea ne iIiss .e.s1
isteBce IA tbs pa IN Monday AZ ures - ne cntl
dr.n taken slck snd abgsi Vie ssas time. hoy
continued gro~ v0sa un,i is~'r acs'r 'hs srxt q
pnasy. rhsy al sreeisd snli.riy 18th .o.snt
sonii ng sna pcrs tsrnns rs.n ~ ne rnns1h sofe
crrlo hsid nfusi though 'hs ohadrvo ~ssc
r-rvnsy IA and IN sueb -ssnss Al th~ c'cs" cs ~
-,enias . .rrL. e,;iia,as !. = az ina'.a sv'nt
po-ss~ ~-~ ca snd ~ooh no, s-l cell"
on THURSDAY nernins Bassf aud Ms hzI ais srs I'm
town ln h. -riesres be "a. BE- is'' y vsit psnscs
abogs eve r'i-f dirsn, bBt one n uts Mse sisis
testified that be aid -Lsn 10 ~a gang ss-y that
b. 80 s1lns 70 n.s ncset .sy Tat ".
for rocb ~oaid mao. Ter nue, vhas
he a.ay b. tAitsd u tts sesth % el,.srel
a. nksy 70 iass p..es, and TIA, u o fosli Ls. dq.s
.ss,b he isd l.ft sr.s bsl fny bio sbsu,y srf nsii
lhsr up sns bsry u.em tbo III before itsx
rus dead vl-a lksy srysi uey fund her imsr.a
aoss fealli-n
rHx coKoNrns ixarrar.
The lbqyss 90 10 yf~rnss al % tLfy got bsfk rsy
prfe al cnr0 l-sep into c1siy 1td ssft st.v - ssst
tbrn srsu.iE.sl,a wben thsy nss their
ltaty csltrnd ciyry % thstns.ls and - ~ast
ohsf, sbosiEs osisns d-s4fs " eFs3s ssns laIss
asa A. thsy krey item " -
o. saturday. ~. issh ihs lrvessigsiias ~
On Inlay nornsg. tB~ lsih. pa rsrrssn
ton "a held " Ora Co.'S, Yr~rsh sri hs4nders. OHIO
ser si~o on NJ Jsry " fsgtss' Tts Ds4.ts % "a
e'ifs~b appeared N " t.siihy .ts hey oa,a 80
rcisLt to Inert dsssh frua rstn Ts~
siels<L u e@sh sss sst AL " The isfHe,g
FL Ann Att fof snsiyss The stsiaihaiiit stfl
LATED stersi d.ys. tDetlass, s.gn -hs,b ,h- asgrs
fafta sHritra
As atsor'nns "a 80 bsf art t4ri4y, The - itst
oil sas I,srtrd ust Nse fssgi N 80 ssss "a
81 ahn Arts~ ~ovts ~ snosn I1s fastsgi~s psrsoAs
vsys ssse az ua
rus c0ngtssIOH.
On faigfdsy tAs sIsa. b4ii0a lin ocsfnros, uhGl
sssr tho tiss % rs asy -t.p ne F9ts - ,1s t'if
dr~n ssps~~rd 90 - ~ Ne htsftr w 10 sod 49,
ths spa sssssn atch feiioss u ~s t4sts s9st ~ q