Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1867-02-21
The Puritan Son-KtiIer..

Extraordinary statement OF Joel Lindsay
the Clergyman who Beat His SON tC
Death-Two-and-a-ha Hours whip
pIng-The Defendant Admits "He was
Not Angry" sc.
That / should make this statement
feel is due both TO myself and to the
public. l have long waited for this
opportunity, but in view of the legal
part of the matter and the injunctions
Of my counsel, my mouth has been
closed and | have suffered in silence.
Had | been called before the coroner's 8
Jury to my own statement of this case,
it would have saved me great deal Of
pain and the public much false impres
sion. But this was not the case and the
few words l spoke in respect to the
matter were spoken to DIR. Chamber
lain in a room alone, with no one pres.
ent but himself and me, and the com.
munication was but verbal one Ny
little boy lost his mother when about
one year and half old, a lady whom
l loved intensely and who loved me
with all the tenderness and devotion
of woman's nature. After the death
of my wife, my affections were drawn
more closely around my child, and ]
loved him most tenderly. He was q
noble, manly, and beautiful child, very
aflectionate in his disposition and
bright in his intellect. His father and
friends looked upon him with pride and
hope, and should not have been salts.
fed to have him been absent from me a
week. My little boy had wonder.
fully firm will, enough for an adult,
but there was nothing malicious in it.
l do not speak of this as anything
against him, but on the ether band, /
consider it to have been God-given
talent of the highest Importance, had
il been rightly trained. On the night
of his death, his step-mother had TAX
en- him 10 another room to put
him to bed. My little boy had
been trained by his own mother, dur
ing her life, to be put 10 bed by him
self alone, as on account of her feeble
health she was not able to do as moth
ers ordinarily would, and he would Go
it just as cheerfully and happily as
though put to bed in any other way.
In this instance my child refused to
obey my wife, and she was striving to
secure obedience. | supposed word
from me would be sufficient, as he very
seldom refused to obey me. But it
was not. We questioned whether it
was best to try to force obedience
or whether it was best to drop the mat
ter and consider about it. | finally
decided, on my own responsibility, TO
punish him; not that | cared so much
for the particular thing he was to do,
but felt it was important to secure
the habit of obedience | anticipated
no serious conflict at all. The instru-
ment | used was piece of shingle
taken from some old shingles used for
kindlings, thirty years old, or more,
and the wood, | should think, was
hemlock, certainly not hard wood.
My impression is that it might have
been an inch and one-quarter wide,
possibly, but / cannot state with pre-
else accuracy the width oft. 1t very
likel y was less, as was stated in court.
1t was not a thick shingle; nothing
like a club about it. II occurred to me
that obedience would be secured more
readily by it than by using the hand,
If it were necessary to use corporal
punishment at all / recollect dis
tinctly of feeling when commenced,
that would rather the blows would
fall upon myself than upon my boy.
As | continued TO punish him, stop
ping at very frequent intervals and
talking to him, | felt convinced that
be knew what | wished him TO do, as
his reply to my question, "Why will
you not do it, Johnny Pa is sorry
that Johnny will not mind" was, 81
do not wish to. / wish to do some
thing else" stopping crying at the
same time. | had undertaken to Sc
cure obedience, and | felt that must
accomplish it, 1t will be said that |
erred in commencing at that hour,
when my child was tired by the play
of the day. ! did err in so doing, but
hs have said, had no idea of any
|serious cofic: at all. If had had |
Should not have commenced. But il
was part of my education and was
my own judgment that child at that
age, however much as general thing
|the parent should avoid coming d.
-roctly across the will Of the child, yet,
when that did occur, that there was
no better or wiser way than for the
parent TO wisely enforce obedience.
NJ this case felt that unless my boy
Eith his tirmness of will, obeyed, he
tould not be made to ebey when older
others, doubtless would differ, but
nat was my honest conviction at the
ume. l do not speak of these things
4 70 excuse or extenuato my conduct,
but TO spread out, as far as ! am able,
1he influence which operated upon my
mind at the time and then the pub
|ic must judge me. As went on
recollect that my anxiety became very
intense that my boy should yield.