Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1872-04-12
The Ohio Fanatics.
o'NclLnr>s TIE DEVIL UYNuHDLa.

ClNtIII frlNs TlIE DEVIL IT klGuLE.
DAYTON. o., March lO.-Lconhuri Mar
garit, who on Saturday last murdered bis
wife and four children, az t.- house uu the
CUingt1n Iikc.ahout four miles from this
city, Il q Bohemian, and omisratei 20 this
country -9vera. years ago. HE natural di-Io-
-itiiu j. -1mhre and melancholy, and occa-
-ionaly he is subject % states OF the most
profound dependency Ha always was re-
isi1us insane mar. ana now has become re-
ii-iou- maniac.
On the wednesday evening preceding the
tragedy be was more than usually mollu
ch0ly. and wandered about his litle farm,
looking up at thc clouds driving wildly over
head, beating his breast, and absorbed in the
images of malisuity c1niured up by his disor-
dercd Imagination. Later be returned t. the
mouse, took down the Bible and read from
the Old Iestament's most gloomy and grand
chapters. Ills wife and children went to bed
shortly Afterwards hut he sat mp lor several
hours looking into Tbs FIRE and pondorinE. 1T
last hcr5used his wife and with frantic gcs-
tIculations accused her OF being a witch who
was ia league with the dew. % effect his ctor-
nal damnaton. ana that she had tried % kill
him. In this assertion his eldest daughter
c1ucurrcd, and even accused her mother Of
the most yils practices. She said -ho had
often cen her talking with q large, black
dog, which always vanished into the earth
on her approach, this dog WAS of course, the
devil.
At other times she had watched AN en0r-
nous horsc-ly creeping over her mother s
face and which she never hrushed away, and
which would presently ny over 10 her (the
daughter) and alight on her forehead. At
such times she felt the devil enter into her
and she did not know what To do-'shc felt
like flying. the poor woman was terrified be
yJud measure, but she feared there might be
some truth in what her daughter ana hus-
band said. She was not afraid OF her hus-
band, but shared bis dread Of the devil, and
then all three knelt down and prayed that
the evil might be removed far from them.
This quietcd them somewhat, and they all
lay down again to sleep. On the next day the
whole family, even the little ones, neglected
their household affairs and went to sobbing
and praying because of the terrible and un-
known evil which hung over them.
Towards night it seemed as though the
passionate and insane dread had worn itself
out, and supper was eaten in silence. On
that evening Margaret himself had become
SO far quiet that he was enabled to secure a
few hours sleep, disturbed by Nightmares
and horrible dreams; but on the morrow he
was lower than ever, and passed much of the
day in weeping, reading the Bible, and pray
ing His wife, too, was reduced to the cxtrem-
ity Of fear and horror, and even saw the dew
il in the corner of the room leering at her and
making the most filthy and obscene gestures.
Presently, however, he disappeared, and in
his place appeared beautiful "Christkind-
chem who smiled upon her. During the
evening Margaret told his wife that what the
devil wanted vas to obtain possession Of the
ahildren. who should Immediately be sent
cway from the house to some place of safety.
The two then knelt down and prayed again,
but during the prayer the woman started to
her feet with yell of horror, and said that
the evil one was standing at the door again,
and intended to seize and carry them away.
Margaret then turned hastily round. fell on
his face, and began a wild imprecation to the
fend begging him to do the household no
harm. The devil then vanished and the hus-
band and wife stripped themselves stark
naked, and again prayed vehemently.
Shortly after Margaret and his wife had
gone TO bed they rose again, and the husband
proposed coolly to his wife that they should
rise again and put it out of the power of the
demon to injure the children. By this time
his insanity had progressed SO far that he
heard spirits commanding him to murder his
offspring,as this was the only mevns of saving
them. His wife's mind also was completely
given over to her hallucination, and though
trembling with fear and horror, she agreed
to the proposal. They then rose and went to
the children's bed whence they took two of
the elder children, and male babe of about
six months, stripped them even of the scanty
clothing in which they were sleeping. led
them out of the house, across the field,
through narrow belt Of timber, and there
deliberately drowned the two eldest in a
brook there flowing, and broke the baby's
skull. They then pulled the children from
the water-one was boy named Samuel and
the other n girl named Leah, and both were
about seven years old-and laid them on the
bank of the stream, carrying the dead baby
about hundred and fifty yards further and
depositing it on the snow
they than returned to deal in the same
way with the remaining children, a boy
named IIabaknk and girl named Lisa; but