The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1875-01-26
Case Of Religious
FanatIciSin.
A Young Girl Makes a Funeral
Pyre. and Offers Herself as q
Rurnt Sacrifice-.She fs DiScOv-
cred Lying, Dead In the Ashes--
Her Last Letter.
rCorresrondence New York Times.

Correspondence New York Times.
HoNEsDALE, Pa, Jan. 14-Crissy
Hacker, an intelligent and beautiful
young lady. living at Whites Valley,
sixteen miles west of this place, delib-
erately burned herself to death yester-
day, while under the influence Of extra
ordinary religious fanaticism. She was
the daughter of William Hacker, a.
wealthy and prominent farmer of the
county. For some five or six years
past she has at times been subject to
temporary insanity, during which lapses
she imagined that she had committed
sin against cher Emmanuel" which
could be only ebsolved by the making
Iof burnt offslines While laboriug un-
der this mental ballucination. she would
erect altars in the fields of her fathers
farm, and sacrifice lambs to appease the
wrath of her offended deity, and also
burn clothing and household articles of
different kinds. Her father "a widower),
fearing that she might, during one OF
these intervals, do herself bodily harm
| hCDb d otilCI WdtCii Ou ilCi movements
Yesterday Mr.. Hacker had occasion
to 60 to a neighboring village, and as
his daughter manifested signs of the re-
currence of one of her insane intervals,
he charged Ids hired man to watch her
during his absence. At noon the man
went to his dinner, leaving the young
lady in the kitchen reading the Bible =
For some reasons he did not return to
the house until Mr. Hacker came back,
which was about 2 O'clock When the
latter entered his kitchen be was para
Ilyzed with horror at The sight that con
fronted him Ga the Goals and ashes of
what had evidently. been one of Miss
Hackers altars, lay the body of bis
daue ehter, literally burned to crisp =
The face was the only part not burned.
NotwithstandiDgt the intense agony that
she must have endured, her features
were not distorted IN the least, but wore
an expression cal and peaceful, her
lips heing parted ma smile, as if she
died believing that through that fiery
ordeal she was to pass into a joyful eter,
nifty. 1t appears that while the hired
man was absent Miss Hacker had form
ed out of set1of quilting, frames 9
pyre or altar. On this she had spread
some carpet, and made herself pillow
When found she lay on her right side
with her check resting on her hand
Everything seemed to indicate that this
was the position she had taken at first
and from which she had not moved
!, AT one side Of the altar she piied up ;
quantity of comhustible wood, and wber
all was in readiness had fired it, from
which the nmes soon spread and en-
veloped the altar
In the family Bible, which was fount
open at the Book of Job, the following
note was found in the handwriting o
the deceasedA q
DEAR FATHER-My Emmanuel ap
peared to me to day. He reveals to MT
the fact that have committed the un
pardonable sin, which l can only obtair
forgiveness for by passing through tht
cleansing of fire. will intercede fo
YOU, my dear father. You. will find my
purified body in the northeast corner o
the house. wish to have my ashe:
buried in my Immanuers ground, at th,
northwest corner of the house. Good
bye Meet me on the Eternal ground
CRIssY"
! Mr. Hacker went to the corner OF th,
house Indicated in the note as the spo
where the remains were to- he buried
and found that his daughter had staket
out there space for her grave.
Martin Prentiss, Esq, summoned :
jury and held an inquest on the remains
A verdict in accordance with the abov,
facts was rendered