The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1875-01-21
while Temporarily Insane Young
Girl Erects an Altar, Builds FIRE.
and Burns HerselfiO Death-Sins"-
I,r Case of Religious Fauaticism.

Cbrissev Hacker, an intelligent and
beautiful girl, living at " h,tes ale:'
sixteen miles west Of Honesdaie, rem
sylyania, deliberately burned herself !"
death on Wednesday, while under the
in uence of extraordinary religious Ia
nat;c;sm She was the daughter OF Will
liam Hacker, wealthy and prominent
farmer. For five or six years past she
hps been subject to temporary insanity
durino which lapses she imagined that
she had committed sins against "her I'm
manuel" which could be only absolvej
by the making of burnt offerings. While
laborine under this delusion she would
erect affairs in the fields of her fathers
farm and sacrifice lambs, and also burn
clothing and household articles of differ
ent kinds. Her father, her mother being
dead, fearful that she might during one
of these intervals do herself bodily harm,
kept Il strict watch on her movements.
Yesterday Mr.. Hacker had occasion to
90 to u neighborlng village, and as ms
daughter manifested signs of the recur-
renee of one of her insane intervals, NJ
charged his 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
Rible For some reason he ana
NOT raturn to the house until Mr..
Hacker came back, which was about
two o'clock When the latter entered
his kitchen he was paralyzed with horor
,t the sight that confronted him. On
The oshes and Goals of what had evidently
baan one of Miss Hackers affairs lay
the body of his daughter literally burned
70 u crisp. Both legs and the left arm
were entirely consumed, and the abdo-
men was reduced to ashes. The hair was
all burned OF her head, but her face was
not burned. Notwithstanding the intense
agony she must have endured her face
was not distorted in the least, but wore
an expression of calmnes and peace, her
lips being parted in q smile, as if believ-
ING that through that fiery ordeal she
was to pass into II joyful eternity.
While the hired man was absent Miss
Hacker had formed out OF Il set OF quilt
ing-framcs pyre or altar. On tins she
had spread some carpet and made her
Selfa pillow. At one side OF the altar
she had piled up quantity OF combuSti-
bic wood. and, when all was III readiness,
had fired it, from which the flames soon
spread and enveloped the altar,
Ia the family Bible, which was found
opened at the Book Of Job, the following
note was found, in the handwriting Of the
deceased:
DEAR FATHER:-My Emmanuel APP
pcarcd to me to-day. He reveals to me
the fact that have committed the n
pardnnable Sin; which can only obtain
forgiveness for by passing through
the cleansing of Fire. will intereede
for vou my dear father. You
will find my purified body in the north
east corner Of the house. wish to have
nv ashes buried IN my Emmanuel
Ground ut the northwest corner of the
house. Good bye. Meet me on the
Eternal Ground. CKISsEf.
Mr.. Hacker went to the corner OF the
house indicated in the note n the spot
whore the remains We're to be buried.
and found that his daughter had staked
out there a space for her grave.
Martin Prcntiss summoned a jury ana
held an inquest on the remains. y YER
diet in accordance with above was rem
dcred-B rookim Timss.