The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1876-05-11
Crazy Religionists.-A Nest of Fanati-
cism and Crime in Southwest Missouri.

Following is letter from Feosho. Mis-
souri,, dated April 25, to the ST. Louis
Republican:
Editor Republican:
On last Saturday night, in the neigh
borhood Of Thurman's lead mines in
Newton county, No, the attention of
some neighbors was attracted to the
house of Rev. Mr. Lynch by loud and
unusual noise in the way of shouting,
singing and praying, and upon going TO
the house the doors were discovered
barred on the inside, admittance was rc-
fused by the inmates, and the doors were
broken open, when the shocking specta-
Gle of a nude man and woman stood erect
on the floor. The man proved to be Rev.
Lynch, q minister OF some peculiar sect
that approximates MoTmonism in all res
poets except they hold it to be wrong to
have more than one wife; the other, the
woman, was ascertained to be Mr..
Lyneh's wife's sister, about twenty years
old upon the bed plank was lying on
which beautiful child two years OF age
was laying cold in death with its skull
mashed in. Lynch, the father Of the
dead child, told the intruders that his
child had for some time been possessed
of the devil, and that they had destroyed
and cast out the devil in obedience to
the special injunction of the Lord. At
the time he and his sister-in-law were
chanting hymns over the pale face of the
innocent babe, its mother and a man
whose name could not learn, were down
in the branch near the house shrieking
wildly and praying to God. The Rev.
Mr.. Lynch and his sister-in-law were
taken into custody and brought to this
place and lodged in our county Jail
repaired to the Jail this morning and
had a long interview with the prisoners,
especially the young woman. She would
converse freely on all subjects except the
murder of the child. She was born in
Arkansas; her name is Celia Lavina
Treace. She is now twenty years old,
and is really a handsome young woman.
At seventeen she became the mother Of
9 girl child, now living with one of her
sisters in this county, and some two
months since she added another illegiti-
mate to her family. She says that dis
/ tinguished minister Of their church at
Neosho county, Kansas, made a slight
| departure from the recognized dogmas OF
I the true church by adding free love to
I the original doctrine. That she was mis-
I led by him; that said divine is the father
of her boy babe now two months old.
4 The child is in Jail with her. So far she
refuses to eat. She says that she will not
I eat for forty days and nights. told her
4 the child would starve. She replied that
I the Savior of the world was in the mount
/ that long and lived sfterward. The pre-
/ vailing opinion here is that the prisoners
are crazy and their insanity is confined
I TO religious hallucination. Mr.. Lynch
I seems 10 be familiar with the Old Testa-
ment and insists that he was fulfilling
the requirements of scripture when he
killed his little girl. 1t is an Offering TO
God for sin. He imsgines himself Abra.
ham and feels that he must prove bis
faith in God by sacrificing his child
To say the least OF il, il is a sad picture
to behold in this Christian era. The
power of the State will have to be inVok
ed to restrain these loose jointed religion
lists who, by their enthusiasm, lead tc
such fearful ends as murder and lieen
/ tiousness.
The examination of the prisoners wal
held before Joseph Hewitt Esq. The de
PENDANTS made no defense, and were com
mitted for murder. The mother OF the
dead child is afflicted with the same de
lusion that seems to have fallen upon the
prisoners. A. j. ii.