Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1879-05-22
THE CHILD BCTCHERY IN POCAS.
SET. MASH.


underlying and prompting to the heinou.
crime. But this POGlsset butchery stands
out as the most inlllNlkin and unnatural
murder that has ever been perpetrated il
modern times or among civilized people
Charles f. Freeman. early on the morning
of the Isl inst deliberately killed his littl,
daughter in obedience to what he saws wal
a command from heaven. The full partic
'llars of the terrible crime are given in TIN
Henee,-Press of the 9Th inst. and are 5,
utterly at variance with the most extraOr
binary manifestations Of crime as to rende
them almost incredible. But we quot
from the account as follows:
Ills own statement OF the deed is prob
ably correct. and certainly is more horrible
than any version given by his friends. Ill
has been for some time greatly excited ant
superstitiOus Oh religious Subjects. and to
ten days past has imagined that the Lore
demanded the sacrifice OF the life of one 0
his family. Wednesday evening his tw.
little girls. Mildred. the eldest. aged eight
and Edith. the pet daughter. five years old
We're put to bed as usual. Their father say.
the children never seemed So dear to hin
a. when they kissed him good night tia
rvei ing.
He retired soon after and slept sound,
until : o'clock. when he suddenly awOkr
and was overwhelmingly impressed wit
the idea that he must shay his little daugh
ter. His wife WAS awake. and they talkel
the matter over for about half an hour
Size at first objected. but both finally arose
knetled by the bed and prayed. Not r.
ctiving the divine help they expected. hOt
being convinced that il was their duty t.
offer up their child a willing sacrifice to
heaven. although hoping and half expect
ing that God would stay his hand at the
final moment rs lie did that of Abraham
OF old. this strange father prayed that. il
compelled to pursue the deed TO the bitter
end. the work might be done quickly ant!
death come TO the relief OF the little martyr
ut the first blow. After coming to Il de
'.isiOn the man SAYS great load was lifted
from his mind. He rose jOyfully from his
knees and dressed himself. singing praises
the while. He left the house. and going
We secured 4 large shpath-knifr and Will, il
panied by his wife. who carried a light. he.
went TO the room where the children wer.
sleeping.
The lamp was placed on a chair. lie
went to the side of the bed where Edith
the younger child. was sleeping. drew
Town the cOvprlets. and deliberately plltnu-
ii the blade into her lett side. just below
he heart. The little one awoke end plead
n"ly raised its arms. saying simply. 20.
Dapa!" The iniuman father took his dy-
Ill n n 4 l,:
until it expired. The mother meantime
';rried from the room the elder daughter.
who had awakened. The llrtlp one made
10 cutlery. but quietly lay in the arms of
Is eNec,ltionpr as though falling asleep.
The man got into bed with the body of
lis dead baby in his arms. AMI lay with il
ntil Gaybrpak. On rising in the morning
e went about his usual work in joyful
pirits. and carried the mail from the post
flee 10 the depot. as was his custom. He
old a friend 10 send word to all the AL
rntists in the village to attend meeting
I his house in The afternoon. when he
;Oild make known his revelation. The
Ompany. to the number Of TWENTY-FIVE or
,irty. assembled. and after religious rxrr-
ses. lie related the above facts. and invit
l them to 90 into the next -OOm m view
re remains. The people did 30. and-this |
the strongest part Of the While hOrri'l
''e-shortly after dispersed to Their houses.
is almost impossih'. :. conceive OF an
'Semhly of leca'" IN s,ac' Il state of, 'ind
, atrorious deed. They notified no one.
n went about their usual vOcItiOpS. Sev-
N Of these persons whom the Chicago
INES reporter interviewed this evening.
roo IN I, arf
at he did right in obeying Gods com
and.'
In the conception and execution of this
voting tragedy. i does not appear from
e foregoing account that the finatics,l
eeman is an Isolated monster in the COM ;
unity in which lie resides. lie belongs ,
an organization OF religious enthusiasts. i,
10 are ready to justify the inlllnan butch ,
and defend the murlerOus fanatic to !,
bitter end. 1t presents Il strange and !,
TX picture to the asted light and hiyl ;,
ilization of the nineteenth century; and :
5 also Il severe commentary on the eX- !.
me and intense sectarian feeling and re- !.
ous propagandism OF the age. The pc :
lar and decidedly anomalous phases OF :
ylous life and character in Americ:, af-
ioOd for serious thought and retlec- :. :.
for both the philosopher and states ;"
n. In our opinion, the pulpit OF the :.
ntry at the present day is devoted EN- !"
ly too much to the propagation Of pc
ar dOgmas and creeds. and too little to
Sc fundamental truths which TN erlie
real welfare. and consequent peace and U,
plness. OF mankind. We have too much IN
he sensational and inconlpreI,ensible. d..
too little OF the real and cOlnprehensi- do
too much OF the purely imaginary. be
too little Of living verify; too much Of r,
vague md uncertain future, and too lit er,
: the actual present; too much of the xii
i Dnal. and too little Of the intellectual: Pa
much about the virtue of faith. and too re,
about the sacred duty of benevolent tn,
We hear altogether too much in re- Ri
to the efficacy OF blood. and alto inn
er too little in regard 10 the vital i'm sta
ces OF human kindness. In short. t1e
appears 10 be :. determined effort to Pc
vel men to live either in the dark SUI Of
ltlOns Of the past or in the unknown a n
lncOnprelIensiblc visions OF the fut- off
His
n a course Of training us that to No,
we have briefly referred. acc0lmpa-
rs it almost invariably is. with undue
'"ent. and the strongest appeals to
EMOTIONAL feelings ami passions of "
must. in the very nature Of things. OF t
l deleterious influence on the minds of post
eak. tie illilerate. and such as may com
'dispOsed to supersUtiOus thoughts. uted
lerhanism OF TIE human mind is too Cap
te and sensitive in all its complicated first
to be safely tinkrred or tamperetl begi
y any or every enthusiast or fanatic Cap,
himself a divin,ly appOini- will
Ii more attention were boat
D the practical. common sense edu- plies
OF the masses and less attention to in NJ
yhly sensational topics OF. so called. with
ms theology. the world would he pend
better of to-day. We should have
crimes to record, less improvidence
ifferiny among the masses. and
smaller number OF inmates in our oe'
; asylums. anf''
city.
'ndOn. May ia dispatch to the -"
from Calcutta says the report that PHI .'',