The daily gazette., 1879-05-05
SECOND EDITION
THE PocAssE1T TRAGEDY.

0AAN AA( - u AOAN
THE POCAssETT TRAGEDY.
Reported ArresE Of The Maniac Fa-
ther-What He Says OF the Crime.
A correspondent at Boston, speaking Of
Charles Frecman's murder Of his little
child, at Pocaseett, described in our de-
spatcbes last evening, says that later ad-
vices slate That Freeman, was arrested
yesterday afternoon. He tells . strange
story. For thity-six hours, he says, IT,
had been impressed on him that he must
kill one of his family. He was doubtful
whether it should be himself, his wife,
the olier girl, or the little girl. Finally
the Lord made 1t clear that 1t must be
the little girl. He did not tell his wife at
first, but al 2 O'Clock Thursday morning
he told her what he was going to do.
They talked 1t over, agreed is was right,
and then kpelt together and prayed over
1t. Both then went to the room where
the two little girls were sleeping, and
after looking at them some minutes, he
went to his shop and got . large sheath
knife, singing all the way out and back,
and never feeling 70 happy as then. Re
W tlO llOuoC 0AQ W tAAC CullOlCu
room, he turned the bed-clothes down to
expose the child, his wife standing by,
and stabbed her in the left side. She
turned toward him, lifted up her arms,
and said, 'sOh, iatherr' and he then
held her in his arms till she died, five
minutes after. The older girl was part
ly awake, and her mother carried her out
of the room before she knew of her sis
ter's death, and she does not know of it
nov. Freeman afterwards got into bed
with the dead child, and there remained
until after daylight. In the morning, on
the way to the railway station for his
mail, he met brother Adventist, and
asked him to give notice to all Adven-
fists in the neighborhood of meeting al
his house in the afternoon. they came
to say they supposed it was farewell
meeting before Freeman went into town
ss q preacher. 'i' . ~ - l2dH ~
HOW THE CRIME WAS DISCOVERED. ah
On Thursday night Seth Redding, con-
stable of the town, called on the family
of A. p. Davis, who is one OF the leading
Adventists, and he thought that daugh-
ter Of Mr. Davis, aged IS years, was par
ticularly sober. The young lady and Mr..
Redding, who Is q young man were left
alone, and she soon began to cry. Mr..
Redding asked her what was the matter,
and after some persuasion she told him
that at meeting in Freeeman's house
that afternoon Freeman had confessed to
having killed his youngest child. Red
ding then went to one of the Selectmen,
David Nye, and told what he had heard.
Mr.. Nye doubted the story, and said
that Redding had better investigate it.
Redding then went to Foster Howard,
who is a convert to the Advent faith, aue
asked him {Howard) whether lie knew
| about Freeman's killing his daughter.
Howard said it was so,
and then Redding waited
/, around Freeman's house until morning
Soon after daylight ReddiDg, according
| to his own statement, went into the
house and asked for Freeman. At the
same time, seeing him on q bed in an ad-
Joining room, he sad to Mrs. Freeman
that she need not disturb her husband
as he only wanted. to know that he was
in the house. Soon Freeman came out
Of bis room, and after shaking hands
with Redding, asked him how he felt. at
the same time saying that. he <Freemao)
did not feel we'll. Redding said he did
not wonder after what occurred. Free
man said, at is horrible" and told
Redding the whole story, which Redding
repeats as fOllows:i ii1d .ad oNR 81
HE THOUGHT GOD WOULD STAY HIS
HAND. -al
x "You know" said Freeman, "that l
had q revelation about q week ago in
which the Lord appeared and told me to
kill one Of my family as a sacrifice. Well
he did not say what one, but on Thurs
day MOI olning, ON awakening from sound
sleep, some time about 2 o'clock the
Lord appeared to me and informed me
that the victim of the sacrifice was my
pet, my idol, my baby, Edith. / awoke
my wife and we talked the matter over,
and prayed to the Lord for guidance and
directions, that if it was Gods will that
the cup might pass from me, and ending
by saying, 'God's will be ,done.' The
Lord said that it was necessary, and so ]
arose, went cut of fdoors to my shop, and
got sbeath-knifa. 4. j then came in, and
| placing the lamp on the chair near the
bed, drew back the clothes and raised
my hand to strike the blow, fully believ-
ing that the Lord would stay my hand.
But He did not, and I killed the child p
| A SIMILAR CASE 80 YEARS AGo-A
| WOMAN MURDERED AS A SACRIFICE.
| The accounts of this fanatical murder
recalls a somewhat similar case al New
Haven, Conn.,, some thirty years ago. 1t
was soon after the frenzy that the predic-
tions of Elder Miller, the apostle of the
visible immediate coming of Christ, caus-
ed. In the northern part of the city,
though then the outskirts, there were q
number Of ignorant people who met to-
gether every day, and almost all day long
held their peculiar religious services, ,and
among them were man and woman who
were even more affected by the excite
ment than the others.
This man at Length announced that 6
sacrifice was demanded; that he was
called upon by the Almighty to ofiiciate
as priest, and that the woman must give
up her life as the sacrifice. He further
announced that at the end of certain
time, those who best remember the facts
say three days, the woman's life woIld
be restored, and that she would be glori
fed thereby, and be accepted as one o.
the saints of the kingdom. 1t Is nov
said that some of the people who listened
to him believed that he was divinely
commissioned to perform the sacrificia