The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1879-05-14

PocAssET, Mass. May 3-Ffee'
mzn, wno made = sacrifice Of his
child 10 Obedience to q revelation
has been Arrested with bis wife. Ga
the way to prison both loudly pro-
claimed that the death of their child
was in obedience 70 Divine man
date
BosToS, May 3-Ffeeman, the Ad-
ventIst, of Pocasset. who murdered
his five year old child on Thursday.
was a~rrsigned at Bsrnstsbie to-day
with his wife, who is held as acces-
sory. Both insist thai God will fully
jusiify their action aud relieve them
from all human penalties. A rumber
Of Adventist neighbors sustain Free
man in his course. Many OF them
are weli-io do farmers. Some OF
those present at the meeting at Free
mans house on the day of the muir
der will be arrested on Q charge OF
being accessory 10 the deed
The more the fansticism of Free
man is examined, the more dreadful
and extraordinary it appears. The
strangely dsiuded man is looking
eoufdentlv for the resurrection of bis
murdered child to-day, the third day
after ne sacrifice" His belief is
immosable. He says be was dlrect-
ed 10 sacrifice his most dearly be-
loved earthly possession, and this
child be most devoIeGly loved. To
those who express their disbelief and
their horror at his act be says:
why, gentlemen. | can't conceive
Of such a Thug as God failing to JUS
tify me"
All who come within sound of his
Voice al the jail, be exhorts most fer
veutIy. He proclsims that Gods
power is about 10 be revealed in an
astonishing maune To the world, and
all dIsoeiievers are to be BUNDLED In
the dust al nils feet. Gods power.
ne declares, will be shown by carry
Ing the body of his dead child up in
" heaven ~ the end of three days or
~resrO-ug Ii 10 earth life
A most extraordinary feature Of
this msn,t extraordinary ana sadden-
Ing case Is the fanaiiclsm Of Free
an's religious associates. the awful
act ot lhe father is defended and
commended. aol alone by the mother,
who Is a prisoner with nim, but by
the grandmother Of The child aud
many who were present at the 81 cset
meeting at Freemaa's house tne alter
noon tolio w.ug The killing Of the little
d the indignant aud horrii- d
community urged the wholesale ar
rest of all u them as accessory to
The deed after the fact. This psriic-
ular sc0ool Of AdveDtists is Of the
Crisis" order They place mankind,
excepting Gully those of their faith,
as no higher than the beasts, So far
as immortality is concerned, ihe prom
lse Of resurrection applying cnly 10
those OF their creed. Tne founder of
The Pocasset band was one Nathauiei
Wing. He received his doctrines at
an Adventist camp meeling 10 the
town Of fremont, in The summer OF
1876 As his followers increased in
number. they pitched tents and held
services thefein, 10 camp-meeting
fashion. They were addressed by
Advent preachers from abroad. and
were at times quite noisy aud troub-
jesome. Many Of them were former
ly Metbodists, and there has been
much trouble between them and
those Of their old Church as to the
use of the town school house, where
the Methodists held their meetings,
30 mucE so that at the last town
meeting the question became one for
discussion To stop the disturbances
it was voted 10 services should be
held by either in the school house.
The grandmother of the sacrificed
little one referred to above, is Mrs
Freemsn's mother. She has been
one of the most troublesome of the
noisiest of the Adventists. At the
close of n of the Sunday services
of the Me,hodists, she arose and said
she had a revelation from God to de-
to the pastor. Then came a
torrent OF words, a tremendous flow
of religious exhortafion, and the pas
tor, unable to check il, gave out a
hymn, with the assistance OF the or
who was ordered to play
and the congregation to join
in heartily. After 3 prodigious effort
the Jealous woman was successfully
sung down"