The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1879-05-29
THE WAKEMAN FANATICS.
three Horrible sEurdera in New Haven IN
1856.
New York Times.

The recent murder of little Edith
Freeman, In PoeasseE, Mass, by her
father, and the circumstances surround
ing that affair, recall q series of terrible
murders in this city, at the end of the
year 1856, committed by members of q
band OF religious fanatics, many
whose tenets and practices were similar
to those of the sect to which Freeman
belongs. These murders were called the
Wakemanite murders, and the circum~
stances surrounding them were so pecu-
liarly horrible that they are still fresh
IN the memories Of residents of New
Haven.
In 1856 there was in this city a small
band of religious fanatics whose leader
was Mrs. Rhoda Wakeman, seventy
years old. She lived in Beaver stfeet,
near DixWell avenue, and was known as
a prophecies. She made her followers,
who were respe etable farmers aud farm
ers' wives, living in the outskirts of the
city, believe that, thirty years before,
her husband had murdered her in order
that she might have an opportunity of
visiting heaven. She lay dead for seven
hours, she said, during which time she
journeyed to heaven, saw the Saviour,
the apostles, the martyrs, and the saints,
and was sent back to earth and life by
God, as a missionary, to prepare the
way for the coming of Christ, and
to usher in the millennium. At
times she claimed to receive messages
from God. Her followers were about
fifteen IN number, and they frequently
met in her house for prayer and consul
tation. One of these followers was
Justus Matthews, who was about forty
" r.f
to his murder Matthews had not at
tended the meetings regularly. His
conduct induced Mrs Wakeman to an
nOunce to her disciples that he was pos
| sessed of the evil spirits, and was the
imam of sin of scripture. The spirit
which controlled Matthews, she said,
was very annoying to her; it filed her
! body with grievous pains, and was the
| greatest obstacle which the coming nils
| lennium had to encounter. Moreover,
there was danger that it would cause
her death, and if she should die a gem
eral Judgment of all mankind would at
| once follow, without any millennium.
The evil spirit must be removed, and
| Matthews himself became convinced
| that Mrs. Wakeman was right about
| this, and was willing to submit to proper
treatment for its removal.
On Sunday evening, Dec. %, 1856, he
| visited Mrs. Wakeman's house to see
what could be done for him, leaving bis
wife and family at home. There were
| gathered in that house that evening
the followiDg-named Wakemanites, some
! of whom are still living in or near this
city: Mrs. RhOda Wakeman, AlmeTon
Sanford and wife, the latter being Mat
| thews' sister Abigail Stables, Josiah
Jackson, Thankful S. Hersey, Israel
Woodin, and Samuel Sly, Mrs. Wake
mans half>brother. "A prayer meet
ing was then begun in an upper
chamber. When Matthews came, ne
was put in room on the ground floor,
where FIRE had been built for his COM
fort. He at once expressed g desire to
be relieved of the evil spirit. That the
spirit might be more easily handled, Mrs.
San ford, his sister, blindfolded Matthews
with a handkerchief as he sat in chair,
and bound his hands behind him with a
small rope. From O'Clock in the even
ing until o'clock in the morning he re-
manned in that condition, while Mrs.
| Wakeman snd her disciples in q room
above Were in consultation and prayer.
At intervals some one would visit him
| and beg that he would give up and re-
nouRce the evil spirit. Finally they told
him that he ought to die, because the
evil spirit might cause the death of Mrs.
Wakeman, and in that way bring UPON
the world the general judgment. He
said be was willing TO die if his death
was thought necessary. The prayers in
the upper room ceased at 1 a. M, and
one of the disciples brought word that
the evil spirit would certainly kill Mrs.
Wakeman unless Matthews should be
killed Some went bone, others remained
upstairs, and Sly, Woodin and Jackson
went into the room adjoining that where
Matthews was sitting. In q short time
those upstairs heard blows and groans
coming from Matthews room. Mr. and
Mrs. Sanford and Mrs Davis went down
and tried to get into it, but the doors
were locked. Apparently feeling sure
that the evil spirit had been removed,
they returned to the upper room, and,
after short season of prayer, left the
house. Sanford went to Matthews house
and returned with Matthew'S son.
They forced the doors of the room, and
found the dead body of Matthews lying
on the floor. The mans throat had
been cut, and in his abdomen were
twelve wounds. evidently made with
common table-fork. The sheriff was
! informed OF the murder, and all who
had been in the house that night were
arrested and lodged in Jail. A coroner's
jury began an inquest the same day, and
continued to hear testimony on Christ
mas day. On the following day Samuel
Sly confessed to the jury that he had
murdered Matthews. He had become
convinced. he said, that something must
| be done to remove the evil spirit. a
| few days before he had procured hazel
wood stick, knowing that when used
with alder wood it was powerful to
remove entertainments This stick, one
| inch IN diameter and two and a half feet
long, he hid in the cellar until Sunday
night. That night he went into the
room where Matthews sat, locked the
| door, and struck him on the temple
with the stick. Having thus felled him
/ he took out his pocket~knife and cut his
throat. Then he made the holes in the
abdomen with q tabe-lork, so that the
evil spirit could get out. After half an
hour he joined Miss Jersey, who washed
the blood from his clothes. They burned
his bloody shirt, cut the stick in three
pieces and hid it, with the knife, in q
vault. Then they joined some of the
other disciples upstairs in prayer. Mrs.
Wakeman unfolded her doctrine to the
jury, told them about her visit to
heaven, and promised that, if Sly were
destroyed. The jury-one of the Jurors
being John D. Candee, now editor of the
Bridgeport Standard-found Sly guilty.
and declared that Miss HeIsey was
accessory before and after the fact. Sly
was not hanged because he was adjudged
insane. He was confined until his
death, which occurred about FIVE wears