The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1880-02-12
From the New York SUM
CHAS. FREEMAN DECLARED
INSANE.
TIE SECOND ADVENTIST WHO
KILLED HIS CHILD AFTER
a VISION.
Insisting that he Only Followed the
Example Of Abraham. aud Finding
justification OF his Sacrifice in
one Of Wcsley's Hymns.

DARN>TABLE, MASS Jan, ZJ.'-OnaS
Freeman, the Second Adventist who
killed his child IN POCassct last May.
wns to-day arrai1n~d in court, and il
being testified nv medical experts that
the man vas insane, he was remanded
10 jail to awai. the May term Of the
court, when, il his condition remains
the same, he will be seat 10 lunatic
asylum, freeman still persists IN his
assertion that the sacrifice Of his child
was a nsl AID proper act, and was de.
'nandcd OF him in Il vision. 1t will be
remembered that, after prolonged re
riNnl IN his sect, he aw0ke his wife in
the early morning Of May last and
loll her that he had seen God ia a
vision, who had required of him that.
rs Abraham had obcyed the call to
,acrIiirG Isaac, so should he Offer up
hs little daughter Edith as II human
sacrifice Then, after both had pray cal
the mother went back to her bed and
Freeman sought u sharp knife The
five gear old daughter slept in the mex,
room. Bending over her as she slept,
Freeman drove the knife through hei
heart She opened her eyes and, as
the father aitcrwWd freely relate, the
circumstances, cried out ieebly, "Oh,
papa! and died. Freeman lay down
beside his wife again, AMI both slept
peacefully until morning. He conf
dcnlIy expected that the child would
rise from he dead on the lhira day.
ihuugh his nci. hhols Of the same sect
appear to havc known Of the murder,
none OF them informed the authorities,
and it WAS only ny accident that the
crime was disclosed.
Freeman has increased in weight,
aud has improved in general health
since has confinement. The wife was
discharged after "A short imprls onment,
l'nt II does not appear that she has cv
ct expressed any penitcnce for her ac
1Hirsccncc in the murder. As for
Freeman himself, aud in spite of his
disappointment that n part OF his ex-
prc'alion was not fulfilled, and that
the child did not come to life again in
the promised season, he is still firm in
biz CONVICTION that the sacrifice was a
divine command lie has been a con-
stan' reader Of religious works during
his Imprisonment. particularly Of the
latest edition of the hymnal of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, He
claim, still to he member Of that
church, differing from its tenels, he
SAYS, only in believing that Christ will
come second time. One hym that he
has particularly affected is that by
Charles Wesley, "rhe Trial of Ahra-
ham, and in his copy OF the book this
hymn has been thus underlined by
him.
Abraham. when severely trieG,
His foHh BY his obedience shoWed;
He rith The harsh command computed,
And gaze his isaac back TO God.
Ills son he .father altered up,
.Soa Of his age his 0nly son.
Object ct all his joy and hope,
And less beloved than God alone.
Oh for dJdM like mis- that nc
The bright example may pursue.
May gladly give up all TO show
To whOm our more than all is due!
Is there u thing than life more dear,
thing from which we cannot part!
We can. we now rejoice to tear
The id0( from or bieediny hearts.
Jesus. accept oar sacrifice;
All things for Thee we count but loss.
Lo! at Thy word. our idol dies.
Dies on the altar OF Thy cross.
For what to Thee, o Lord, we give.
\ hnHdredfOR We here ObtdinI
And soon with Thee shall all receive.
And loss shall be eternal gain.
In another of Weslcy's hy INNS Free
mHn had underlined the iolloaiun
verse, and had marked it "prophelic :"
Thr0HM much distress and pain,
1hroHM many c0nfict here.
ThrOHh 6tOOd ye must the entrance 1din,
let, o, d'sdam 10 Jear.
Freeman openly scouts at the idea
that he is insane, although the decision
of the Court to-day was based upon
the opIuion of Or Charles T. Folsom,
Chairman of the State Board OF Health,
Lnnary and Charity, DR.. james Ii
Denny 0f Boston, DR.. c. A. Walker OF
South Boston, and Dr. Brown. Super
intend,nt OF The Taunton Lunatic Hos
pttal 1t was with the, creates: dIlli-
Guilty that Frecman's counsel could u>
dnce him to permit the plea of insani-
iy; indeed, he objected to having
counsel ut all "All Christians" he
said to reporter last summer, "Le>
lievc that Abraham was commanded to |
sacrifice Isaac. IL they can believe
that, why are my religious fellow wor-
shippers blamed for believing with me
that | was commanded to sacrifice my
daughter in these latter daysI he
licvc, with perfect abiding faith, that
! was so commanded to show my
faith. had hopes when went to the
shed to get the knife that God would
stay my hand. AS he did Abraham's as
he was about to offer up Isaac, but |
determined if n.y hand was not STAYED
% make the sacrifice as gently as pos
'ihlp, 80 that my idol would pass away
without suffering
To DR.. MunselI, Of Hurwich. Free,
nan said, just after the murder, tina,
.lIalcver Course was taken with them. ,
IL aud his wife did not want any plea
# insanity entered He admitted that |
e undertook the act with full under
OF what he was doing. He
new that he was violating the law.