Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-06-07
MURDEROUS FANATICISM.
A LunatIc's Attempt 90 Sacrifice his
Wife and ChIIdren-HO OrribIe At
tack with Hatchet and dKnIfe-The
Woman Terribly wounded.

CrisfeId, Nd. Special to Baltimore Sun, 4th.
Elijah Sterling, a lunatic, who lives
with his family about two miles from
Crisfeld, almost butchered his wife at
midnight Thursday, infiicting injuries
with hatchet which will probably
prove fatal. The family live in that part
of Somerset county known as Anames.
sex which for the most part is thickly
peopled. Sterling, who is an oyster
man, is about 81 years old. When he
was II years old he became familiar with
the woman whom he afterwards made
his wife
Mrs. Sterling is about ten years her
husbands senior. They lived quietly
together. and were seemingly happy
At odd intervals the husband became
silly, and to such an extent at times that
his Stiffness bordered on lunacy Dur
ing the war he served on the Union side
as a private in company G., Purnell's
Legion, and at the battle of Antietam,
it is said, completely lest his wits when
sheep, with its entrails hanging out,
suddenly darted through the lines and
started for the place where Sterling was
standing. His mind is said to have for
saken him at the approach of the sheep,
and he rushed away from the battlefield
and deserted. The officers allowed him
to escape, believing that the man was
crazy.
After the war his lunacy was not ap.
parent, though people still thought him
rattle Drained. About two weeks ago
he astorished everybody by appearing
on the streets with Bible under his arm
and publicly proclaiming that he was an
agent of Jesus Christ, and that his mis-
sion upon earth was to redeem the err
ing. This strange freak created great
deal of talk, but as the fellow seemed
harmless he was allowed to roam
through the streets unmolested. Two
days ago his mother, Lovey Sterling.
died, and this so worked upon his mind
that his lunacy took a fiercer aspect
Thursday night bis family consisting
of himself, wife and two boys, aged re-
spectively fifteen and thirteen years, re-
tired to bed as usual, all sleeping in one
room, which is on the first floor of the
reused his wife, and tried to convince
her that he was the special agent he had
declared himself to be- Becoming fright
CuCug 1t 10 StlIu tldJ OuL VI
bed. and, pretending that she was going
for additional bed covering, went up
stairs.
1t is alleged that the moment she re
appeared he struck her with his fist. and
then, made furious by the sight of blood,
picked up hatchet and dealt her several
terrible blows over the head 1t is sup
posed that he then knelt down over her
PROSTATE figure. and, putting her head
on his knee, tried to cut the head off
with sharp Barlow knife. The screams
of the mother awakened the boys, the
younger of whom opened the front door
and escaped unhurt, but Alfred, the
eldest was caught by the madman and
cut twice on the right arm. The boy
managed to break loose from him, how
ever, ana ran to the house of a neigh
Dor without receiving further injury.
The father followed him for a short dis
tance, and while he was away Mrs. Ster-
ling recoveredconsciousne and crawled
out the door.
Sterling returned, and not seeing his
wife, closed the door and threw himself
on the bed Meantime Mrs. Sterling,
weak from loss of blood and almost
dead, began to make her way tc house
about three hundred feet away. The
rain had been pouring in torrents all
day, and the night was dark. chilly and
dreary. Through damp grass and mud
the unfortunate woman slowly crawled,
gaining inch by inch, until she finally
reached the house, when she sank down
exhausted She was found in this posi-
tion afterwards. and taken into the
dwelling of Mrs. Merrell
DR.. G. D. Atkinson, of Crisfeld, was
sent for, and soon arriving. did all he
could for the woman. Both of her eyes
are blackened; there are four wounds on
the head, two large deep ones on the
back Of the neck nearly down to the
spinal column, and two more on the left |
ann and one on the right One of the
blows on the head penetrated to the
skull just above the left ear, and another
inflicted an ugly wound three inches be-
low. The doctor thinks there is posi-
bility of recovery
Sterling was arrested by Messrs. John
Cullen, McClelland, Merrell and Jesse
trate HOrsey, who committed him to Jail.
While in the lock up Sterling attempted |
to commit suicide by banging his head
dSdluob LlIC WILLS. 11G was dllCEWdTuS |
taken TO the Jail In Princess Anne by
Sheriff McCready.
Sterling says that an angel appeared |
before him and told him that it was the
Divine will that he should kill his wife.
He loved his wife, he said, but the word
of the Lord must be obeyed. His state.
ments are rambling and contradictory.
He also says that he sharpened the hat
chet for the purpose of killing his wife,
The hatchet and knife have been found
Sterling's father was nicknamed Bar
ricader' Sterling, but for what reason
nobody knows The last five letters of
the word Barricader were conferred upon
Elijah Sterling as nickname, and he
was generally called Elijah Cader. They
belong to the plainest class of people in
the county. People now say Sterling
ought not to have been permitted to 60
at large.