The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1882-11-25
SACRIrloEn HIS SOY.

q Mormon Father Kills Ills Child while
Lsboring Undor Alleged Divine Inspira-
lion. ~
Josiah n Smith, tho father who killed his
boy because. he said, he had revelation from
the Lord Ia do so, is forty years old. Ilecarn
TO Westminster i've years n9o, ANA since then.
with his wife and family, has boon picking IN
mcager subsistence by old Jobs. Finally the
family settled down % fish ng, establishing
their HON on desolate island OF The coast.
which could only be reached by boat II was
seldom visited except by hunters and fisher
men, who hlr ID thc boat which the murdered
boy hal charge of. The murIec was
committed on the 9TH inst, but was
not discovered until last Tnursdnv.
when party of hunters who cal'el ont
from the shore for the boy were told by old
man Smith that the boy was dead. aud that no
had been inspired by the Lord to Kill his
child. The hunting party secured the services
of a younger boy, and cooly went on with
their sport. only reporting the crime 10 tho
authorities that night. A constable and
doctor went out next day to the scene of the
crime, They drove down to the beach and
shouted to Smith, and he iowed over to them.
On making the object of the visit known he
gave himself up quietly The mother and
children were then brought from the island.
and the entire family taken TO Westminster
Friday morning. Before the officers arrived
the boy had been buried about thirty feet
from the house.
On arrival of the prisoner and family at
Westminster, an inquest was ordered. and
Justice Aldridge, accompanied by Dr. james
Mccoy and others, SIN tn included. returned
TO the beach and rowed across to the island.
smith pointed out where the body was 9
buried, the grave was opened, a rough box,
which the father had made was raised and
the lid lifted. The sight is described as most
scken!ng. Decomposition had set in to such
adegree as to render the moving of the body
a difficult and disagreeable task. The UNI
natural parent looked ON complacently and
spoke of the murder with no feeling. Finally,
i'll reply to question as to how he struck the e.
Dlow, he stopped over the corpse, thrust his
knife into it, and drew it out of the cavity
without a sign of emotion. The weapon was
an eight-nch butcher knife. Mr.. Mccoy care
fully examined the body, but, aside from the
fatal cut found no sign of any violence. One
death-dealing blow was struck just in the CEN
ter of the chest, and with sufficient power to
cut the breast bone and enter to the full length,
OF the blade, making horrible cash, eight
inches deep and four inches long.
few weeks ago Smith gave up fishing, and.
being asked why, replied that the Lord had
commanded 1t, and had promised to hereafter
provide for him. From that time on he has
mace, and has commanded his family tc
make no effort to gain livelihood. Tho boy,
however, put no faith in his fathers belief,
and from time to time purch ased tea, sugar,
etc., with his own money. On the Wednesday
before the murder the boy purchased and took
home some sacks OF -four, which angered his
father, and this was found emptied upon the
ground, together with some other provisions,
close to the spot where the murder was COM
mitted. Exceut a few green apples nothing
estable was found in the house.
The crime was comm tied about three hum
dred yards from the house. The boy was
taken out behind clump of bushes, both
parents being present. They claim that ho
knew he was to be sacrificed, and made no
resistance whatever, but calmly knelt before
them, ready 10 be offered up. While in this
position, the father struck the fatal blow.
One OF the first questions asked, on the ar
rival of the family at Westminster, was
whether they would make further sacrifices
of their children, and both father and mother,
replied that If the Lord called on them to
sacrifice all, it would have to be DONE At
the examination neither Smith nor his wife.
made any effort to conceal anything but
told the whole story in its horrible
details. Smith pleaded guilty as charged, and
was committed for trial on the charge Of muir
der He is now imprisoned in Los Angeles.
From the hrsr the murderer has shown no feel.
ing whatever, and regards the crime no more
than he would the killing of hog. He has
been quite purchaser Of Canada lottery
tickets, and said the Lord was going to send
him money from Canada to pay for burying
the boy. The family are Mormons In good
standing. They have been cons dered cccen-
trio, but not crazy. The mother begins to feel
great remorse, and TO doubt the divinity of their
inspiration.-SdH francisco Special To st. Louis
Globe-DemOcrdt.