Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-11-30
SACRIFICED HIS SON.
A Mormon Father Kills His Child While
Laboring Under Alleged Divine Inspira-


Labor1ng Under Alleged Divine InSplra-
ton.
Josiah B. Smith, the father who killed his
boy because he said. he had q revelation from
the Lord to do so, is forty years old. He came
to Westminster five years ago, and since then.
with his wife and family, has been picking up
a meager subsistence by odd jobs. Finally the
family settled down to fishing, establishing
their hom on desolate island OF the coast,
which could only be reached by boat. 1t was
seldom visited except by hunters and fisher
men, who hired the boat which the murdered
boy had charge Of. The murder was
committed on the 4th inst, but was
not discovered until last Thursday,
when party of hunters who called out
from the shore for the boy, were told by old
man Smith that the boy was dead and that he
had been inspired by the Lord to kill his
child. The hunting party secured the services
of a younger boy, and coolly went on with
their sport, only reporting the crime to the
authorities that night. 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 rowed 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
'front.' house.
On arrival Of the prisoner and family at
Westminster, an inquest was ordered, and
Justice Aldridge, accompanied by DIR. James
Mccoy and others, Smith included, returned
to the beach AMI rowod across to the island.
Smith pointed out where the body was
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
sickening. Decomposition had set in to such
degree as to render the moving of the body
q difficult and disagreeable task. The I'M
natural parent looked ON complacently and
spoke of the murder with no feeling. Finally,
in reply to a question as to how he struck the
blow. he stopped over the corpse, thrust his
knife into it, and drew it out of the cavity
without sign Of emotion. The weapon was
an eight-inch butcher knife. Mr. Mccoy care
fully examined the body, but aside from the
fatal cut, found no sign of any violence. One
death-deang 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.
A few weeks ago Smith gave up fishing, and,
being asked why, replied that the Lord had
commanded it, and had promised to hereafter
provide for him. From that time on he has
made, and has commanded his family to
make no effort to gain a livelihood. The boy,
and from time to time pur,ha tea. sugar,
etc., with his own money. On the Wednesday
before the murder the boy purchased and took
home some sacks of flour, which angered his
father, and this was found empted upon the
ground, together with some other provisions,
close to the spot where the murder was COM
mitted. Except few green apples, nothing
estable was found in the house.
The crime was comm tied about three hun
dred yards from the house. The boy was
taken out behind clutnp of bushes, both
parents being present. They claim that he
knew he was to be sacrificed, and made no
resistance whatever, but calmly knelt before
them, ready to be offered up. While in this
position, the father struck the fatal blow.
One of the first questions asked, 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 he charge of muir
der. He is now imprisoned in Los Angeles.
From the first the murderer has shown no feel
ing whatever, and regards the crime no more
than he would the killing of bog. He has
been quite a 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 considered eccen-
tric but not crazy. The mother begins to feel
great remorse and TO doubt the divinity of their
inspiration.-San francisco Special to st. Louis
Giobe-Democrut.