Milford chronicle., 1908-05-01
FANATIC KILLS GIRL
Mother Found Child Dead With Re-
ligious Crank Praying Over Her.
TIE HOUSE NEARLY WRECKED

Wife Of Nazareth, Pa. Man, Accused
Of Killing Niece, Says Husband, Who
"Is God" Did Deed-Dolngs Of
Queer Sect.
Allentown, Pa, April 29.-No new
developments have occurred in the sad
case At Nazareth where May Irene
the iye-year-old child Of Mr.. and Mrs.
Henry Smith, of Alliance, was murder
ed by her uncle, Robert Bachman.
while he was in a religious frenzy.
Bachman is confined in the Nazareth
Lookup and is not yet fully out OF his
spell. His wife, who was present and
who also was in the same state OF re-
liejous excitement Is under surVeil-
lance at the home Of her mother-in'
law. Mr.. and Mrs. Smith are Kept
under watch at their own home.
Bachmans wife told the coroner
that the child had been killed by God
and that her husband was God.
Bachman is quoted as having said:
q needed a sacrifice and it was nee
essary that the blood shed be as pure
and innocent as a child's."
Bachman was the head OF a new
praying band, and last week got the
Smiths interested. They went to Bach
mans house last Saturday. They
prayed and held services and decided
to remain until the spirit told them to
leave.
Late Monday night under Bach
mans direction in fighting the devil,
Smith broke three doors, kicked in the
footboard of bed and jumped on the
bed, smashing it.
Meanwhile Bachman was in an ad
Joining room with the Smiths only
child. May Irene. When Mrs. Smith en-
tered that room she found her daugh'
ter dead on the floor and Bachman on
his knees alongside in a religious
frenzy. The Smiths returned home at
once with the corpse. The child mas
marks on the forehead and left tenn
nle as large as a silver dollar, and
scratches on the nose, the neck and
the shoulders.
About six months ago a queer sect
that had headquarters in Reading
came along this way on missionary
tourney. It's adherents met in out-of'
the-way places or in the privacy oil
houses and read, studied and discussed
the Bible until worked up to furious
fits Of frenzy.
Bachman became convert. He also
converted the members of his imme.
diate household. Bachman's brother-in.
law. Henry Smith. lives at Siegfried.
about nine miles from here. and among
others Bachman tried to convert him
On Saturday night last. Smith, MS
wife and little daughter drove from
sieefried to this place on visit, the
purpose of which was to be converted
if possible.
The services at Bachman's house
ran over Sunday and Monday. On
Monday night came the climax. Neigh
bors in the vicinity say there were al
sorts OF noises in the house, yelling
and screaming and pounding anC
stamping.
Furniture was broken, windows anC
doors pulled down and dishes Smash
ed, holes punched in the ceilings anC
even in the walls. In a word, the place
was almost wrecked.
The neighbors congregated outside
hut we're afraid to go near, the who'll
batch Of inmates yelling at them II
frenzy and calling them devils"
By and by things quoted down, a.
though not until Mrs Bachman hel
self had been chased out Of the hous
by Bachman as a devil" and force
to take refuge with her mother-ir
law.
At one o'clock in the morning Smit
left the house and went to the HON
of a neighbor, where his horse an
buggy were quartered. To the ma
whom he reused to get the rig he sal
he was going back to Siegfried.
Here's my wife" he is said to hav
remarked. "and she's got the littl
girl. She's dead"
who's dead?" he was asked.
why. the little girl, of course"
responded. Then he and his wife g
into the buggy, the wife bearing tn
child's body, and they drove of.