Religious madness

RELIGIOUS MADNESS. - TAUNTON. - Thomas Searle was charged with having cut and wounded his daughter, Elizabeth Searle, with intent to murder her. It appeared that the prisoner had been in a state of religious madness, in consequence, as he alleged, of a sermon which had been preached at the parish church of Thorn, by a Mr. Watts, every word of which he thought to have been addressed to himself. He became impressed with the conviction that he had committed the sin against the Holy Ghost, and that therefore he could never obtain forgiveness either in this world or the next; and for months before the commission of the offence he kept his family in a continual state of apprehension for his personal safety.

On the 25th of September last he took his daughter, a child only twelve years old, up stairs in his house, and asked her if she would wish to go to Heaven; and, upon the child saying yes, the father kissed her affectionately, after which he cut her throat to a considerable extent, under the ear, in the muscular part, and inflicted other wounds upon other parts of her body. Another of his daughters, nine years old, hearing the cries of her sister, ran to the room, and in attempting to seize the knife, was wounded in the hand.

It seemed, however, that the attempt to commit so enormous a crime had, in some degree, awakened the unhappy parent from the delusion under which he had laboured, and in consequence of which he believed that he had been commanded to kill his daughter by the express direction of the Holy Ghost. Some persons came to the assistance of the child, and, on remonstrating with the father, he expressed the greatest horror at the attempt which he had made.

The child, who was now called as a witness, stated some of the above mentioned facts. When her examination had been concluded, the prisoner, who had no counsel, was asked by the Judge, if he had any questions to ask of the witness?

The putting of the question induced the little girl to look round, and her eyes no sooner had fallen upon her father, whom she had not previously seen, than she burst into tears and instantly fainted away. Another of the prisoner's daughters deposed to some facts tending to show the prisoner’s insanity at the time of committing the act. She said that he was the most affectionate of husbands and of parents, and had always been peculiarly fond of the child whom he attempted to kill.

The Jury acquitted the prisoner upon the ground of his being insane at the time of committing the act.