Episode 312: In a home in Shediac, New Brunswick, on February 13, 1805, Amos Babcock, driven by delusions of divine mission, subjected his family to a horrifying ordeal. He gathered his wife, children and sister, Mercy, instilling fear with his erratic behaviour and unsettling declarations. Spurred by imagined threats and seeing himself as an instrument of God, Amos prepared for a sacrificial act, treating his family with cruelty dressed up as a religious ritual. His deep descent into madness was evident as he inflicted violence upon his loved ones, sparing none from his erratic wrath. Babcock's final act of brutality saw him murder his sister, Mercy Babcock Hall, whom he saw as demonic, in a brutal frenzy of madness, bringing a tragic end to a night of unspeakable horror.
Sources:
Amos Babcock (1764-1805) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree
Squash, Pumpkin Pie and Mercy… | Part 1
Squash, Pumpkin Pie and Mercy… | Part 2
New Brunswick — History and Culture
The Babcock Tragedy, a Story of Madness and Murder
Hellfire in Shediac
Amos Babcock... Crazed Murderer, or...?
Full text of "The New Brunswick magazine"
Mar 08, 1939, page 14 - The Montreal Star at Newspapers.com
Apr 13, 1939, page 15 - The Kingston Whig-Standard at Newspapers.com
Jan 18, 1993, page 25 - The Leader-Post at Newspapers.com
Apr 20, 2013, page 79 - National Post at Newspapers.com
The Ballad of Jacob Peck by Debra Komar (Ebook)
Great Awakening - First, Second & Definition
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