Murder victim. One of four members of a prominent local white family slain by a mentally disturbed man of color, the killing of Mrs. Wyckoff and her Van Nest relatives became one of the most sensational crimes of the era, raising legal and social issues still debated today. During the landmark trial which followed, their accused murderer was represented by future U. S. Secretary of State William H. Seward, who argued that the defendant was not guilty by reason of insanity, one of the earliest uses of this plea. Phebe Wyckoff, an elderly widow nearing her 71st birthday, had been fatally stabbed along with her pregnant daughter, Sarah Van Nest, her son-in-law John Van Nest, and their 2-year-old son George, on March 12, 1846, when an alleged horse theft by William Freeman turned violent. The three Van Nests died of their wounds that day; Mrs. Wyckoff two days later. The defendant in the case was a freed slave from Auburn, a partially deaf man of African and Native American descent with a troubled past, including extreme abuse in childhood, prior imprisonment, and a brain-damaging accident. Although the "Insanity" plea failed and Freeman was sentenced to be hanged, defense lawyer Seward succeeded in winning him a new trial. The condemned man died of tuberculosis while in prison awaiting his new day in court, however. Mrs. Wyckoff was buried with her husband, Peter, who had predeceased her; the Van Nests nearby. A lengthy epitaph describing her tragic fate was inscribed on Peter Wyckoff's stone by Keyes & McMaster of Auburn.
Murder victim. One of four members of a prominent local white family slain by a mentally disturbed man of color, the killing of Mrs. Wyckoff and her Van Nest relatives became one of the most sensational crimes of the era, raising legal and social issues still debated today. During the landmark trial which followed, their accused murderer was represented by future U. S. Secretary of State William H. Seward, who argued that the defendant was not guilty by reason of insanity, one of the earliest uses of this plea. Phebe Wyckoff, an elderly widow nearing her 71st birthday, had been fatally stabbed along with her pregnant daughter, Sarah Van Nest, her son-in-law John Van Nest, and their 2-year-old son George, on March 12, 1846, when an alleged horse theft by William Freeman turned violent. The three Van Nests died of their wounds that day; Mrs. Wyckoff two days later. The defendant in the case was a freed slave from Auburn, a partially deaf man of African and Native American descent with a troubled past, including extreme abuse in childhood, prior imprisonment, and a brain-damaging accident. Although the "Insanity" plea failed and Freeman was sentenced to be hanged, defense lawyer Seward succeeded in winning him a new trial. The condemned man died of tuberculosis while in prison awaiting his new day in court, however. Mrs. Wyckoff was buried with her husband, Peter, who had predeceased her; the Van Nests nearby. A lengthy epitaph describing her tragic fate was inscribed on Peter Wyckoff's stone by Keyes & McMaster of Auburn.
Bio by: Nikita Barlow
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