In 1846, William Freeman, a young man of African and Native-American descent, stabbed to death four members of the white Van Nest family with no apparent motive, leading to the first insanity plea in New York State's history. This account reconstructs the crime, its context and implications.
In 1846, William Freeman, a young man of African and Native-American descent, stabbed to death four members of the white Van Nest family with no appar...
