The Kingdom of Matthias: A Story of Sex and Salvation in 19th Century America

Matthews’s trial was rescheduled for April, after Ann gave birth to their child. The child was not the promised Holy Son that Matthews predicted; Ann gave birth to a girl. The penny press continued to publicize the scandalous goings-on at Mount Zion. The trial became a sensation both in New York and beyond. Most readers were hostile to Matthews, believing he was an impostor. To many, Matthews also personified the dangers inherent in religious fanaticism. There was much public debate about the accountability of the congregation. Benjamin and Ann Folger, whose reputations were at risk, purchased several newspaper advertisements to defend their actions and wrote a book telling their side of the story.

Though public sentiment was overwhelmingly against Matthews, he has the support of a strong legal team. His lawyers demolished the prosecution's case by creating doubt about the autopsy findings and questioning whether the body exhumed was even Pierson's. Both Ann Folger and Catherine Galloway testified against Matthews, but the doctors’ testimony about their autopsy findings do not hold up under cross-examination. Matthews’s attorneys asked the judge to dismiss the murder charges. The judge agreed that there was not enough evidence to convict Matthews and Isabella Van Wagenen and the murder charges against both were dropped.

The trial was held in White Plains, New York, and presided over by Justice Charles Ruggles. A pretrial hearing determined whether Matthews was competent to stand trial. Despite conflicting evidence, the judge agreed with the testimony of Matthews’ brother-in-law, who said that Matthews was insane regarding only religious matters. To be unfit to stand trial, the judge said, Matthews must be found insane on all matters before the court.

The prosecution requested that Matthews be tried for assaulting his daughter, and the judge agreed. Matthews’s lawyers produced a letter signed by Matthews’s daughter, stating that she had forgiven her father and did not wish to pursue criminal charges against him. The judge decided that the charges will stand, and the trial proceeded. Charles Laisdell, Isabella’s husband, testified for the prosecution, telling the court that Isabella’s forgiveness of her father for beating her was irrelevant to him. In his instructions to the jury, the judge stated that although a father had the right to beat his child, he loses that right when she gets married. The jury found Matthews guilty of assault, and he was sentenced to three months in county jail, with an additional thirty days for a contempt charge stemming from his outburst during the murder trial.