Daredevil (1964 series) #194

Seventy years ago, a man finds his son Jeremiah drawing and carving images into wood and threatens to beat him for practicing idolatry. Jeremiah strikes at his father with a wooden log, killing him! Jeremiah’s brother says that he’ll end up burning for this! In the present day, Jeremiah sends his two sons to inquire about Matt Murdock’s services. They pay him quite a bit of money and Matt decides to visit his new client as Daredevil to learn just who he is and what he wants. Daredevil finds his client’s house to be tightly guarded and is forced to kill a guard dog. As he makes his way further across the grounds, Daredevil notes how there doesn’t seem to be any electrical lines or any modern amenities connected to the house. Daredevil sneaks in and soon encounters his new client, Jeremiah Jenk. Jenk tells Daredevil about his murder of his own father when he was a boy, running away to start a profitable counterfeiting operation. Now at the end of his life, Jeremiah wants to atone for his lifetime of sin.

He was once part of a religious organization, the Congregation of Righteousness, and wants Matt to speak on his behalf, to possibly be forgiven and let back into the congregation. He has given up the sins of the world and simply wants to do what’s right with the time he has left. After Daredevil leaves, Jeremiah sends his sons to the Kingpin, seeking protection until he’s able to meet with the council. Kingpin agrees, thinking that having such a prestigious counterfeiter as Jeremiah owe him a favor will come in handy. Later, Matt and Foggy head to see the elders of the congregation. Matt meets with an elder named Nahum who shows instant derision for Matt and his stated client. Nahum claims that Jeremiah can never be forgiven for his transgressions, not wanting to taint his seemingly perfect congregation. As Nahum and Matt yell at each other, Kingpin’s men arrive and knock out Foggy. Matt hears this and subtly douses the fire, creating a smokescreen so that he can switch to Daredevil. He takes out Kingpin’s men and gets everyone else out of the smoke-filled house.

Later, Nahum continues to condemn Jeremiah and Matt counters his views with a Scripture verse. After Foggy’s reaction to the church’s candles earlier, Matt has a sudden realization about what Nahum’s done, and the fact that he’s Jeremiah’s brother! Daredevil rushes back to Jeremiah’s house and contends with more of Fisk’s men outside. He then encounters Jeremiah’s two sons and tries to explain what’s going on. The congregation had not been able to touch Jeremiah until now, until a few months ago, when he sent his sons to buy candles from them. DD realized that the candles contained arsenic trioxide and that every time Jeremiah lit them, he’d be slowly poisoning himself, ultimately being the congregation’s tools to execute him! Daredevil rushes inside and finds Jeremiah dead but still warm. He rushes Jeremiah outside and performs CPR until Jeremiah breathes once more. Daredevil explains what’s been going on and Jeremiah decides to enact his final plan. He and Daredevil ride to the congregation and Jeremiah reveals that he plans surrender himself to them, to take responsibility for his past deeds. He expects no forgiveness and Daredevil sums it up as Jeremiah doing what all men must eventually: passing judgment on himself.