The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1882-06-22
A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY.


A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY.
A. Insane Neither Gives strychnine to
Her Four Children and then Takes the
Poison HERSELF Dead Bodies and
Some Quaint, Pathetic Notes Tell the
: sad and Terrible Story.
The Chicago papers Of the 18th give the fol-
lowing particulars of the recent terrible TRACE
dy in that city:
The family lived on the second floor Of a
house on Finpell street, near Wentworth ave-
nue., occupying two small rooms The front
one was the kitchen and dining-room and that
in the rear the sleeping apartment In the
latter were two beds and q cradle. On the bed
in one corner was the body Of grl-the eldest
child; in the other. which was on the opposite
side of the room, were the remains or the
mother and boy aged seven; while in the era
die, in the center of the room, were two girls
lone three and half years and the other
three months old. The children were ready to
be placed in cofins, having been washed, and
had clean undertaking put on them. Their
hands were crossed on their breasts. The
baby had an artificial flower in one hand,
while wreath lay beside the oldest girl
Pieces of red ribbon were affixed to the gar
ments of all. .y-g.,1I1ls --.H'F
~ how long the three youngest children had
been dead no one knows. When their father,
Casper Seybold, returned home the mother and
eldest daughter were alive. He is a Journey
man baker, and works for James B. Campbell
His hours of duty are from three p. m. to four
a. m, and he usually left home at two in the
afternoon and got back about five in the
morning. When he knocked on the door at
the customary hour yesterday it was opened
by his wife, who had on new chemise
trimmed with lace and blue ribbon. She threw
her arms around his neck and said: "Look
what have done. l am sorry for it. but it is
too late now. Forgive me. The children are
all dead, and lam going to die, too. Seybold,
completely Mortified, staggered into the bed
room, where he saw the corpses of the three
little ones-Toney, Annie and Agnes. His
wife again asked him to forgive her. He said
he would not; that, if there was a God in
Heaven, He wouldn't, because she was SO
wicked as to poison the children. Seybold
noticed that the oldest daughter was still
alive, and, as his wife lay down on the bed and
began to groan, he ran out for a physician.
Seeing grOcery-keeper named Louis Martin,
who was standing in front of his store on the
opposite side Of the street. he shouted to- him
"For Gods sake, go to the house, she has
poisoned the whole family" Martin hurried
over, and going to the bedroom found Mrs.
Seybold conscious, but in great agony. She
said she thought the poison would put her to
sleep, but it gave her the cramps, and she was
suffering SO that she asked him to get an ak
and kill her. She and the oldest girl and boy
were in one bed, and Martin took the girl ot1t
and put her into the other bed. She was in
~, nd 1v,sf Tn faxv
ments DR.. Moe arrived. A glance at the bodies
told him that strychnine had been admins
tered, and an examination of the mother and
girl satisfied him that they could not live.
Presently Drs. Moore and Lackner came in,
and they, too, said death was inevitable. The
girl expired first, and the mother breathed
until after eight o'clock.
The confession of Mrs. Seybold explained the
cause of death, but the motive which prompted
her to murder the children and commit suicide
is not clearly understood. She had been sick
since the birth of her last child, and as is not
at all uncommon, her mind may have been af-
fected by her illness. Her husband is steady
man, seldom drinking heavily, and their do
nestle life was not marked by many quarrels.
They had had disputes, and, according to one
neighbour he had slapped her face. Wedncs-
day Mrs. SeybOld was washing, and dinner
wasn't ready when ScybOld wanted it. This pro-
voked him, and he "jawed' her some, and she
threw discloth at him. Neither spoke to the
other afterwards until yesterday morning. He
left home at two o'clock Friday afternoon.
His wife started out an hour or so later and
went to drug store to procure some strych-
nine. Having gotten the drug she went home,
and Judging from some notes written by the
Oldest daughter, must have taken this
child into her confidence. How she ad-
ministered the poison. can only be
cOnjectured. She may have put it
into food or water. The three youngest child
rem, of course, soon died. The eldest, how
ever, spent some time in writing to her papa
and playmates, and exhibited surprising resig-
nation. Her name was Matilda and her age
twelve. She attended the Moseley School and
stood very high in her class. The longest note,
which is addressed to Mary Murphy, little
playmate who lives on the first floor of No. 81
Finnell street, was as follows:
% - l will tell you the story of our trouble. My
mother was always sick, you know, and
was aead how We would a be- treated and so
thought it best for all of us to die at once, and
bought something to kill US. The babe
first, Anna second, Toney third, after, and
then my mother. We do not suffer much, and
now we are all out of trouble. No pain nor
sorrow must we bear. Remember me to the
family. Good-by. Please tell Rosie Morris
take back that book I've brought home from
school. 1t is not mine. 1t is the history of the
United States Take it Room to George Ca
prom. 1t is on the lower shelf Of the closet"
Two other notes read as follows:
"This is for Mary and Nellie Murphy, my
dear playmates. wish you better and far
happier time than have had. Good-by."
Minnie Orion and Lizzie Reynolds that have
forgotten their dispute and forgive them.
guess they will feel sorry for it. May they
WILLIE SEYBoLD"
The following were for her father:
DEAR PAPA: Forgive us. We will have to
part from you: Mamma said it was the best
that could be done. We are going into bet
ter land, where we will all live in peace to-
gether., Farewell. Thy daughter.
"DEAR PAPA: Buy Toney flower and An
ma one also from this money. [SOme in box.
1t is what have saved. The knife in the box
is yours
DEAR PAPA: Please let us be buried decent
ly In Numbers burying-ground, so that we
you"
Seybold didn'tsee these notes until they were
found by Lieutenant Shay and Trtbune re-
porter while searching for poison. Three
he heard them read the tears came, and he
was beside himself, shouting: "Oh, Mary,
Mary, why did you do it, When asked by
the reporter for an explanation of his wife's
action he said he couldn't give any. They had
been married a little over twelve years, and
lived happily as a general thing, having a
"fuss only once in a while. There was al
ways enough to eat in the house. His wife,
however. whose parents were we'll off, wanted
to be rich, and he was not able to make more
than scanty living. She had been sick, too,
for several months.
Seybold is Bavarian. and his wife was a
Swiss. She was thirty-fve years old and he is
forty-three., The regulations of both were
very good in the neighborhood, and every body
who knew Mrs. Seybold was astounded when
they learned of what she had done, and at
tributed her conduct to insanity. for they had
noticed that she acted strangely at times,
though no one imagined then that her mind
was affected.
Coroner Matson held an inquest on the five