Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1882-11-09
A MANIAC MOTHER.
The Wife of Noted New York
r.. yi,1sa . Physician, i-.' af
I; Kills Her Three Children and Then
- oaf Takes Her Own Life. 'f

Seguln, ageQ 80, WlIe Ol LII. Ga :" aiu "
Seguin, the neted specialist on diseases
of the brain, killed her three young
children this afternoon and then killed
herself at No. Al West Twentieth street.
There is no other cause known for the
tragedy than insanity Of the mother.
The children were Edward D., aged 6
years, John, aged 8, and Jeanette, TOUR
years They were all shot through the
head and instantly killed. The motners
death was rs sudden as theirs.
The frightful feature Of the tragedy Is
The manner of the murder. Mrs. Seguin
took the children to an empty spare
room at the top of five-stery house IN
the absence of her husband, and when
the servants were engaged In the base
ment, and locked herself In with them.
The servants believed they had gone
out for a walk. What happened in the
room will never be known, but when
DIR. Amiden, Mrs. Seguin's brother, call
ed at five O'Clock, and with bis sus:
picions aroused by the long absence OF
the family, made search OF the house,
the mother and children were found
dead-all shot through the bead. The
children's hands were tied behind their
backs with whip-cord. They were blind
folded with bandkerchiefs, and from all
appearances they must have been shot
while playing at blindman's buff with
their executiOner. They had been dead
for at least. an hour and half and were
quite cold when discovered. Three pis-
tolls were found In the room, all heavy
calibre. and all had been used. Mrs.
Seguin had been despondent, from phys
ical causes, for some time. but she bad
shown no evidence of insanity. She was
a small, slim woman, of nervous tenn
perament. Her domestic life was very
happy, and there was no family trouble.
DR.. Seguin returned home about seven,
and upon hearing the dreadful news was
utterly prostI ated. He is in a state OF
mental distress and under the care of
physician. DR.. Seguin is noted special
ist in cases of insanity. His father was
equally so. His wife was daughter OF
a Massachusetts farmer. The couple
moved in the best society The family
lived in five-story brown stone front
English basement house elegantly fur
nished The room in which the tragedy
took place is on the fifth Hoor, and is
scarcely ever used by the family. Three
servants in the house noticed during the
day Mrs. Seguin was moody, condition
she had been in for several weeks, and
which her brother, DIR. Amidon, termed
''the blues About eleven he called
upon her and she said she did not feel
well and had written DIR. Henry Draper.
who had been invited to dine with the
family before his visit. This note she
asked her brother to send. He took 1T
jokinyly, and told her they would all
enjoy themselves. DR.. Amidon called
on his sister at three. aud was told she
had gone out for walk. He returned at
five, but Mrs. Seguin had not yet re-
turned. The hall boy accidentally men,
toned the door of the spare room was
locked and the key gone. Sudden sus-
picionI seized the doctor that Mrs. Seguin
had gone to Central Park and drowned
herself and children. He, could not ex-
plain why he thought this. He immedi-
ately went up stairs and burst the door
of the room open. A horrible sight met
his eyes. Almost In the middle of the
floor lay the dead body of the eldest boy,
Edward, In pool of blood. Partly in a
closet lag Mrs. Seguin, grasping In her
right hand a big pearl-handled revolver.
Inside the closet lay the boy John and
the girl Jeanette. 31at - ~ 80
There could be no doubt the mother
had taken the children into the room on
pretense of playing blind mans buff.
She had led the two youngest into the
closet and locked them in, while. she
murdered the eldest boy. The pistol
with which he was shot was target
practice weapon, with the barrel eleven
inches long. It lay beside him and a
bullet lay ON the floor. 1t had passed
through his head The maniac mother
then proceeded to the closet, and with a
heavy 32-calibre revolver with which
she afterward blew out her own brains.
shot the two other children. DR.. Ami
don cut the strings that bound the chill
dren's hands, and laid them on q bed.
Policerand the Coroner were notified at
once. Nothing Was found in the room
to explain the motive for the terrible
crime. The maniac had held the weap-
close to the victims heads, for the hand
kerchiefsio ions their faces had been burn
cd. The face of the little girl wore al
look Of Innocent surprise that cut more
deeply than any other feature of the
dreadful deed. On table lay a box of
cartridges and third pistol. 800 ?
DR.. Seguin, when he returned, was ia
ken to bis Office and physicians sum
moned. He acted as though his facni-
ties were gone. He caught sight of a
picture of the children on tbewan and
broke into horrible waifng cry that
wrune the hearts of the listeners. Ply
sirians fear be win lose his reason
None of the servants heard any noise. !
Sudden insanity is the only motive
known for the deed. Mrs. Seguin was
neatly dressed. The children were love-
ly little things and all the family she