The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-11-01
HORRIBLE Tragedy,
MIS-. DIR. BeguIn Murders Her
Three ChIIdren,
And then KIlIs HerseIt !!

the brain, killed her three Young |
children, this afternoon, and then
killed herself, at Al West Twentieth
street, There is no other cause
known for the horrible tragedy than
tire insanity of the mother. The
children Were-EdWard D., aged 6
years; John Vandwyne, aged ), and
Jeanette, 4. They were all shot
through the head and Instantly
killed. The mothers death was az
sudden as theirs. A frighful feature
of the tragedy is the manner of the
murder. Mrs. Seg1in took the
children to an empty spare room in
the top of five story house in the
absence of her Husband, and when
the servants were engaged in the
basement, and locked herself in
with them. The servants believed
they had gone out for walk. What
happened, from then will never be
known, but when DR.. ..Amidon, Mrs.
Seguin's brother, called at 5 o'clock,
and with his suspicion aroused by
her long absence, the family made
a search of the house. The mother
and children were found dead, all
shot through the head. The
children's hands were tied be-
hind their backs with cord.
They were blindfolded with
a handkerchief, and from all
| appearances must have been shot
while playing at blindman's buff
with their executioner. They were
| dead for ut least an hour and a
half, and were quite cold when dis
covered. Three pistols were found
| in the room, all of heavy calibre,
and all had been used. Mrs.
Seguin had been respondent from
physical causes for some time, but
she had shown no evidence of in
sanity. She was a small, slim
woman, and of nervous tempera-
ment. Her domestic life was very
happy, and there was no family
trouble. DR.. Seguin returned home
about Z, and upon hearing the
dreadful news was utterly
Frustrated. He is in a state
OF mental distress, and is
under the care of physicians. Dr..
Seguin is noted specialist in cases
of insanity. His father was equally
so. His wife was the daughter of a
Massachusetts farmer. The couple
moved in the best society. The
servants in the house noticed during
the day that Mrs. Seguin was in a
moody condition, as she had been
| for several weeks, which her brother,
| DR.. Amidon. termed ''the blues.
| At II o'clock he called upon her ard
she said she did not feel well and
| had written DIR. Henry NJ Raiser,
who had been invited to dine
with the family, to defer his
visit. This note she gave her
brother to send. He took it jokingly
and said they would all enjoy them
selves. DR.. Amidon called on his
sister at and was told she had gone
out for a walk. lie returned at 3,
but Mrs. Seguin had not yet re-
turned. The hall boy incidentally
mentioned that the door to the spare
room was locked and the key was
gone. A sudden suspicion seized
the doctor that Mrs. Seguin had
gone to the Central Park and
drowned herself and the children.
He could not explain why he
thought this. He Immediately went
up stairs, and burst the door of the
room open, and the horrible sight
met his eyes. Almost in the middle
of the floor lay the dead body of the
eldest boy Edward, in a pool of
blood, and partly in q closet lay
Mrs. Seguin grasping in her right
hand a big pearl handled revolver.
Inside the closet lay the boy John
and the girl Jeanette. There
could be no doubt the mother had
taken the children in the room on
pretense of playing blind mans buff.
She had led the two youngest in the
closet and locked them in while she
murdered the Oldest boy. The pistol
with which he was shot was tar
get practice weapon with a barrel
eleven inches long. It lay beside
| him and the bullet lay on the
| floor. 1t had passed through his
| head. The murderouS mother then
| proceeded to the closet, and with a
heavy thirty-tWo calibre revolver,
with which she afterwards blew
out her own brains. shot the
other two children. DR.. Amidon
cut the strings that bound the
children's hands and laid them on
bed. The coroner was notified at
once. Nothing was found in the
room to explain the motive for the
terrible crime. The murderess held
the weapon close to the victims
heads, for the handkerchiefs on
their faces had been burned. The
face Of the little girl wore
a look of innocent surprise,
that cut more deeply than any
other features of the dreadful deed.
| On the table lay a box of cartridges
and third pistol. Dr.. Seguin, when
he returned, was taken to his office
and physicians summoned. ae
acted as though his faculties were
gone. He caught sight of q
picture of the children on the wall
and broke into horrible Wailing
cry that rung the hearts of the lis
: teners; physicians fear he will loose
his reason. None of the servants
, heard any noise. Sudden insanity is
. the only motive known for the deed.
2 Mrs. DR.. Seguin was neatly dressed.
? The children were lovely little