Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-11-16
A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY.

A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY.
Krs. seg1In, wife of the Celebrated rev
York Phykcian, Blindfolds and Pfuiond
Her Three Children, and Shoots Them
Alternately-She Then Puts . Bullet
Through Her Own Ersin-The Husband,
and Father Almost Insane from Grief
and Despair.
New YonK, October 81.
Mrs. eeg,,in. aged thirty-six. w,fe OF DR. Rd-
ward G. Seguin, the noted specialist ON
diseases of the brein, killed her three
young children this afternoon and then
killed herself at No. Il West Twen-
tieth street. There 10 no other cause
known for the horrible tragedy than the in-
sanity of the mother. Tho children were Ed
ward D., aged six years; John Van Duyo,
aged FIVE years, and Jeanette, four years.
They were all shot through the head and in
stantly killed. The mothers death was q
sudden as theirs. The friRhsfui feature Of the
sragedy IL tho manner OF the murder. Mrs..
Seguin took the children to an empty spare
room at the top Of fivestory house. in the
absence of her husband, and while the ssr.
wants were engaged in the basement, and
locked herself in with them. The servants
believed they had gone out for walk 1871
What happened in the room viii never bs
known, but when DR.. Amidon, Mrs. Seguin's
brother called at five O'Clock, and, with his
suspicious aroused by the long absence of the
family made search of tho house, tho
mother and children were found dead. all shot
through the head. The ch1dren'e hands wero
tied behind their backs with whip cord. They
were blindfolded with handkerchiefss and.
from all appearances, they must have been
shot while playing blindman's buzz with their
executioner They had been dead for At least
an hour and a half, and were quite cold when
discovered. Three pistols were found in the
room. all of heavy caiiber, and all had been
used.
Mrs. Seguin had been respondent from
physical causes for some time, but she had
shown no evidence Of insanity. She was .
small slim woman OF nervous temperament
Her domestic life was very happy, and there
was NO family trouble.
DIR. Seguin returned homo about seven
o clock, and upon hearing tho dreadful news
was utterly Frustrated. He IL in q state Of
mental distress, and under the care OF ply
sicians. .-
DR.. Seguin IL . noted specialist in cases Of
insanity. His father was equally 50. His
wife was the daughter of q Massachusetts,
farmer. The couple moved in the best society.
The family lived in . ave-story brownstons'
front English basement house. elegantly fur.
nished. The room In which the tragedy took
place Is on the NTH floor, and is scarcely ever
used by the family.
The three servants in the house noticed dur
ing tho day that Mrs. Sesuin was in the moody
condition she had been in for several weeks,
and which her brother, DR.. Amidon, termed
1.-The blues" About eleven O'Clock he called
upon her, and she said she did not feel well
and had written to DIR. Henry Draper, who had
been invited to dine with the family, to defer
his visit. This note she asked her brother to
send. He took 1t, jokinGly, and told her thcy
would all enjoy themselves
DR.. Amidon called on his sister at three
o'clock, and Yves told she had gone out for .
walk. He returned at five o'clock, but Mrs.
Seguin had not yet returned. The hall-boy in
cidentaIly mentioned that the door Of the spare
room was locked and the key gone. A sudden
suspicion seized the doctor that Mrs. Seglin
had gone to the Central Park and drowned
herself and the children. He could not ex-
plain why he thought this. He immediately
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 q closet lay Mrs. Seguin, grasping tn
her right hand a big pearl-handled revolver.
Inside the closet lay tho boy John and the girl
Jeanette. There could be no doubt that the
mother had taken the children into the
room on the pretense Of playing blindman's
buff. She had led the two youngest into the
closet and locked them IN while she murdered
the OLDEST DOy. Inc pistol Win WnlCn ne was
shot was a targetpractice weapon. with bar
rel eleven inches long. 1t lay beside him, and
the bullet lay on the floor. It had passed
through his head. The maniac mother then
proceeded to the closet and with :, heavy thir-
ty-two-caliber revolver with which she after
ward blew out her own brains, shot the other
two children. SD 8H& S &4safi6iWa&l
DR.. Am don cut the strings that bound tho
childrens hands and laid them on the bed.
The police and Coroner were notified at once
Nothing was found in the room to explain the
motive for the terrible crime. r..~------.
The maniac had held the weapon close to her
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 feature of the
dreadful deed. On the table laid q box Of
cartridges and a third pistol.
DR.. Segun, when he returned. was taken to
his office and physicians summoned. He acted
a. though his faculties were gone. He caught
sight Ct the picture Of his children on the wall
and broke into q horrible, wailing cry that
wrung the hearts of ths listeners. The physi-
servants heard any noise.
Sudden insanity is the only motive known
for the deed. Mrs. Seguin was neatly dressed.
The children were lovely little things, and
all the family she had. ag3!s9s : F,'ta Z