Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-11-01
A FRIGHTFUL TRAGEDY.
Horrible Work of an Insane Mother-she
Murders Her Three Children and Then
Kills Herself = Details OF the BLOOD
Curdling Affair.
ESPECIAL BY TELEGRAPH TO THE REcoRD-usros.l

ESPECIAL BY TELEGRAPH TO TIE REcoRp-US1osI
NEW YeRK, October 31st.-Mrs. Samuel
Seguin, aged sc, wife of DIR. Edward c. Sc.
gum, the noted specialist on diseases of 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 the in.
sanity of the mother. The children were
Edward D., aged years; John Van Dwyne,
aged s. and Jesnnette, aged years. They
were all shot through the head, and instantly
killed. The mothers death was as sudden as
theirs.
FRIGHTFUL FEATURE OF THE TRAGEDY
Is the manner of the murder. Mrs. Seeuin
took her children to an empty spare room at
the top Of the fve.story house, in the ab.
sence Of her husband, and vixen the servants
were engaged in the basement, and locked
herself In with them. The servants believed
they had gone out fer a walk. What hap.
pened from then will never be known, but
DIR. Amedon, Mrs. Seguin's brother, called at
o'clock, and, with his suspicious aroused by
their long absence, the family made search
OF the house. The mother and children were
found dead, all shot through the head. The
children's hands were tied behind their
backs with a whipcord. They were
biindfolded with handkerchiefs, and from sll
appearances must have been shot while play
ing at blind-man's buff with their execu.
TONER. They were dead for at least an hour
and half, and were quite cold when dis.
covered. Three pistols were found in the
room, all of heavy caliber, and all hsd been
used. Mrs. Seguin had been dependent
from physical causes for some time, but she
had shown no evidence of insanity. She was
small, slight woman, of nervous tempera.
mert. Her domestic life was very happy,
and there was no family trouble.
THE STRICKEN HUSBAND AND FATHER.
DIR. Seguin returned home about o'clock,
and upon hearing the dreadful news
was utterly Frustrated. He is in
state of mental distress, and under the
care of physicians. DIR. Seguin is noted
specialist in cases of insanity. His father
was equally so. His wife was the daughter
OF Massachusetts farmer. The couple
moved in the best society. The family lived
in hve-story, brown-stono front, English
basement house, elegantly furnished. The
room in which the tragedy took place is on
the fifth floor, ard is scarcely ever used by
the family. The servants in the house no.
ticed during tie day that Mrs. Sequin was in
the moody condition she had been in for sew
eral weeks, and which her brother, Dr. Anne
don, termed ''the blues." About IL o'clock
he called upon her, and she said
SHE DID NOT FEEL WELL,
And had written to DIR. Henry M.
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
iokiugly, and said they would all enjoy them.
selves. DR.. Amedon called on his sister at 8
P. NJ , and was told that she had gone out for
a walk. He returned q: 5, but Mrs Scguin
had not yet returned. The ll.boy incident
ally remarked that the door Of the stair-room
Vas locked and the key gone. A sudden sus-
picion seized the doctor that Mrs. Seguin had
| gone to Central Park and drowned herself
and children. He could not explain why he
| thought this. He Immediately went up stairs
and burst the door of the room open. A hor-
rible sight met his eyes. Almost in the mid
die Of the floor lay the dead body of the eld-
est boy, Edward, in a pool of blood. Partly
in closet lay Mrs. Seguin. grasping in
her hand big pesrl-handled revolver.
Inside the closet lay the 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 blind
man's-buff. She had
LED THE TWO YOUNGEST INTO THE CLOSET.
And locked them in while she murdered the
Oldest boy. The pistol with which he was
shot was target practice weapon, with a
barrel eleven inches long. 1t lay beside him,
and the bullet Icy on the floor. 1t had
passed through his head. The muir
derous mother then proceeded to the
closet, and with heavy 32.caliber
revolver. with which she afterwards blew out
her own brains, slot the other two children
DIR. Amedon cut the strings that bound the
children's hands ard laid them on the bed.
The police and Coroner were notified az once.
Nothing was found in The room TO explain
the motive for the terrible crime. The MUIR
deress had held the weapon close to the vic.
TINS heads, for the handkerchiefs on their
faces had been burned. The face of the little
girl wore look of innocent surprise that cut
more deeply than any other feature of the
dreadful deed. On the table Law a
box Of cartridges and a third pis-
toll. DR.. Seguip, when he returned,
was taken to his office and ply
sicians summoned. He acted as though
his faculties were gone. He caught
sight of 3 picture of his children on the wall,
and broke into horrible waiting cry that
wrung the hearts of the listeners. The
physicians fear that he will lose his reason.
None of the servants heard any noise. Sud-
den insanity is the only motive known for the
deed. Mrs. Seguin was neatly dressed. The
children were lovely little things, and were
all the family she had.