The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1882-11-09
MONSTROUS WORK.
Horrible Performance Of n NeiU
York Lady While SuppOs-
etliU Insane.
She Murders Her Three Children and
Commits Suicide.

The wife Of DR.. E. G. scguin, Of New York,
specialist In diseases Of the brain, muir
dcred her three children and killed herself
while, ~ Is supposed. she was temporarily
insane Dispatches from New York give tho
following particulars Of the horror:
The ch ldr N re Edward D, rged Q
yens; JON Van Dnyo, aged years, AMI
Jra to I years. they were all shot
lhiou III the hc1d and ins' antly killed The
mothers deoth was ~ sudden NJ theirs The
lrig tful feature of the tragedy il the mln-
OF the murder. Mr.. seguin 10 X the
children &, an empty spare room at
I'll" top OF 4 five-story hou e In the
nb ence o. her husband, and willie
the servants were engaged in the basement,
and locked herself in with them. The
servants believed they had gone out for .
walk. What happened in the room will
never be known, but when DR. A,nidon,
Mrs. Saguin's brother, called, Mt 8 o'cock,
ani, with his suspicious ar used by the long
absence OF the family, ma 70 search Of
house, the mother and children were found
dea,,, all shot through the head.
The children's hands were tied behind
their hacks with whipcord They we're
blindfolded with handkerchiefs and, from
MI appearances, they must have been shot
while playing at blindman's buff with their
cxecuiioner. They had been dead for nt
when discovered.
Three pistols were found in the room. all
OF heavy calibcr, and all had been II ell. Mrs.
Seguin had been despondent from physical
causes for some time, but she has saown no
evidence OF insanity. She was n small, slim
woman Of nervous temperament Her do
mestic life was very happy, and there was no
family trouble.
DR. seguin is a noted specialist in cases Of
insanity. HIS father was equally SO. His
wife was the daughter Of q Massachusetts,
farmer The couple moved in the hest soci-
ety. The family livei in five-story brown
stone front English basement house. cle-
gantly furnished. The room in which the
tragedy took pace is on the fifth floor. and
In scarcely ever used by the family. The
three servants in the house noticed during the
day that Mrs. Seyuin was in the moody con-
dit on she had zen in for several we ks, and
which her brother, DR. Amidon, termed the
blues" About IL o'clock lie called upon Ter
and she said she did not feel we'll, and had
written to DIR. Hsniy d. ap"r. who had been
invited to dine with the family, To defer his
sit This note she asked her brother to
send. He took it. ickrriy. and tod her
Trey would AL enjoy themselves. Dir. Ami
dol called on hi stcr ut o'clock, and was
told she had gone cut or va X lie
returned ut 5 ocack hut Mis- Sc suia had
not yet returned. The hall-boy incide T.
ally III n,ioneu that the. door of the
/ one A.n,den u pcion 50 I'd TIE doctor
tina Mrs. S.gu II had gon. t. tic Central
/ Psrk and drowned herself and i. ch ldr II
| H. cou not explain why he tn ught it's
He INN ell atcly went up st irs and bur t
/ the door of the room .pen. TIE lorr ble
i chit me- his EYES Almost in e III d,lle OF
/ tn floor lay the d al Il, dv Of the ldest bos,
/ Edward, IN pool os Hood. Party II u clos
It lay airs. gum, giaspng n 1 er right
hand 4 b'g y arl handle revolver.
/ Inside the cleset lay the hoy John and the
i girl Jeannette There could lie no doubt the
mother had taken the ct,ildren into the room
/ on the rre,ense of playing h in'lman's buff.
k ]. Ind le TIE two young. st into the closet,
and locked item in while she murdered the
| old.s II soy The pistol with which he WAY
/ shot was "A tar2 practice weapon, with .
| b rrel eleven inches long. 1t lay beside him,
| and the bullet lay on tie floor. It had
passed through his head TIL maniac moth
er taen proceeded to the c.oset, and wi h q
heavy thirty two -callher revolver, with
which she Il terward hlew out her own
brains. shot the other two children
Dr .smi.len cut the strings TINT bound the
chi dren's han Is and laid them on the bed
4 The police and Coroner Wee notified at
once Nothin. was found in the room 10 ex-
! plain tie motive for the rrihle crime.
i The maniac had held the weapon close 20
i her victims heads. for the handker, hiefs
on their tae.s had been burned, The face
OF The little RI wore a look of innocent
| sur rise that cut more deeply than amy
other feature of the dreadful deed TN the
j table lay lox of cartridges and a third
pistol.
Su iden insanity Is the on Y motive known
for the deed Mrs Seguin was neatly tires Cd.
The chi tiran W RI loveiy little thing, and
all the famt sise had.