The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-05-27
Ar Insane Mothers Fearful
ering In of the Sabbath Morn
ing in ST. Louis.
She Cuts the Threats Of Three Of He
Children and Then Attempts
to Take Her Own Life.
A CHASTITY Scene That Greeted the Fathe
When Awakened by the Screams
OF One OF tse Little Victims.

horror anything Of a similar kind thai
has taken place for years.
1t occurred in the family of Alexander
Edmund, Swede, aged about thirty-siX
years; his wife, Augusta aged thirty
three years, and their four children,
William, aged nine years; Emma, aged
five years; Cora, three years, and Au.
guSta, four months. Edmund married
the woman in this city in 1874, her
maiden name being Augusta Nelson.
She was also native Of Sweden,
and in complexion and physique pos.
sessed all the characteristics of her
race. She is medium sized, with grace.
ful figure, blue eyes, light complexion,
aud head Of perfect blonde hair She
has brother in Allen County, Kas,, an
other in Champaign, H., and another in
Indiana. The remainder of her relatives
are across the sea. Mr. Edmund did not
Snow her relatives, and when the theory
Of hereditary insanity was put forward
yesterday he could not answer.
The family occupied three rooms, a
The Kitchen last. The husband and wife
md two Youngest children slept in a bed
the northeast corner Of the middle
room or more appropriately the bed
'oom. The little girl Emma, five years
Did, slept alone in q single bed in the
'front.' room and the boy Willie slept on
he floor at the foot of the bed occupied
1y MS parents.
HOW THE BUTCHERY WAS DONE.
About four O'Clock the mother awoke
n an insane delirium. All testimony
-oes TO show that the maniac was there
and the mother and maternal instincts
had departed. She crept steathily out
Of bed and stepped over the body of her
sleeping son, picked up the small writing.
lesk which was lying on the floor. This
she carried back in the kitchen and taking
a large butcher knife from the kitchen
table, she Inserted its point between
the lid of the desk and the body
proper and bearing down forced
it open after the same style that
. burglar uses ''jimmy" on door. She
seized the glittering razor that had been
locked In the desk and then tip-toeing
back into the bedroom she bent over the
body OF her sleeping husband and drew
the weapon across the soft throat of her
four-months old baby. From the position
in which the child lay early Yesterday
morning it was evident that the little
one never moved or made the
least struggle. 1t was lying on Its
right side with its face against
the wall, and on the left side of the
I'D h,
that terminated its short life. Walking
around to the foot of the bed the insane
mother next buried the blade in the
throat of Cora pretty little blonde,
aged three years. The child died almost
instantly. Ignoring her son on the floor,
she walked to the front room, and feeling
for the throat OF her tve-ycar-old Emma,
cut at the vital part.
SHE AWOkE AND SCREAMED.
The child had been awakened by the
mother and screamed when the steel
was applied TO her throat. The frenzied
mother ran back TO her bed and lay
down with her dead children. The
father heard the scream, but it took
him a few seconds to regain con-
seriousness. Meanwhile Emma had crept
out of her bed and, drenched in a
stream Of blood that flowed from her
throat, she started to walk into the
bedroom occupied by her parents. There
was lamp burning low in the room
and the father Sprang out of bed just as
his little daughter was coming through
the doorway.
"What'S the matter, darliug?h asked
the father, picking up the little girl
"Mamma, mamma" was all the child
could say.
\ HORRIBLE DISCOVERY.
Turning around he was Mortified to dis
cover his wife lying on the bed in the act
of cutting her throat with a razor. She
had already inflicted one cash and for the
second time had slaShed at her throat
with the weapon. Her husband ran to
the bedside and Selling the hand which
held the weapon he forced it from her
grasp. She did not struggle to keep it.,
but relinquished it as soon as her hus-
band caught her hand.
"My sod, what do you meaH?-what
have you been doing?" he asked.
otis best that we should die" gasped
the woman, while with every breath a
hot stream of blood spouted from her
neck. The husband next made the ter
rble discovery that three of his children
were dead or, dying, and, almost dement,
ed, he ran to the door and shouted for
assistance.
Officer O'Connor stood only few feet
from the door, and with his assistance a
neighbor named n. A. Albertson was
aroused and sent for medical aid.
Mr. Albertson aroused DR.. Pirtle, and
about half an hour after the slaughter the
doctor arrived. The woman, mean
while, had been losing blood steadily, and
| though still conscious, was very weak
| The physician made an examination,
and found that she had barely missed
the carotid artery and jugular vein,
but had severed Il number of smaller
veins and arteries, which will, in all
| probability, result in her death. The
two youngest children were dead, but
an examination of Emma, the last one
the mother attacked, showed that the
razor had not gone deep enough, and the
little girl will live.
| About half-past ten O'Clock In the morn.
Ing an ambulance arrived at the house
Ind the wounded woman was placed In 1t
and taken to the hospital. An undertaken
was engaged and the bodies OF the two
children were washed, dressed and pre-.
pared for burial. The Coroner will hold
an inquest to-day.
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