National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-07-20
A FAMILY OF SUICIDES.
FATE OF THE THIRTEENTH MEMBER-DE

FATE OF THE THIRTEENTH MEMBER-DEAD,
WITH HER CHILD PLAYING AT HER SIDE.
Fourteen years ago. in Saxe-Weimar,
Germany, the wife of Claus Bohm, q
well-to-do storekeeper, committed sui.
eide by hanging. Her father before her
had blown his brains out and Frau Bohm
had on one or two occasions expressed
the opinion that she also would event
ually die by her own hand The cause
of the rash act could not be ascertained.
as she was happy and the mother of
thirteen loving children. Her death
seemed to crush all desire for life from
her husband, as three weeks afterwnrd
he dranked prussic acid and expired in
great agony. The thirteen children thus
left friendless and without parents immi-
grated to America In the course of
time they became scattered in the states,
but never forgot the tragic end of their
parents.
About ten years ago Mr.. Richmond
MADDEN, an oyster packer On Eastern
avenue here, met young German girl in
this city who was supporting herself as
a nursery governess. After more than u
year of courtship he proposed to her and
was rejected, although the young woman
whose name was Bertha Bohm, admitted
that she was n indifferent TO him. II
did not take the lover long to understand
that there was some reason for the girls
| strange conduct, and after some persist
cncy she told him that she loved him too
well to blight his life by marrying him
II seems that within the short space of
four years which had elapsed since the
tragedy in Sake Weimar, twelve of the
thirteen members of the Bohm family
who had emigrated to America had COM
mitted suicide.
Hidden, after the first shock, did not
fail TO eagerly combat her resolution, and
1t was not long before he had overcome her
scruples. They were married and lived
happily, having two children, the eldest
OF whom is now eight years old. The
great family tragedy had become almost
like legend to the husband and wife,
who. by tacit understanding, never re-
called it About year ago Mrs Had
den was taken with typhoid fever, and
although She recovered sufficiently to
leave her room, she was mnnifestly n
changed woman, mentally and physi-
S"iy' H'ip itpcUltNll Siuh lulO nus OI
melancholy, during which she would
mosfnfully assure her husband that she
thought her time was at hand Mr. Had
den, while affecting to ridicule her fears,
saw that there was ample cause for
alarm. He quietly instituted careful
watch over his wife, to whom he was
devotedly attached. This morning he
left home about $40 o'clock to 90 to
his place of business. Mrs Hidden
was then in good health, but about IL
o'clock she was seized with fit of melan-
cholia. The colored servant sent n street
boy to notify Mr. Hadden that his wife
was ill. The gentleman was absent from
his Office at the time, and rs Mrs. MADDEN
shortly ceased her hysterical weeping,
the servant left her alone. She did not
meet Mr. MADDEN Mt the front door upon
his return home, as usual, and he asked
for her, when the servant told him of the
note which had been sent TO his office,
and which he had never received. He
dashed up the stairs to his wife's bed
chamber. When he entered his worst
fears were realized. Mrs MADDEN lay
stretched on the floor near the bedstead,
and the rope halyards of Fourth of July
hag were tied around her neck and to the
top of the bedpost Her 2 year old baby
was playing by the corpse.---BaltimOyt
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