Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1890-08-09
A FRENCH TRAGEDY
Destitution Drives a Paris Family
to Desperation and Death
They Still the Pangs of Hunger With
Coal Casa Long Struggle
Against Poverty

PARIS, Aug when Madam nayen.
who is an inmate Of the well known
hospital, the Hotel Dieu, regains the
power Of speech, she will be able to
throw some light upon a terrible tragedy
which occurred last week and has been
the reigning sensation of the Latin
quarter. For some time past the fam
lily, composed of a man named Hayem,
his wife and six children, have been oc-
cupying rooms in the Rue d'Avron.
None Of them having been seen for sew
eral days the neighbors became alarmed
and the gendarmes were notified. Upon
forcing the door they found five of the
children On the fl3cc close to the waaI
with clenched hands and distorted
features. The body of tho father was
resting on that CO tho youngest child.
In the opposite corner, sitting in a chair
with a dead baby in her lap, and her
self TO all appearance quite dead, was
the mother. 1t was evident from a
single glance that the father and chill
dren were dead, but some signs OF vital
ity were discovered about the mother,
and upon a little chloride of lime being
thrown into her eyes a movement of
the muscles indicated that life was net
entirely extinct. In the center of tho
room was a large chafing dish which
had evidently been filled with charcoal,
and the room was impregnated with the
gas. Madame Hayem was at once con-
veyed to the Hotel Dieu, the leading
hospital Of Paris, where she has since
remained in a semi-unconscious
condition, but utterly incapable Of
calculating. The doctors in attendance
say that she owes her escape to the fact
that she is a cataleptic, and having lost
consciousness Immediately did not need
TO breathe SO much as the others. In
quiry in the neighborhood brought out
a sad story regarding the history of the
family, which, in ali probability, ac-
counts for tho wholesale tragedy.
Hayem, who was a designer Of patterns
for cotton fabrics, lived for some years
in New Orleans, where he held q profit
able position. Eighteen years ago he
left this city for Mexico, where he
married his wife. She was at that
time a very beautiful woman, but
the ~privations which she has
endured during the past year have re-
duced her almost to a skeleton. From
Mexico the couple went to New Orleans
-Four children were born in that place
and for many years they prospered and
lived in great comfort. A still more
flattering offer, however, induced him
to come to this city, where two more
children were born. Hayem was ener-
getic, industrious, entirely destitute of
any false pride, and his sole ambition
seemed to be to earn what was ecessary
to support his family in comfort. His
eyesight, however, gradually failed
and the savings which he had accumu-
lated in New Orleans slowly melted
away. Finally the last franc had zone
and the unfortunate family sank deep
into debt, until two days before the
tragedy the landlord threatened to
turn them into the street. This
is all that is known as 4 matter of fact.
1t is surmised, however, hat in his des-
peration the father proposed 20 his
wife and the mother Of his children
that they should all find refuge in
death from their common misery. This
course being decided upon the room
was made alright, a dish of charcoal
lighted and the entire family lay down
with the expectation of waking no moro.
The official investigation into the
tragedy has been twice postponed in
consequence of the condition of Mrs.
Hayem, and the physicians give slight
hope that she will rally sufficiently TO
be able TO throw the necessary light on
the tragedy,