Democratic Sentinel, Volume 6, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 November 1882 — MONSTROUS WORK. [ARTICLE]

MONSTROUS WORK.

Horrible Performance of a New York Lady While Supposedly Insane. She Murders Her Three Children and Commits Suicide. The wife of Dr. E. C. Seguin, of New York, a specialist In diseases of the brain, murdered her three ch ldren and killed herself while, as is supposed, she was temporarily insane. Dispatches from New York give the following particulars of the horror: The ch Idren wre Edward D., aged 6 yeais; John Van Duyo, aged 5 yeais, and Jea in-tte 4 years. They were all shot through the head and ins antly killed Tho mother's death was as sudden as theirs. The trig tful feature of the tragedy is the manner of the murder. Mr 3 . S'gaintok the children t> an empty spire room at the top of a five-story tiou e in the ab ence of her husband, and while the servants were engaged in the basement, and locked herself in with them. The servants believed they had gone out for a walk. What happened in the room will never be known, but when Dr. Amidon, Mrs. Seguin’s brother, called, at 5 o’c ock, and, with his suspicions ar used by the long absence of the family, ma le a search of t e nousc, the mother and children were found dead, all shot through the head. The children’s hands were ted behind their backs with whipcord. They were blindfolded with handkerchiefs, and, from all appearances, they must have been shot while playing at blindman’s buffi with their executioner. They had been dead for at least an hour and a half, and were quite cold when discovered. Three pistols were found in the room, all of heavy caliber, and all had been u ed. Mrs. Seguin had been despondent from physical causes for some time, but she has shown no evidence of insanity. She was a small, slim woman of nervous temperament. Her domestic 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 a Massachusetts farmer. The couple moved in the best society. The family jived in a five-story brownstone front English basement house, elegantly furnished. The room in which the tragedy took place is on the fifth floor, and is scarcely ever used by the family. The three servantsin the house noticed during the day that Mrs. Seguin was in the moody condition she had been in f<< several we ks, and which her brother, Dr. Amidon, tenned “the blues. ” About 11 o'clock he crflled upon her, and she said she did not feel well, and had written to Dr. Hemy Di aper, who had been invited to dine with the family, to defer his v.sit. This note she asked her brother to send. He took it, jokingly, and told her they would all enjoy themselves. Dr. Amidon called on hi< s’ ster at 3 o’clock, and was told she had gone out lor a wa k. He returned at 5 o’clock but Mi s. Seguin had pot yet returned. The hall-boy incidentally 'mentioned that the door of the spare room was locked and the key pone A sudden u picion se zed the doctor tha Mrs. Segun had gonj to the Central Park and drowned herself and tic ch Idr n. He cou d not expla n why he th ught t! is. He immed ately went up st irs and bur t the door of the room open. Tio l.orr bie s ght me: his eyes. Almost in t ein ddle of the floor lay the dead be dy of the e Ide st boy, Edward, in a pool of blood. Partly n a closet lay Mrs. S' guin, grasp ng in ler right hand a b'g p arl-handle 1> evolver. Inside the closet lay the boy John and the girl Jeannette. There could be no doubt the mother had taken the children into the room on the pretense of playing b'indman’s buff. She haej le 1 the two young' st into the closet, and locked them in while she murdered the oldest hoy. The pistol'with which he was shot was'a target-practice weapon, with a barrel eleven inches long. It lay beside him, and the bullet ]ay on the floor. It had passed through his head. The maniac mother then proceeded to the closet, and wiih a heavy thirty-two-caliber revolver, wiih which she afterward blew out her own brains, shot the other two children. Dr. Amidon cut the strings that bound the children’s hands and laid them on the bed. The police and Coroner we e notified at once. Nothing was found in the room to explain the motive for the terrible crime. The maniac had held the weapon close to her victim’s heads, for the handkerchiefs on their faces had been burned. The face of the little grl wore a look of innocent suri rise that cut more deeply than any other feature.of the dreadful deed. On the table lay a box of cartridges and a third pistol. Sudden insanity is the on y motive known for the deed. Mrs. Seguin was neatly drest e 1. The children were lovely little thing- - , and all the family she had.