Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-02-11
TIE MURDER OF
DOCTOR URDELLs
Further Particulars of the TFageayI-In.
teresting Developments

the murder OF Dr.. BURDELL, in New York. was
Continued on Monday. The excitement is unaba.
tel, and during the day immense crowds of per
sons assembled in the vicinity of the house where
the tragedy occurred. The New York TINES Of
the Sd inst, thus sums up the evidence elected on
Monday:
It is now intimased as appears by the testimony,
that Burdell and Mrs, Cunningham were never mar
RED that Eckel and Mrs O. were on very intimate
terms, and that Eckel personated BuTdell in the
marriage ceremony, and had his name inserted in
the marriage certificate. TIE chambermaid, Mary |
Donshue, was examined at great length and her
testimony, which was given with great Glearness
and evident trushfulness related exclusively to the
previous relations Of the parties, as she left the /
house on the Wednesday preceding the murder. |
She gave Mr. Burde q very excellent character,
saying thst he always came home by ten o'clock, /
that he was never intoxicated, had never been |
known to have any improper intimacy with any /
persons IN the house. but was quiet and uniformly |
attentive to his own affairs. She represents him /
as having been treated with great radeness for |
some weeks past by Mrs Cunningham and Eckel, |
VINO we're exceedingly intimate crimlually 50, &C.
oording to her own account and both of whom |
had frequently INDUCED in innmations that D.. |
Blrdsll wss a very bad man, and ought to be PIT
out of the way. EGksl, Of late, bad assumed, to
very undue extent, the oversight of the house, and
had been treated by Mrs. O. ss the most important
person in It She slept ia the bedroom adjoining
and communicating with his, and would never
allow either Of her children to sleep with her. ex
| cept on the night OF the murder, when both OF
| them did so, Ia the drawer of bureau, W hich
stood in Eeksi's room, of which it seems that Mira
/ Cunningham kept the key, were found yesterday
| sundry private papers, in the handwriting Of DR.
/ Burdell and evidently intended to be signed by
| hin; among them Was check drawn and signed
| By Dr.. B., IN Mrs, Cunning hams favor, which had
not been presented for payment ana also an agree
ment On bis part, in consideration Of the with
| drsWal Of certain suits, that he would always be
friend and protect ner family. This would seem
somewhat inconsistent with the notion of their
marriage.
Sundry facts were reported yesterday, though
no evidence concerning them has yet been heard
It seems that the Doctor had come home and
| drawn off his boots, though he had not undressed
| preparatory to retiring According to appear
ances, ne was seated in his arm chair at the table
when the sssaBins entered, and it was found slightly
showed back, as if he had risen from it to meet
some one coming in. Mr.. Brooks a gentleman
living two doors from the house. states that not
long after IL o'clock he heard the cry of murder
very distinctly; and Dr.. Parker living opposite,
| perceived the slnell Of burning flannel ct about
hslf past IL. He was so much surprised by it that
he went down into bis own basement, and then
crossed the street to the door of DR.. Burdell's
house, where the smell was much stronger, but
beyond this he did lot push his inquiries It Is
| also said, that on examining the CRATE in an upper
| room of the house, ashes OF flannel were dscoV
| cred, and ore piece of Canton flannel which clot
OF blood had prevented from being burned. We
| understand that the presence Of blood upon the
soied clothes found IN the garnet will be explained
by one Of the females OF the family, who had used
garments taken az random from the basket of soil
! ed clothes and thrown them into the store room
| Mr.. SGodgTps explains the fact that 8 shirt was
found there marked Charles Ketchum, by say
ing that be borrowed it from friend OF that name
10 the country, willie on a visit.
Gan this, it will be seen, goes but little way to-
wards d5peillng the mystery of this awful murder
| Combined with other circumstances however
which the progress Of the inquest will elliott it vii.
furnish the material by which sagscous minds can
beyond ell question trace the deed to its pereetra-
| tors.
That one person could have done it is scarcely
possible; that it done from motives of robbery,
or by any Of the professional rufisus of the city
there Is no reason 10 believe. lis motive was OF
another ki1d aud unusual facilities must have been
furnished either within the house or elsewhere,
for Gsposing Of soilsd clothes and other memoir ais
of the crime The chamber directly over that IN
which the deed was committed WAS the lodging
room Of Hon. Daniel Ulmsu. Ia the front room
and her two daughters. Next to them was M
? ECke sud q the attic rooms we're the two ser
vants, Mr., Sn0Ggrass AID little son Of Mrs Gun
+ bingham. Ii 10 scarcely credible that 50 hornb G
e murder should have bsen Committed, attended
Oy such g struggle as evidently took place, snu
such CujCres as were heard twodoors distant, and
20 s0on after the family hsd retired and vet hist
10 person within the house should nave heard tue
slightest disturbance OF any kind Whatever
Toe ,ther hand, marks OF blood upon the B.slrWsy
wsII-R5 II made by the fingers Of man gr0Dlnq
{ his way CUT OF the nall IN the dsrh-iuCicats that
The murderer lett the house alter the deed wa
done
Some particulars respecting the previous history
oil Ms. Cunningham, whose name, in Connection
with this event, has been so prominently brought
| before The public, msy not be uninterestiBg She
was the vile Of Mr.. Cunningham, of the firm Of
. | Cunningham d Harris, ClstIlers of Brooklyn
| Alter hpIrlslIng II that business, Mr. Cunningham
] quilted t to become broker IL grain and whisky
! and, rs sucn WAS iavoTaCly known on change 10
! thus city. his death, which occurred about ten
years ago, was very sudden, and excited at the
| time not q little comment. A lie policy fOT $40
coo, taken in Mrs. Cunninghsm's favor, imm-di.
e ateiy eusued to her, and she was thus placed il
comfortable not to ssy Bflueut circumstances Hell
- | family name was Hampstead About two years
ago the members Of that family were residing al
Z Elstbush.
g Il is said the Miss Van Wrinkle, Who, with bel
h | lover, Mr. Caldwell, some time ago committed 9
, romantic suicide st Troy, was daughter of Mrs
Cunnnghsms sister. Some persons, indeed, be-
0 Ie7e that Caldwell cut Mss Van Wrinkles throat
and then cut his OWL; but that the whole proceed
\ | ing wa the result Of mutual arrangement, and
that the Inflated young lady willingly resigned her,
self to bis weapon.
Since the excitement consequent upon d.. Bur
deli5 murder has increased to intensity tae great
. | Burde divorce suit which created so much inter-
i est some years sgo, has been recalled from tie
oblivion into which it had Wel-nigh fallen. The
Burdel therein referred to was not DR.. Harvey
= Burdcl the victim in this awful tragedy, bu. his
9 brother, Mr.. John BurdeIl DR.. Burden, we un-
derstand, was never married, except to Mrs. Gun,
: niugham, if indeed be was the bridegroom on
u that singular occasion.
The FIRST witness 4san-irNd-z, aU'JIU ~ or 20
/ years OF age, rather light complexion, with an
adOlescent beard. He is a son of the distinguished
Rev. DR.. SnOdgrsss, formerly of Murray Street
church, 10 this city, then of Troy, and now of
t Goshen, Orange county. He lodged in the house.
HIS evidence was nearly similar to that already
published.
Mrs Stevens testified that Mr.. Ecksl called
upon her some time since and tried to get her to
: 60 10 No 81 Bond street. and remain there some
tIme while Mrs, Cunningham would 90 and stop
at DR.. Stevens house, thereby making DR.. Bur
dell jealous, and go to get him into row about
MRS. Cunningham. She also stated that more
than two weeks ago DR. Harvey BurdelI was at