Delaware weekly Republican. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1841-188?, 1857-08-13


And the once cheering home in gloom arrayel
Yet pray, for lie can turn the gloum to light.
! Has sickness entered in
| Your peaceful nansiOn? Let the prayer ascend,
On wings Of faith TO that all-gracioas Friend,
| WHO inc to heal the bitter pains OF sin
Come to the place of prayer
1 At morn, ut night, in gladness or in griet,
| Surround the throne Of grace; there seek relief,
And pay your free aud grateful homage there.
| So in tho world above,
Parents and children all may meet at last,
| When this their weary pilgrimage is pat
Aud mingle there the joyful notes OF 1--we
The CASE OF. MRS. CUNNINGHAM.-
THE PLOT AND GOUNTERPLOT.
ASTOUNDING NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. or DIR.
DE LA M0NTAGNIE.
| In our last issue we gave an account of the
conspiracy which has been detected in New
York, and which led to the re.arrest of Mrs.
Cunningham. She was charged with feigning
the birth oil u child under the following Cir
cumstances For some time Mrs Cunningham
has given out to the world that early in August
she expected to be delivered of child--the
fruit of her union with the late DR.. Harvey
Burdel. TO attend her in that interesting sit
uation, she applied to DR.. Uhl, and at er sew
eral visits, the Doctor, entertaining suspicious
as to her really being eacieRfc, contded his
doubts to the District Attorney. An ingeni-
ons plan was then devised for the detection of
the crime, if any were contemplated. DIR. Uhl
returned to Mrs. Cunningham, and pretending
to be in her confidence, drew from her the adj
mission that the projected birth was u huulbug.
He, moreover, was offered by her $1,000 il he
would tind newly-born infant to 6. assist at
the dccouchemenf. This under the direction of
District Attorney Hall, was ettectually done
On Monday last, Mrs. Cunningham received
| from house in Elm street the child of poor
woman in Bellevue Hospital; g the conflnc-
ment' takes place the same evening according
to rule; and g dccOucher'' (Dr. Catlin) and Il
s' midwife" are In attendance; the cries of Mrs.
| c., forced from her by the g pains of laber,
| are heard even by the neighbcrs; and while,
with mothers love, she is tondlng her
| +" newy-bOrn'' infant-entGr Police officers,
who change somewhat the denouement of this
curious drama. Mrs. Cunningham, DIR. Catln
the "accoucheur," and the sEmidwiie" have
all been arrested on the charge of feloniously
pretending that Mrs. q. had given birth to a
| child who would be entitled to inherit the
property Of the late Harvey Bnrdell.
A question has already arisen az to whether
| the offence was actually consummated. The
following testimony by DIR. De La Montagnie
gives full account OF the whole matter -
DIR. De La MOntagnie, II physician, who, at
the Districts Attorney request, rendered I'M
l
counterplot, made the following detailed state
ment of the affair.
Dir. Uhl has Just been in attendance on Mrs
Cunningham, together with DIR. Catlin Of Brook
lyn (the man who testified SO readily that Mrs
Cunningham had rhemutlsm IN her righ
handy ever since her trial. He was inclined t,
be quite friendly toward her, and had been let
to believe that she was soon to bear child tt
DIR. Burdell. She went through the variou
external gradatiOns Of child bearing-growlnl
Larger and larger every week.
About u month ago, Dir. Uhl remarked to
her that although she WAS 40 near the time OF
child birth, there was yet no positive evidence
of pregnancy, as il was, under the peculiar
circumstances, important that there should be,
! and he therefore considered it his duty 10
make medical examination in order to clearly
establish the fact. Mrs. Cunningham said II
would be well enough by-and-by, and con-
s.antly put him OIL. When by-and- by came she
was still unwilling, and finally told him that it
was all fOl-de-rol, that she had not been preg-
nant at ALI but she said, &c You helped me
thus far, and now you must help me to carry it
out, and will reward you handsomely" Up
to this time DR.. Uhl had confidence in her,
| but this bold proposition took him aback. He
told her he did not then see how he could help
| her, and when he left her went and consulted
counsel, who advised him to lay the whole
matter before District Attorney Hall.
| The Doctor accordingly stated the case to
Mr.. Hall, who ut once advised him to go and
carry the thing out. He was still reluctant,
but the District Attorney persuaded him that
| il was his duty to do all in his power to deYel-
op a great crime, and he at last consented.--
Dir. Uhl then went to Mrs. Cunningham, and
told her that he had in his hands a'E California
widow who was about to be confined, and
that il was necessary to dispose Of the child
irreyOcably, as the lady was going to join her
husband in California. Mrs. Cunningham was
delighted. 1t was further arranged that Mrs.
Cunningham was not to know who the woman
was, nor the mother to know what became of
the child. lie told her that he had the woman
at house in Elm street, where she was to be
confined.
The thing had progressed so taf when Mr.,
Hall stated the circumstances to me, and asked
me to render assistance when the proper time
came. To this l assented, and having receiy-
ed a note, came down yesterday morning. 1T
was determined that must provide the child
from the Bellevue Hospital. Accordingly
called at Bellevue, with note from Governor
who DAILY told me that Knight make my own Sc
lection. 1 found u pretty, blue-eyed little girl,
daughter of Elizabeth Anderson, which was
born on Saturday and the mother consented
that should bring it away on condition that 1
would take good care of it and bring 1t Dack
that night.
DR.. Uhl then met Mrs. Cunningham by ap-
| pointment at 81 O'Clock, and informed me that
| she was ready TO carry out the thing, and eX-
| pected to be confined that day. lie was to
| meet me ut four O'Clock at his Office, hut was
/ too late for that, and met him ut live O'Clock
at No. 100 Elm street, II lager beer saloon kept
| by respectable German. DIR. Uni said she
had agreed to he confined that night, If he
| could provide a child by nine O'Clock, in which
| case he was to go over and let her know at 81
| O'Clock, and she would send II woman to bring
away the child in basket, which ne was to
provide. lie said that after lie lett her he
| came to No. lYO Elm street, and few minutes
| after his return, as he was sitting on the win
dow sill, looking out, he saw Mrs. Cunning
ham pass the house, looking at it as she pass
ed along very intently, as if to spot it,
| We then concluded that it was necessary to
\ expedite matters. We sent Immediately to Mr..
Halls house and had all the necessary furni-
ture brought down for the room we had engag-
ed. MIR. Hall sent down carpet, bed, ta-
| BILE, candles, some trunks, and other furniture,
! not forgetting basket for the baby. The
| great difficulty was to get an aiter-birth, to
/! complete the whole thing, in order that Dr..
| Uhl might not be suspected. Forthis purpose
l took a carriage and drove straightway to
| Bellevue Hospital again, leaving Dr. Uhl to ar
range the furniture and take care of the baby.
At the Hospital at O'Clock got possession
OF the atter-birth of another child, rolled up in
a piece Of silk oil cloth, and also obtained the
services Of an intelligent Irish girl, named
Mary Regan, to porsonate tho nurse Of the
California widow and the baby. A medical
| gentleman, VINO does not wish his name to aP-
pear also consented, for the fun OF the thing,
TO act as the widow, lying in bed with a night
cap on and doing the dismal groaning. lie
played his part charmingly, groaning terrifically
when she came.
With my load drove as fast as possible to
Elm street fearing the woman might get there