The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1857-08-08
The Cunningham Case In N. York.

II
watched with intense interest Misses Helen and
Augusta Cunningham gave in their testimony on
"ednesday-the latter exhibiting signs of the
deepest distress. There was nothing of especial
| Importance in their testimony. In the course of
the afternoon, DR.. Samuel II. Catlin, (who is said to
be a relative by marriage, Of Henry Ward Bp,cher
concluded to turn States evidence and made the
following affidavit:
am 80 years old, and a resident of RrookIyn
in No. 233 Court street; | am a physician by ,ro
fession; am acquainted with the accused Mrs r
a. Cunningham, calling herself BurdelI and have
been so Tor about six years; have been, for the
years 1851, 1852 and 1858, very intimate with her
family, and was her medical attendant during that
time; Mr.. Cunningham deceased about June. 1884
as near as can now recollect without referring tc
memoranda; the family soon after removed Ia Now
York, and / ceased to attend it; thereafter saw
Mrs Cunningham but three times before she Isas
arrested for the murder, or about that number of
times; after she Mrs. c. arrested saw her in
the Toinbs prison; j her there ahout a d,z.r
times en different occasions: whilst in the prison
she told me she was with child have no recollection
of positive statement from her that she was with
child by the late DIR. Harvey Burdel but that WI
my Inference from her conversation | then frml,
believed the fact was she stated it; soon after
her acquittal noticed that her appearance cores
ponded to the fact of her statement and thareafte,
noticed that she increased in size pretty regularly
sometime in the month of June i was requested
to become her medical accoucher by herself and
consented about THIS tiine-speaking of the child
with which she was pregnant-she said that Judge
Dean had told her that if she had child il would
be heir to the property and she hoped it would live
] cannot state that have remembrance of her saw
ing it was the child of DR.. Harvey BurlelI in word.
to such an effect; as to the date of her pregnancy
she stated to me that she supposed herself to r so
soon after she went up stairs to sleep in 81 Bond
street: she was not more explicit ss to this but rs
knew the locality ofrooms in the house, she needed
not to be more particular. On Monday the Bird An-
gust, Mr.. Wilt called at my Office between and :
o'clock y. NJ. and said they we're sick at 81 Bond
street, AMI wanted me to come over / made the
acquaintance of Mr. Wilt at 81 Bond street: went
over alone shortly afterwards TO New York CITY and
arrived at 81 Bond street about hafpast O'Clock:
Georgina Cunningham let me; l then went up
stairs into the front second story bed room over
the parlor; entered the room: ! saw her sis-
ter, Mrs. Barnes, and Mrs. Cunningham Mrs
cunningham was on the bed: Mrs. Barnes was
moving around; Mrs. Cunningham was undres-
sed and in bed; she said she was sick and SUFFERING
great deal OF pain: j examined her tongue and
pulse and was satisfied she had had Cholera Nor
bus; gave her an eInetic did not then see anv
child; few minutes later she vomited green bile /
soon afterwards examined her person: her abdomen
WIS III nearly natural state; saw she was not IL,
any way with child and had not been: the first I
saw OF the child saw it brought in by the sister
hrs Barnes mean as a medical fact that she
whs not with child: the child was dressed when I
saw 1t first; saw the af;erbirth it was quite an
old one; took bloody sheets from under Mrs Cnn |
nngham; they had been wet with blood from nail |
"a pioou, Drought tfere by Know not who heard |
hrs cunningham remark about the child that il |
had Burdell nose and her eyes and color fprca,
laughter among the gents OF the quillg Mrs Bell |
was brought into the room after the child there
to see it; think she said it was very bright child
II Mrs. Cunningham alleges that any childbirth |
took place that night, up to the time left and wa,
arrested it is untrue: during the evening gave |
her about an ounce of parasoric, and just before
leaving dose of caomel.
Appended to the affidavit WAS the following note |
by District Attorney Hall:
This affidavit Of DR. Catln is taken by me after |
no WAS sworn by Justice Dawson. and he il by NV |
consent, ON his own proposition, witness for the,
State have merely taken a statement of few |
OF the important facts of the ftitement made me |
and he has carefully revised the affidavit
GIRLS AUGUSTA AND HELEN CUNNINGHAM
The testimony Of these young ladies as far a.. il
went, bore out their mothers theory of a contin.
ment. But what was Observable about them, and |
what would have moved any beholder to pity was |
their sorrowful condition. their apparent broken
heartedness. 1t was with difficulty that at any
time they could refrain from bursting into tears
The traces of care and suffering were craven on
their countenances. Augusta (who has been stay
ing in Lexington avenue. and not in the county, at
WAS asSerted buried her face in the sofa and wep:
bitterly Helen, though for long time she prp,
served the appearance Of calmncss after her eyi
dencs was concluded. and she had signed her ,esti
Glony, burst INTO violent fit of subbng and shook
conVulsIFrly. Au&uSta's eyes, while giving her
evidence, were red with weeping, but she answered
| the Justices interrogatories with fruncss SI,a
complained of the shock which her neryous sxst,n,
had undergone and said she had begged her mother
not to speak to her on any subject connected with
| Dr.. Burlell. Whereas she fIrnerlv ,narito,toa
extreme hardhood and hql.tcst- she is at tn. nre
sent moment completely Frustrated and unueryed
giving answers to the various questions PROFOUND
ed her i'll slow and unwilling manner
The officers who had her in charge Yesterday re
marked this change. and one and all sympatbi.ed
with her i'll her evident mental agony 1t was
| sisted by some parties, protesting to be well in
| formed. that she had opposed her mothers course
ever since the conclusion of the trial and to an
officer, who proposed to lead her to her mother and
sisters she replied that she desired return to her
| aunts, i'll Lexington avenue, for that she would
| never enter tho house, 81 Bond street, again. SO
| long as she lived.
| MRS CUSSISGHAM.
| The following items are from New York paper
of Thursday evening:
The physicians, Drs. Barker and De Wies in com
pany with Inspector Diks aud Justice Dawson,
called on Mrs. Cunningham in the morning. yes
| terday. to offer her personal examination She
had been closely watched through the night by the
police, some of whom had been in her room CON
stantly, to prevent suicide on her part. She de-
Clned to be examined.
1t was ascertaincd yesterday that on Monday
when DR.. Uhl announced that the california
Widow WAS about being confined, Mrs. Cunning
ham at once made an inordnate meal Of cucun-
hers, with the view of bringing pains which
should cause her to present the appearance of a
woman passing through the pains Of childbirth
The Cucunbers had the desired effect A violent
cholera morbus resulted, and during Monday eve
ming the pains were not simulated but real
FATAL APFRAY.-A shocking affair occurred on
Tuesday last at Coldspriugs, between two men
named Michael Tallen, amember of the Engineer
Company at West Point and John McKearen The
affair caused by family difficulties: TalIen hay
Ing married Mckearen's sister. The latter had fire.
quently threatened II take the life of the former.
and even armed himself for that purpose. Talen.
TO secure his own safety, went to Justice of the
Peacea and swore his life against him. McKearcn
hearing of this, went on Tuesday to Tallen's house
and was in the act Of accomplishing his threat, by
plnnging knife into the breast Of Tallen when
the latter drew pistol and fred the hall entering
Mckearens breast, passing through tho lungs and
coming ont at his back. There is no hope of his
recovery. Tallen Immediately gave himself up.
n. L. Ners.
CoNsPInAcr.-Thrce women named Anna Meis.re.
Caroline Muller and Caroline, Wauz, on their
trial in Philadelphia on the charge of conspiracy
TO cheat and defTaud. The conspiracy with which |
the defendant stands charged s agreement to |
obtain money and valuable property from Chris |
tiana Zimmerman and her daughter Mary Ann. Ii |
appears that Anna Meistre is the head of a relig
ious society, established by herself and has sue |
ceeded in fleeing some of her disciples quite effec- |
tually. She preached that the world about to |
be destroyed, and that only $4,000, by her nstru-
mentality could be saved, and that shc was the |
sister of our Saviour.
Several witnesses testified that she gave a feast
The tables were filed with wines and all the fruits |
i'll season; that Anna dressed in white, with |
stars upon her bosom, and n crown np0n her head. |
That she there represented to her disciples that
she must appear before God.
THE CROPS IN EuR0PE.-Thc latest adviccs from |
Europe are to the effect that the crops in a parts
ofContinental Europe promise rich harvest. In |
some parts of Germany farmers have already begun
10 harvest their rye crops, and bread made of new
rye honr was In general use aud pronounced of good |
Quality Ihe tobacco plantatnns in Snuf hern Ger