The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-02-04
who Killed Or. Burdens

convulsion in lS60-6l, without parallel in the
history of the world.
who Killed DR.. Buraens
The more evidence that is taken on the awful
tragedy in Bond street, the mere clearly is it
seen that it was the work of no common hand, Of
no mere lawless vagrant. Though the witnesses
whose testimony is given elsewhere cannot be
described as directly fastening the charge Of
murder on this or that person, yet their evidence
goes on the one side to narrow very materially
he circle within which the culprit must be
sought and on the other to lessen the improbsr
bility that person in q station where murderers
are supposed to be uncommon should have taken
the life of the late DR.. Burdell. There is risk
and a responsibility in giving expression, at this
early stage in the inquiry, to the suspicious that
ferment in the public mind. 1t is possible that
those whom the public eye now regards as guilty
may prove simply unfortunate. But we are
bound to say that up to this moment the burden
Of the testimony taken is frightfully against
John j. Eckel and Emma Augusta Cunningham.
They may be innocent, and heaven knows we
hope they are. But it is, to say the least,
an unfortunate thing that Mr.. Eckel should
have gone out before breakfast that morn
ing, and should have deposited in his pri-
vate desk a paper which would seem to
have been purloined from DR.. Burdel it is
unfortunate that he should have been on such
terms with the woman Cunningham as to lead the
housemaid to regard her as an indiscreet mother
TO grown up daughters And it is still more IN
fortunate that he should have allowed express
sions of i'll will toYaras the deceased to escape
him, to which the present copjuncture imparts an
awful significance. As for the unhappy female
over whom the public wrath now impends, every
circumstance connected with her is unfortunate
She had husband, who died, suddenly, in his
chair, leaving policy Of insurance for $4,000
in favor Of his wife. Was he poisoned? We
must dig his body up. She led life after his
death which is described in the evidence of the
witness Hildreth; life evidently calculated to
harden her heart and steel her nerves. Her &C
quantance was such as no honest woman would
willingly keep. Arrived at a mature age and
not destitute Of those artful charms or charmful
arts by which women in the meridian Of life Sc
cure lovers, she met, ensnared, and conquered
DR.. Burdell. Entering bis house as his mistress,
she sought to assert control over him against
which the passionate and Grabbed temper of the
doctor rebelled. He gave her money. He gave
her a home He took in her daughters. He
lodged her friend Eckel. Not content with
all this, the woman Cunningham insists that
he shall marry her. He refuses and she sues
him. Burdell, an angry, but not a persevering
hater, capitulates; on certain conditions among
which is the one that he shall "extend to Mrs.
Cunningham and her family his friendship
through life," and another that he shall rent her
bis rooms at half their value, she withdraws the
suit. Burdell confesses that from the woman to
whom he has vowed friendship through life he
stands in terror of his own. He declares he has
caught her at his safe. The servant indscreetly
wakes at an untoward noise. Eckel and Mrs.
Cunningham leer at each other across the table
as they speculate on the happy consequences Of
"a handy blow" on the doctors head
Yet all these people go on living under the
same roof, until one night one neighbor smells
burning woollen or flannel, another hears stifed
cry of murder, and next morning poor DIR. Bur
dell is found by d.. Main and the boy Burchell
dead in his room. We see that some organs of
opinion abuse some Of the public functionaries
for prosecuting this inquiry like public prosecu-
tors; but how can any man in his senses look at
the facts without coming to some conclusion as to
the guilty person-and that conclusion per-
fectly clear and fair one?
The whole affair fills the honest mind with dis
gust and loathing What shall we say of the
other residents of this i'll fated houseg of these
two girls, of whom the elder is said TO be
twenty-five years Of age, and lady of much
hadeur and Of the youthful Snodgrass the son Of
a clergyman, who sec miDgly got bis board on con-
dition of being the cavalier Of Miss Cunningham?
How came these people TO hear nothing of the
murdered mans death struggled OF course, to
suppose that they were accomplices il repulsive
to common sense; but how came they all To sleep
30 sound that night And what sort Of house
was this, at alls Are there any more Of the
same kind left, where dssolute women try to in
veigle amorous bachelors into matrimony and
murder them when they refuses Can nobDdy
enlghten this points
Abandonment OF the schooners Mary steed-
man and Worth.