True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1857-05-20
The Bond Street murder.


This interesting case has been deter
mined by verdict of acquittal of Mrs.
Cunningham, and if the statement by tel
egraph is reliable that Eckel was dis
charged on his own recognizance, we have
seen the end Of this entire case.
Whatevermay be the private notions Of
individuals, il is perfectly clear, that the
prosecution made out no case TO justify
conviction, and we can't question the pro-
propriety of the verdict Of the jury. Ev-
cry position assumed by the District At
torney, in opening the case, was. either
overlhrown, or so weakened by the tes-
timony for the defence, that no other ver-
dict could have been justified, and the
short time the jury occupied in their de.
lberations, shows how unanimous they
must have leen in their opinion.
Considerable complaint appears to have
been made, as. TO the mode in which the
case was conducted for the prosecution,
but this may be owing to the intense
feeling which was excited at the time. of
the murder, aud TO degree of surprise
at the barrenness of the case, when it
came to be reduced to a matter of legal
proof, divested Of all the surroundings of
suspicion and heresay.
The evidence for the defence was
closed upon Saturday. The Two daugh-
ters of Mrs. Cunningham we're examined
and testified that they slept with their
mother the night of the murder and had no
knowledge of her leaving them during
The night, as they conVersed some time
after they had retired at quarter past
eleven; that they heard no noise and no.
ticed no smell. DR.. Roberts, Dentist
in Bond-st, intimate with the family, tes-
tilted 10 the amicabe relations between
Mrs. G. and Burdell He had often no.
ticed the door of the house unlatched, af-
ter the new lock had been put on. The
prosecution admitted that two persons,
not of the house, had night keys.
DR.. Catlin's testimony is of great NOR
al weight in reference to the question
whether Mrs. Cunningham herself could
have perperated the act. All the medi-
cal gentlemen examined agree on the
point that some of the wounds inflicted
required great exertion ofphysical force.
This gentleman has been Mrs, Cunning
ham'e family physician for long time,
and proves that for the last two or three
years she has been afflicted with rheuma-
lism to such degree as to weaken very
much the joints of her arms and hands,
more particularly her right.
1t will be recollected that the witness
on whom the prosecution rested most in
regard to the ongen Of the disagreeable
odor in Bond street on the night of the
murder, was DR.. Parmly. This gentle
mans nephew, Errck Parmly, vas ex-
amined for the defence, and proved that
his uncle told him he had noticed the
smell between nine and ten o'clock that
night.
The odor itself was accounted for
pretty satisfactorily by Doctor Daniel B.
Smith, residing at 35 Bond street. He
had been for length Of time engaged in
making chemical experiments, and had
been accustomed to use woolen rags,
pieces of leather, and other odds and
ends, in his laboritory. On this particu-
lar night he had gathered up all that were
about and put them in stove where
there was fire of anthracite coal. His
son substantiated his testimony.
Witnesses were also examined in re-
spect to matters of trivial Importance in
themselves, but tending to dissipate many
of the shadows of suspicion that darkcn-
ed the case. Another Mr.. Smth-Lhe
fifth of that name examined OIL Friday
! gave some evidence as TO the facility with
which the house 81 Bond street could
have been entered from the rear.
We have thus, from day to day, given
the substance of the testimony as it has
reached us, and we have come to the end
with rejoicing. The trial has left the case
in even greater doubt than that in which
it found it, and the public mind has been
reused to be left in even greater uncer-
tainty than before. ..
We have not only "supped on horrors"
but they have been well nigh our food for
weeks. Whether the reading of the de-
tails of these terrible crimes will prove a
benefit or an injury to the public, we are
not prepared to say, but it is not surpri.
sing that they are sought after and read
with eagerness. 1t accords with our
American habits of mind TO desire the
whole facts of every case, as each man is
resolved to take nothing upon credit, but
to make up his own opinion from all the
light he can gain. And so long as this
remains the case, so long must the light