Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1857-04-23
TFrom the New York Post April16.7
THE RURDELL ESTATE.

Dill D.; Bnracu Marry Mrs. Canning
hansAFe Defense OpenS-Smr2gate's
Court, Before Il. u. Bradford.
The Investigation into the alleged
marriage of Mrs. Cunningham with DR..
Harvey Burdell on the 29th of October
: last was resumed this morning.
Mr.. Tilden opened the case for the
defense. Without going into the case
at length, he could say that Miss Angus
ia Cunningham could be fatally contra
dicted in the elements of her evidence,
not only by testimony from other wit
nesses but by standardization, the ex-
tent of which would be incredible, but
for the fact that a falsehood draws with
tits own refutation. After having prov
ed that she was totally unworthy of be-
lief, they would proceed to show the rue
relations of Mrs. Cunningham with DIR.
Harvey Burdell, from the beginning Of
their acquaintance till its fatal termina-
ton.
After having sketched the outline and
filled up the form and colloring of this
picture until the Surrogate would be
able to look in upon 81 Bond-street, and
see the life these parties led there, they
would show that this was the purest fab
srication and merest invention ever put
forwardin a court efjustice. Alderman
Peter V. VOORHEES,, was the first witness
sworn: He knows the Rev. DR.. Marvine,
and had a conversation with him the week
after his first examination by the Coron-
-er, before he had seen Mr-Eeket: Wit
ness remarked to him that he did not
seem to recognize DR.. Burdcil as the man
he married. -tt
"No," replied DR.. Marvine, call that
I could see was a slight resemblance
about his mouth. I I'm not good at iden-
tifying persons. Those who perform a
marriage ceremony are occupied with
other things than identifying persons.
The man whom l married was slow-spo-
ken and stopped. The man married
stood back from the woman, not square
up by her side, and acted queerly."-
During the whole of this conversation,
some fifteen or twenty minutes in Length,
he did not express a belief that it was
DR.. Burdel1 whom he married. .
On a subsequent conversation, after
DIR. Marvin had seen Eckel and had
preached for DIR. Snodgrass at Goshen,
he remarked that from the circumstance
ofhaving found out the reason why the
parties came to be married, he was in
elined to think that DIR. Burdell was the
man he had married after all That rea-
son he stated to be that Mrs. ~Snodgrass
gave Mrs. Cunningham his address on
the 9th of October, when she went to
Goshen to get DR.. S~nodgrass to perform
the ceremony the next day.
He also mentioned that he had been
led to the same conclusion by the des-
cription which several ladies had given
him ofDr. Burdell. His only other rea-
sons were that he resembled the man
married about the mouth, and was nearer
him in size than Eckel. He said that
that was all by which he could identify
him of his own knowledge.
On cross-cxamination, Alderman
Yoerhiesz said that ne QUESTIONED DR..
Marvin purely from curiosity, and had
kept no memorandum of the converse
ton, but remembered the substance of
them distinctly as if they had occurred
yesterday.
Samuel c. Harriet testified to have
had a conversation with DIR. Marvine, in
which the latter said that when he should
see Eckel, he feared he should see the
man he married. The conversation oc-
Cured ol the sidewalk, opposite his
own door, about three doors from the
doctors house-Dr. Marvine being then
on his way to the Tombs to see Eckel.
On cross-examination, Dir. Clinton
made some fur of the witness, by ques-
tfoning him as to the precise words; but,
in response to a question from the Sur
rogate, he said that DIR. Marvine used
the word "feared,' to the best of his :
knowledge, beliefand recollection. :
Benjamin F. Mcclure, a dentist at 5
No. 2. Union-square, and cousin of DIR. {
Harvey Burdell, testified to having I
had a conversation at 81 Bond-street, l
about 2 p. NJ, on the LIST of February,
with DIR. Marvine who had not then seen
the body. DR., Marvine then said that the
man he married to Mrs. Cunningham was
a thin, spare man, and that his whiskers I
were very heavy and full, and extended :
down to here, (witness placing his hand {
upon his breast about six inches below
his chin, when held horizontally, at the
first shirt button.) {
The examination is still proceeding.
nls