The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1857-02-21

the lower side, as he could not see distinctly
there. Mr. William Ross swears to going !
from Broadway through Bond at the same
time, following DR.. Burdel, whom he saw 90
up the steps Of No. 81, enter with latch key
and disappear. He had gone bat eight or ten
yards further when he heard cry of niurder;
as if from No. 81; the latter syllable inaudible.
Looked around and saw no one in the street.
j ohm Farrell sat down on the door step of No.
81 few minutes before IL, to ADJUST the
string in his shoe. While there, gentleman
coming from the Bowery, with a shawl about
him, went up the steps, and entered with
latch key. Within three minutes after lie
heard the cry of murder distinctly from the
inside; and in another minute person opened
the door and asked him what he was doing
there. The one who opened the door was in
his shirt sleeves, held the door half open with
the right hand. and leaned with his left against
the door jamb, where the marks Of blood had
been noticed. Farrell recognized Eckel I'M
hesitatngly as the man who opened the door
and spoke to him. d. G. Walter confirms the
statement Of Farrell, having passed along
Bond street shortly before III; seen HIM on tie
steps, and seen person holding the door
open and speaking to him. DIR. and Mrs.
Main, living opposite, going home about
the neighborhood. De Witt Baldwin. and
others leaving the house No. l6 Bond street
at liz, had remarked that somebody was
burning WOODEN stuff or something of that
kind somewhere. The occupants of No. 20,
adjoining the scene OF the murder, testified to
hearing no noise and perceiving no unusual
smell that night.
The occupants Of the house were Mrs. Cum
incham. and her two daughters; Eckel,
Snodgrass and the Hon. Mr.. UlIman; the lat
ter merely rented a room in the house and
had no connection with the firmly. Eckel
and Snodgrass, had rooms and boarded in the
house; and ECkel was the confident and sup
posed plramour of the mother; Snodgrass Of
the eldest daughter. These two men were in
the house during the latter part of the eve
ming, and spent the time from ten to eleven in
Mrs. cunningham room, with herself and
daughters, when they separated, they say, and
retired to their own rooms. They declare
they retired TO bed, slept, and heard no dis
turbance.
The acquaintance Of the Dr. with Mrs Cum
ningham began in the summer OF 1885, when
he came with her from Saratoga. On the 18th
of November Of that year she was delivered
of dead infant of which the Doctor was the
} Imputed father. In June 1856 she commence
ed an action against him for breach Of prom
Use OF marriage, and made affidavit that lie
had illicit intercourse, from which she became
pregnant, and he had afterwards produced an
abortion. This proceeding was withdrawn in
, July and the matter apparently compromised
Since April 1856 to the date OF the urder
the quarrels between her and the Doctor had
been frequent and violent in the house; at one
time the police. had been called IN by both
parties; and during the wrauge Mrs. &. dealt
the Doctor violent blow, in her rage, in the
presence of the officers. She subsequently
took some steps to renew the suit against the
Doctor, but on the 22d OF October papers
were drawn up settling the moo.ed points. The
ILL feeling continued TO the last. Mrs. Cum
ningham kept unilaggins watch upon the Doc.
tors every movement; fingered about the en.
tries when persons were talking to the Doctor
) exhibiting marks Of inordinatc jealousy There
is no doubt that DIR. Burdell feared and hated
the woman intensely, and looked forward with
the utmost eagcrncss to the 1st of NAY, when
he could eject her from the house. Mrs Gun.
! ningham. in her testimony, accounts for heI
conduct by saying she was jealous of the
! Doctor.
On the 2Sih Of October, one week after the
formal settlement Of their difficulties, Mrs
Cunningham and her eldest daughter appear
n ell at the Rev. Mr.. Maryin's in company with
a gentleman who presented hilnself as DoctoI
Burdell, and was married to Mrs Cunning.
ham, Of which regular certificate was gwen
to the lady, and proper record made in the
clergyman's book. The clergyman was un.
: able to positively recognize Eckel as The
$ groom, or from the features OF the corpse, tc
v say that Doctor Burdel was the person.
r. The eldest daughter swore positively that il
was Doctor Burdell. But his friends testify
that he had repeatedly declared to them tina,
r Mrs. Cunningham had tried to force him tC
/: marry her, but he detested and hated her
and would soon suffer the loss OF his whole
property, or die rather than to submit to such
fate. That all his actions, and the mode Of
his life, and his conduct toward Mrs. Cunning
> ham, all precluded the idea Of marriage be
: tween them.
Eckel came to Mrs. CuHningham's house
, early in the autumn, and was soon established
. there as confident, and soon began to assume
> the airs and authority Of the master of the
! establishment; spent most Of his time wher
. not at business with the family: was in tn,
habit OF sitting. with the rest, in her bedroom
where at night he would pull off his boots. and
!, doze in chair by the fire. Ills bedroom
4 adjuined Mrs. Cunningham's, with door be
: Burdel had told Mrs C., he had seen conduc
through the key hole of his door, that was dis
: grace iul to the house.
G The Doctor had made will, which is no
to be found; and lease Of the house to new
tenant was to be signed on the day followin,
= the murder. Mrs. Cunningham if turned out o
the house, would have been thrown upon tn,
world homeless and pennyless with her fou
children.
The following is the theory of the Grim,
Q from all the evidence elected:
We are 10 assume that Eckel was the mair
; actor in the tragedy. The pan dated back
q from the time when Eckel was introduced into
u the house early in the fall. We are to belev.
: that then Mrs. Cunningham hopeless of indu
cling DR.. Burdell to marry her, and incensed
at his charges OF dishonesty and theft conceived
the idea of a fictitious marriage and subse
Q iouant murder The marriape rite conStitr,