Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1857-02-11
TRAGEDY IN NEW YORK.


servant boy who went to make the fire. When
discovered the body was cold and stiff. There
were fifteen stabs and also marks of strangula-
tion discovered. a dirk was found in Bur-
dell's room, said to belong to a Mr.. Eckel, who
boarded at Mrs. Cunningham where Dr.. Bur-
dell also boarded and lodged. The house be-
longed TO DR.. B. Suspicion rests upon Eckel
and Mrs. Cunningham. The latter alledges
that she is the wife OF the murdered man, aud
produced certificate TO substsntiate her ale
CATION. Each one, however. for his own opin-
ion aboat the whole affair, which is undergo
ing a judicial investigation. From an edito-
rial in the Herald reviewing the whole procee-
dings thus far, we clip the following -
eve are bound TO say mp to this moment
the burden of the testimony taken is frightful-
ly 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 ar. Eckel should
have gone out before breakfast that morning,
and should have deposited in his private desk
a paper which would seem to have been pur-
loined from DR.. Burdell. It is unfortunate
that he should have been on such terms with
the woman Cunningham as TO lead the house
maid to regard her as an indiscrect mother to
grown up daughters. And it is still more m
fortunate that he should have allowed express
sions Of i'll will towards the deceased to escape
him, to which the present conjuncture imparts
an awful significance.
AS for the unhappy female over whom the
public wrath impends, every circumstance con-
nected with her is unfortunate. She had a
husband, who died, suddenly, in his chair,
leaving policy of insurance for $4,000 in
favor Of bis 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 cacula-
ted TO harden her heart and steel her nerves.
Her acquaintance was such as no honest wo-
man would willingly keep.
Arrived at n mature age, and not destitute
of those aItful charms or charmful arts by
which women in the meridian of life secure
lovers, she met, ensnared and conquered Dr.
Burdell. Entering his house as his mistress.
she sought to assert q control over him against
which the passionate and grabbed temper Of the
doctor rebeled. He gave her money. He
gave her home. He took in her daughters
lie lodged her friend EcSel. 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 perseyering ha-
ter, capitulates, on certain conditions, among
which is the one that he shall '.extend TO Mrs.
Cunningham and her family his friendship tlro'
life,'' and another that he shall rent her his
rooms al half their value, she withdraws the
suit. Burdell confesses that from the woman
to whom he has avowed friendship through life
he stands in terror of his own He declares be
has caught her at his safe. The servant indis-
creetly wakes at an untoward noise Eckel
and Cunningham leer at each other across
the table as they speculate onthe happy con
sequences of 'sa handy blow'' on the doctors
head.
Yet all these people go on living under the
same roof, until one night one neighbor smells
burning wooden or flannel another hears a sti-
fed cry of murder, and next morning poor DR..
Burdell is found by DR.. Main and the boy Bur
chell dead in his room. We see that some or
gans of opinion abuse some of the public func-
ticnaries for prosecuting this inquiry like pub
lie prosecutors but how can any man in his
senses look at the facts without coming to
some conclusion as 10 the guilty person-and
that conclusion a perfectly clear and fair one +?
THE SCOTT AND DAVIS CORRESPONDENCE
WASHINGTON, Feb. 4.-The Scott and Davis
correspondence is quite voluminous. From a
hasty examination of the documents, i tappears
that Gen. Scott declined to give open and spe-
ciic information to Secretary Davis regarding
the expenditure Of the Secret Service money
in Mexico, believing that no obligation of
public or private honor, according to the usa-
ges of nations and of armies, required him to
disclose the names and circumstances. He.
however, expressed willingness to give such
Information for his private ear alone, which
the Secretary said he was willing to receive in
confidence.
In November, 1855, the President of the
United States writes TO Secretary Davis, say
ing, in substance, -.sGen. Scott states two
grounds which he has learned that hesi-
tated to allow the ) per cent, commission. 1t
is proper to remark that he has been misin-
formed or has misapprehended my position
He, himself, fixed 81 per cent, which he might
properly have received for his disbursements
in Mexico, and balance struck upon that ba-
siswas the snhject of conversation between us. =
Secretary Davis, in response to the Presi-
dent, informs him that Gen. Scott had charged
himself with the sum of S26l ,69l, all OF which,
excepting $4,000, were levied and captured