Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1857-03-05
Another Thcory of the. BurdclI
NImrd er.


The most ingenious theory We have
seen, in relation to the Burdell murder
being committed by an outsider, is con-
tanned in the following communication
to the New York Tribune: r
To the editor of the Ne,o York Tribune:
Sr:-On the next day after the muir
der your reporter, having carefully sur
veyed the promises, made the following
remark:
1T does not follow that any of the
inmates of the house were the assassins
or cognizant of the fact, because 1t rould
ace been the easiest matter in the world
for a person to enter through the street
door by a key, the duplicate of that by
which the Doctor himself gained admit
lance" sC
1t appeared in the course of the inqui-
Ey, that there were eight keys, six of
which only were accounted for. Where
Yererthe others?
That theory, to be credible, required
the following conditions:
l. Some person outside must have had
possession of a night key to open the
door of house No. 81.
2. DIR. Burdell must have entered the
house, and
3. Some other pc son beside the
Doctor must nave entered with him, be-
fore him, or after him.
4. Afer the murder lie must have
escaped, out of the front door proba-
lily.
Now for the testimony:
/. One or two of the keys of the front
door were missing, and this 6isposes Of
the first condition.
?. The witness Tobey is the only per-
son who testified certainly to the Doc
tors whereabouts after he left his house
in the afternoon, and bcforche was found
murdered.
He swcars that he knew Burdell, and
at about half-pastn nine he saw him stand
ing at the corner of Bond street and the
Bo,re1y, apparently waiting for some
person, and that he had Il hat on-nOt a
felt one-but u cOnln0a SiW hat.
The next witness in the order if time
was Farrell, who swears that about haL:
past tcA he saw two persons pass along.
six or eight feet apart, '.trOnt the Bow
cry t0trGrd Broadway" one of whom,
having on a shawl, entered house No.
81. Bond street, and the other went on
totcard Broadteay and he further says,
Il did not see any person go any other
way while !. was there
As Or. Burdell was last seen at the
Eowcry, this person may we'll be pre-
sumed TO be him, coming, as he did, from
the direction so soon thereafter.
In the next place, Mr.. Ross, apparent
Is an intelligent and candid witness,
says that he was in Spring street, and
started for his home about twenty min
utes past ten; that he went up Broad
way until he supposed he was as far up
IS Blocker street; he thought he was at
Blocker street till he got to the corner;
then" he says, 81 knew l was in Bond
street, and SO came down through Bond
street as Ear as the Bowcry, on this side
tho same side as DR.. Burdell's house"
This, lie says, was abouta quarter GctOTe
ch.rca O'Clock. There was one person
before him. Il saw him come up this
stoOp; he opened the door with a key;
l cOnld hear the key; l did not see the
door open, but close; [ looked at it and
saw he was gonein." Between him and
the person who went in there was just
the width of the frontage Of the house;
either the shawl was very high, or he
had q cap on; Think it was acap; there
was no other man i'll the street at all,
from Broadway to the Bowery; the street
was very quiet; there irdS not q soul IN It
Let myseJ.'
1t has been assumed hitherto by eve
ry body that the person seen to enter
the house by Farrell and the one seen
by Ross were the same. This Was utter
ly impossible, for
l.. They both swear that there was no
such person in the street as tie other at
the time.
3. They saw the persons enter at DIFF
fercnt times; and
3. The person seen by Farrell to en-
ter came from the Bo'eciy direction,
while the II seen by Ross came from
BroddrGy.
The facts established are, then, that
DIR. Burdell was last seen alive, so as to
be identified, at the corner Of Bond
street and the Bowery, with a silk hat
on.