The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1857-02-14
From the New York TINES o. W. incsdny
THE CURTAIN LFTED.-THE MYSTERY OF THE
NEW YORK MURDER DISPELLED.


THE CURTAIN MFTED.-THE MYSTERY OF THE
NEW YORK MURDER DISBELIEF.
The Bond street drama approaches its Close Yester-
days procct dngs at the inquest fastened up
John j. Eckel and Mrs. Cunningham the guilt of the
bloodst and awful murder tina thas startled this city
for many years The pare' of course will be put upon
their trial. and il is possible they may not upon that full
and final examination, be convicted But prn,d Jacis
case has been fully made out against them. There seems
little reason doubt that Eckel did the deed and be
cannot be connected with it without duplicating Mrs. Cum
ningham.
remarkable feature of The is that the witness by
whom this consummaon has been reached has been entire
ly unknown and unheard of until the last moment An
anonymous letter cent to the yesterday stating
rumor that Mr. Farrell was in Bond street the night
of the murder and had evidence to give of import
anc but that he declined t, forward est he should
be kept from his family and nconve nncd by appearing
as witness, as be Is poor man. In view OF the
ners treatment CT wines it be confessed he had
grounds for this apprehension In consequences of
this communication Mr. Farrell summoned to attend
and testified that he passing through Bond stree at
about II o'clock the right in question: that he
down upon the steps Of the house No. 81 and was there
seated when with shawl up the steps and en-
tered the house; that not than minute and half
elapsed b fore he heard the cry of murder and then the
fall of heavy body; and that in half minute after that
in his shirt sleeves with bushy hair opened the door,
looked out asked him what he doing there shut the
door, and went back. Mr. Farrell got up and hearing
nothing further soon after went away.
The witness then taken by the into an up
per in which the jury reporters policemen and some
ten fifteen Others bad been introduced without his
knowledge and asked if he could identify any person there
present the man whom he had looking at the
door the night in question He looked slowly carefully
end searchngly into the face OF every present-hi,
eye ranging round the whole crcleand seemed about to
- n
in tie circle rested for minute steadily upon his unmoved
and he then declared that be was the man.
This EeheL And Mr.. Farrell afterwards stated
that he bad doubt whatever of his identity though be
had him any other occasion than when he
opened the door that fatal Friday night Thus the very
precaution which Ecke took against being observedhis
going the front door and looking to see If anybody
vas in the sreeproved the and thus far the only
MEANS of bis exposurel
The facts thus developed of his going TO the front door
explains the indications which led originally TO the be-
lief that the murderer left the house after the deed was
DONE the appearance of blood upon the stairway wall and
the of the door II eeems now almost
tain that Eckel secreed in the Doctors when he
entered and that he dealt him the fatal blow almost i'm
medatey after he had In and seated himself at his
desk. The rapdity with which the whole was accom-
pshcd is shown by the statements of the wtnes Farrell
that not more than minute and half elapsed after the
Doctors entrance before he heard tho cry and then the
fall and that within half minute after that Eckel came
to the door Mrs Cunningham is also identified as hav
ing, in company with gentleman Friday purchased
sworcane in Broadway, describing the kind desired and
saying they must have it that day. This leaves it i'm
possible TO doubt her completely in the MURDER that the
whole affair deliberately and systematically planned
How far other parties in the house implicated is
impossible to conjecture Nothing has yet been shown to
connect them with this shocking affair But IL viii
be very difficult convince the public that no noise was
heard by any of the inmates that night If Mrs. Cum
ningham personally had any part in The murder Der
daughters have falsely when they testified ,h,
she did not leave her bed after retiring that night o.
this however, there ia yet nothing like positive proof
II be established by several witnesses that there
was noisehat it was very peculiar and loud enough
to attract attention in the street Ecke was probably in
the front when Burdel entered the back ROOM and
going in to deal the blow he would be very likely TO
leave the door between the open AS one of the
front windows was also open noise might very easily be
heard in the street without icing very audible in other
parts of the house.
Eckel had probably taken of his coat and boots and
fully prepared hmsefor The bloody deed lie must
left the house that night to dispose of the weapon he had
used hrs bloody clothes and other mute witnesses OF the
MURDER for these could not all have been burned or put out
OF the way within the house What disposition he has
made OF them will probably come TO light hereafter
In spite OF the horror that the fastening of such crime
upon woman must inspire the public mind will expe-
rence feeling OF relief Mt the discovery Of the guilty par
ties The prospect that the deed would remain shrouded
in DARKNESS and its perpetrators enjoy complete mmuni-
t induced feeling of alarm and discomfort The dis
closure OF the mystery viii bring corresponding senti-
ment OF satisfaction