Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-02-03
The Horrible Midnight Murder in New York

AHo hoIl4UIe midnight n uTder IN New York.
The New York papers contain further par.
ticulars IN regard to the mysterious murder of
DR. Harvey BurdelI, a wealthy dentist of New
York city, perPetrsted at his house, No. 81
Bond street, some time during Friday night
last. The boy who attended to the work room
Of the deceased, on going to the above named
boarding house, Saturday morning, found,
little after eight o'clock, the body of his EN-
ployer lying on the floor of his bed room, dead
and surrounded with clots of CONCEALED Llood
Much alarm naturally existed, and Dr.
Francis was called in to make postmortem
examination. He found that DR.. BurdelI had
been straDgled by a ligature applied around
the throat, and that the murderer had infict.
ed besides fifteen deep wounds with a sharp
instrument on his person. any one of which
was almost suth ciont to cause death alone.
The New York Times of Monday, says:
30 far as We can gather from testimony
thus far given, he was seen at about O'Clock
In the afternoon OF Friday, by the landlady,
who, to increaso the romance Of the affair,
proves to have been his wife. We infer,
though the official report OF the evidence from
which this part of our report is copied says
nothing of the fact, that he was then going out
When he returned is not known. He is next
heared of in the morning at about O'Clock,
the door and found him dead. 1t was an.
nounced in the evening papers of Saturday as
case OF sudden death, from the rapture of
blood vessel but an examination revealed the
fac: that he had been s:rangled hy a cord
being drawn around his neck, and that there
were no less than fifteen wounds upon various
parts of his body, inflicted by knife or sone
sharp instrument His door was unlocked
and the key was upon the outside. We ind
nothing in tie evidence to show whether be
usually left il go at uight,-Whether bis bed
had been occupied during the night or any
thlIg else tending to tx the probable time at
which the murder was perpetraied Whether
II was on Friday evening. before he had re.
tired. or on Saturday morning after be lad
-lsen, seems to have been a point which the
Coroner did net think worth inquiring about
at all events we find nothing to tx il in the
evidence. 1t must have been at one time or
the other, for when found he was fully dressed.
Inc murderer was evidently some one &C.
quaInted with the hOuse-fOr in q store room
next the garnet we're found a towel, sheet, an
night shirt, smeared with blood, and also an
ordinary shirt with blood upon one arm, and
marked Charles j. Ketchum" The name
was printed, and may have been put there for
the express purpose Of diverting suspicion to
the belief that it was the act Of some one not
known IN the neigh borhOOd. That il was not
done for purposes Of robbery is shown by the
TACT that nothing whatever was taken No
evidence has as yet shown any motive any
where for such an act, though the principal
effort has been in that direction. II was at
tempted to be shown that differences had eI.
listed between DIR Burdell and the woman
who proves to have been his wife-but it did
not amount to anything 1t is also alleged
that Mr.. Ecker, who boarded in the house,
was also intimate with the woman, and that
there had been jealOusies between him and
the deceased On that account Mrs. BurdelI
states that on Friday night Ecker left her bed
room between 10 and II o'clock, and gives the
impression that be had been there for some
hours previous. The bupgling manner, how
ever, in which the official report of the test.
mony is given, renders it very difficult to get
any very clear idea Of the facts which il estab-
fishes. During yesterday d,rk was found in
the room, where the murder was committed
smeared with blood; and we understand that
evidence will be offered to-day to show that it
belonged, or had belonged, to Mr.. Ecker
Upon his examination he testified that he
knew nothing about the affair-that he heard
no noise during the night, and had not s,en
Burdell for ten days.