The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-02-17
FIRST EDITIO N
SENS
reported Discovery Of DR.. Bur-
dell's Assassin-Is the Mys-
terry of Twelve Years
Solved at Last!

The New YoIh Word Of this morning pub
Aehce O i've. celumn account OF the Burdell
murder, and processes to have discovered the
real assassin at last. Recliiu9 Ia detail the
history of the great crime, and the ttial OF hrs,
cunningham as the author OF the tragedy, 1t
ahen gives the folio wing information, which
points to Charles JefTerds as the real assassin:
JeiIerds stated to the detective that on the
falGl night he was visiting a. tbc BurdtlI mouse,
and v Wss 10 the parlor with the young glrls, and
was playing the babjo tor tder amusement.
The banjo, ne 3ad. belonged TO him, and no, to
SnodgIAss, as had before oeen stated, SAo1srass
being oLly abie TO thumb on II little. DR.. Bur
deil came N and met MTs. Cunningham, with
whom ne had violent quarrel, alter when ne
proceeded at once to his room, Jeterds
then went TO the room OF Mrs. Gun
nIneham, aud hearing from her the
particulars OF the quarrel, he became
much InCensed against Burdell, and
'yoluL teered TO go up sia1s and do for the old
IA cai.n In This pIop posltlOn be was encouraged
by Mrs. Cunningham, and he resolved he would
do it. Accordingly, drawing two'edged
slender dagger, which he habtually carried,
and being in ormed by her OF the exact position
OF the DOCTORS room, he proceeded stealthtly up
stairs. The doctor was seated at MS desk'
looking over some papers by single gas light.
Bo engaged was he that lie did not near the
step Of hs murderer, and the hrsl intimation he
had of danger was sudden blow, struck from
behind, over his shoulder, aud aimed at his
heart, Tne blow was Instantly repeated, and
again reiterated as rapidly as the
nervous energy of the assassin could Well .,d
the kuife. With single cry OF ''murder!'
the doomed man sprang from his chair
and grappled with Jefferds; they struggled from
side to side of the room, overtime wing the
chairs and dragging the table out of place, the
doc or STRIVING to seize the dirk or to hold the
murderous arm the every blow Of which was
cuttil g away his ll!e. "At one time" SAID JET
ieI ds. 1.-The old fellow caught my arm and
twisted me against the wall, aud for minute
thought he'd be too many for me; out put my
hand against the wall and saved myself from
going down, and with the other reached under
and hit HIM in the kidnevs, and that fetched
him. 1t was our lighting about the room that
made the blood fly SO all about on the walls.
The old fellow WAS stronger than | gave him
credit Tor, and we had a mighty tough
turLble of it, but you see ! had the knlIe,
and kept all the time jabbiug him with
that. aid he bled great deal, and
Il at weakened him, suppose. Yes, sir, l did
tn u little jOb myself" Then musing a minute
"a 1t 10 recall the more clearly to his mind
he continued, ''Yes, did Tor him; but he fought
like The OevIl; once thought bed got the best
o. me- but the punch in the ribs ietcned him."
Here be sat a minute still thinking, then con-
tinned:-"D you 90 inlo Tue room! Wen, you
remem Der the map that hung on the Wall-WelI,
they could have iound rbe MARKS of my hand on
that n ap it they'd looked; Oac9 when he nearly
turned me, IthTew my hand back, and II strock
fat a!ainst The wall or the map; b 1t tue blood
weakened him s'pOse, for soon got hun under
aga q, and hats when | hit him in the ribs
an fetched h'm.n
as il he fact that BurdelI had been nearly too
many TOR him" was mostly Impressed on his
NJ no; then, after minutes pause, he Woaid
ado ''but then / hit hIh under the ribs, and
that fetched him." II wOnld seem that as the
blows at hrst were struck while Blrdell WAS
sitting, and were rapidly repeated before he
could rise M, The knlte probably was stopped
by the breast-bcne, he Collar-bOne, and perhaps
The bones oi tn neck so that most OF the cuts
were superficial, merely cutting through the
SKIN and ouisiCe ssues. IL is SAID That one ol
the blo1s which would have pro'ed iatal was
struck from ABOVE downward, which Jeiferds'
de-cripton would easily account Tor. Even had
a.vltal part betn touched by ihe. @eap)n at the
beginning of the struggle. 1t is exceeding y
unlikely that immediate death would have
en,ued. Je1etds himself was, however, con-
ynced that 1t was the stab IN the kidneys that
as he expires. ed IL, "IeiChed him."
Tle murder accomplished, Jcterds left the
room, Snd was Jet out of he house by one O
the inmates, by whom all necessary prec4ution;
were taken Afterwards TO cover up the tracks o.
the real murderer aud cast suspc on in Other
directions.
Strange as the story seems, it was and is. i'm.
plici ly believed by those high Ia police autho-
riiy. and that eminent Officer Inspector Jane!
Leonard, who has recently passed away, tolo
the story to the writer as an undou0ted TACT
expressing his perfect belief that young JEFF
ierds was unquestlonably the murderer OF DR.
Burdell.
The confession OF JeAer1s was given to the
writer by the officer 10 wnOm IL was made, auC
VIII, not 1--we hours after II was made, took
JetfeIds into custody, or caused mis- arrest, or
the charge of committing the double murder o
Walton AID Matthews. Aside iron the story o
Jetferds himsPl', the clO.e intimacy existing
between the WALTON and Cuuulne ham families
and the thorough similarity IN Iheir domestic
relations, tOgetLe with the well-knoWn despe
rate character OF Mrs. Cunningham, are al
strongly corrooorative OF its truth.
Wlh regarl TO the well Known recklessnes
Of Jetierds with respect TO h1min life, man,
stories are told. He habitualy went armed
and, on the siiIh1est proyoc9r on. wauli shoe
or cut whoever CbancP1 TO pTOEoke his wrath
On oue occasion, enraged at a te)lJw clerk h.
jabbod gold pen into his eye, eudaneerIng no
alone toe iOfs OF The eye, bIt the suoseQuen
death Of the sufferer irom inlammation OF th
brain.
4, AZ another time. In Eewars. N. j., JefFerd
became eDr-geO IN u b9T-rOOm about som
trivial ma ter and IN au instaUt drew his read
pistol and tired. The intended yIcum sage
hims,M however, b9 hOl ing up IN front O
hiDself q common bar-ro)m CHAR, tne th C
wooden bottom OF which reserved the ball Ra
saved lbe lite Of the man. 10 fact, Jefferd
himself declared thai he uIdn'C hiuk so muc
OF killing O an-be would out auV man out
the way Tor nVe hundred dollaTsl' he was shorl
and wouldn't get caught a. II either. Ate
he was sent 10 The 3 ate Prison, and touu
Wild Ger aiDtY thst his accu.er aud tb
pJ1Dcipa' witness against hlm was the ma
VII 10 he had cherished as n friend for A
long time, be was wild win rage. and sWor
tbal II ever he got The OpaOTtlnlty he woul
Kill hat officer. Toe detective was hImsel
20 0srtsln of II that ne heard toe tioIngs OF In
death OF Jt6erds VITO uDminRled sAtisfactinn
In truib, thar this yoUrg man was as bad q
false, az reck les,lq criminal man o. The cor
Fupt state OF our moOern society can produce
there en be not he 81 gOtast doubt And tak n
iptO calp, confederation all The cIrcumstances
the murder OF Or Burdell, aud OF Jrffrrds, cor
feseiOn, and OF the knORn Intimacy OF the W.
ton aud Cunningham families, be who woul