The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1869-03-05
THE BURDELL MYSTERY SOLVED.

From the New York World of Wednesday,
The World lays befoIe its readers this
morning a solution of one of the mys-
terious tragedies Of modern times. The
murder Of DIR. Burdell is discovered,
according to his eircumstantial confes-
sion and all the probabilities of the
case, to have been the same Charles
Jefferds, who afterwards killed John
Walton andJohn Matthews, and who
was himself murdered by felloW-cOn-
vict at Auburn about year ago.
Jeferd's declaration is all the more
convincing in that it does not release
Mrs. Cunningham from the charge Of
completely with his crime. He, too,
was friend of that malign woman,
between whom and his mother, Mrs.
Walton, there appears to have been
close intimacy. He boasted of the same
illicit favors from Mrs. Cunningham
which were enjoyed by her boarder,
John j. Eckel, and claims to have been,
instead of Eckel, the instrument Of
her revenge. He alleges that he was
at DIR. Burdell's house, No. 81 Bond
street, on the the evening of the assas-
sinatiOn that he was seated in the
parlor and playing on the banjoe for
the amusement of the Cunningham
girls when DR.. Burdell entered the
house and met Mrs. Cunningham,
with whom he had violent quarrel.
The Doctor then proceeded to his
room on the third story, and Mrs.
Cunningham to hers on the second
floor. Jefferds, to whom the dispute
had been audible, stole out of the par
lor, went to Mrs. Cunningham, and,
after hearing her account of what had
occurred, volunteered to ego up stairs
and do for the old rascal, /" meaning DR..
Burdell. The woman who cordially
hated DIR. Burdell and hoped to inher-
it his possessions, encouraged the
young desperado's sympathetic rage.
She informed him of the position of
two edged dagger which he habitually
carried, and started on his cowardly er-
rand. The circumstantial account
which he gives of what transpired,
from the moment when he glided into
DIR. Burdell's apartment and aimed
the first blow at his heart to the mo-
fetched" his victim by final stab in
the kidneys, has tone of convincing
verify. "At one time, " says Jefferds,
II thought he'd be too many for me
but the punch in the ribs fetched him.
1t was our fighting about the room that
made the blood fly so all about on the
walls. The old follow was stronger
than l gave him credit for, and we had
a mighty tough tussle of it; but you
see had the knife, and kept all the
time jabbing him with that, and he
bled a great deal, and that weakened
him suppose" which is extremely
probable. The assassin's description
VI tuS "AolC otiuSSi toIi4Co HAeh VIZ
appearance of the room and of the
wounds found on the body of DIR. Bur
dell after the murder; while the facts
of Jeferd's intimacy with Mrs. Cum
ningham and his character as a reck-
less bravo help to corroborate his state
ments. 1t is said of him that ''he ha-
bitually went armed, and on the slight
est provocation would shoot or cut
whoever chanced to provoke his
wrath" He declared on one occasion
that she didn't think so much of kill
ing a man; he would put any man
out of his misery for five hundred dol
lars if he was short, and t0ooidnt get
caught ut ii either,