The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-02-28

based their hopes. Could his drunkenness and
| Dragging be shrewdly combined and played upon.
the one clew might be secured which should COM
plete the circle Of evidence, supply the one mis-
| sing word in the enigma which was even then all
but marked out,
The detective proceeded at once to Cutchogue,
| L. l., where Jeferds was staying, and, playing
| his game well, soon became his intimate friend,
| companion and conAdant. For more than three
months this close intimacy continued in the course
of which time the officer learned the full particu-
lars of the Walton and Matthews homicidss, which
of Itself, II was but the confession of the crim
nal himself, would have been of little legal value ;
| u so CHANGED, however, that the detective pro-
cured the clues he needed, and by which the con-
v;cti3n was finally secured; he found where the
pistol was bought, secured certain documents in
the shape of letters from Jeherd's friends, and
altogether managed the case 80 shrewdly CO to OBJ
tain the keys to evidence which eventually locked
young Jeferds within the strong gates of Sing Sing
prison.
Mrs. Walton in some way became suspicious of
Defective Jinks, and wrote 70 Charles to warn
him against his new and intimate friend. He did
not show the letter to the officer, but that day
when they were out in row-bost, a mile from
the shore, the following little episode took place.
ss described by officer j.: 6" He suddenly threw
down the oars sprang to his feet, and with the
look Of perfect devil in his eyes, he came
towards me, as If TO grapple with me. / remained
perfectly quiet. When, just he was near enough
to seize me, he paused looked me full in the eyes,
and with his fists clenched, his whole form tremb.
ling with rage at the very idea. he greuod out
with horrible oalhs between his shut teeth and
white lips, Jinks, if thought you were q de-
tec;ive you'd never see that shore alive il swung
for 1t TO morrow 1 never was SO scared in my
life, and never trusted myself in boat with
At last after the officer had been with him night
and day for three months, and had laid Gil the
wires which were TO produce the final explosion,
1t was deemed best to spring the trap. Jeiierds
so n ans R known 70 Sc sS
utterly reckless in his attempts to carry out his
words, that il was thought best for the public
safety to put him under restraint, and not wait
until be bad sent another victim to his long &C.
count. Accordingly, Superintendent Kennedy
gave the word, and Officer Jefferson Jinks was in
siructed TO make proper arrangements for quietly
efectng the capture. The detective then planned
an excursion to and through New York with JEFF.
ferds, and directed that couple of good officers
In citizens clothes should be ready ct drinking
house known as 1.-THE Storen in Houston street,
at which place Jinks was to produce Jeiferds at a
certain hour, when he was 10 be taken in custody
and again locked up to await the movements of his
old friend, the district attorney. 1t so happened
that during this last afternoon of his freedom.
few glasses Of wine having loosened his tongue,
be supplied the full details of drama of which he
had before given but tie mere outlines and told
the man he then considered his dearest friend on
earth that ii was he, Charles Jefferds, who unas-
sisted and alone bad, three yesrs before, killed Dr..
Burdell
Jeferds stated to the detective that on the fatal
night he was visiting at the Burdell-house, and was
in the parlor with the young girls and YVES playing
the banjo for their amusement. The banjo, he
said, belonged to him, and not to Snodgrass, as
had before been stated, Snodgrass being only
able to thumb on it little. DR.. Burdel came ia
and met Mrs. Cunningham, with whom he had a
violent quarrel, after which he proceeded az once
TO his room. Jetferds then went to the room OF
Mrs. Cunningham, end hearing from her the par
ticulars Of the quarrel, he became much incensed
against Burdell, and volunteered to ego up stairs
and do for the old rascal" Ia this proposition he
was encouraged by Mrs. Cunningham, and he
resolved he would do il. Accordingly, drawing
tgo.edged, slender dagger, which he habitually
carried, and being informed by her Of the exact
position OF the doctors room, protested stealthly
up stairs. The doctor was seated at his desk,
looking over some papers by single gas light
SO engaged was he that he did not hear the step
of his murderer, and the first intimation he had Of
danger was sudden blow, struck from behind,
over bis shoulder, and aimed st his heart. The
blow was instantly repeated, and again reiterated
as rapidly as the nervous energy of the assassin
could WELD the knife. With a single cry Of muir
der" the doomed man spraug from his chair and
greppled with Jefferds; they struggled from side
toside Of the room, owerthrowing the chairs and
dragging the table out of place, the doctor striving
TO seize the dirk or TO hold the murderous arm
the every blow of which was cutting away his
life. AT one time,n said JeGerds, 81 the old fell
low caught my arm and twisted me against the
wall, and for minute thought he'd be too many
saved myself from going down, and with the other
reached under and hit him in the kidneys, and
that fetched him. 1t was our fighting about the
room that made the blood fly SO all about on the
walls. The old fellow was stronger than gave
him credit for, and we had mighty tough tumble
of it, but you see had the knife and | kept all
the time iabbing him with that, and he bled
ereat deal. and that weakened him / suppose.
Yes, sir, / did that little job myself" Then mus
ing minute as if to recall the scene more clearly
to his mind he continued: - Yes, did for him;
hut lie fought like the devil; l once thought he'd
got the best o me, but the punch in the ribs
fetched him." Here he sat minute still thinking,
then continued: Did you go into the room?
well, you remember the map that hung on the
w8ll-well. they could have found the marks of my
hand on that map if they'd looked; once when he
nearly turned me, threw my hand back, aud it
struck fat against the wall or the map; that's tie
time thought he'd be too many for me; but the
blood weakened him / s'pose, for soon got him
under again, and that's when hit him III the ribs
and fetched him."
On this particular point Jefferds always dwelt
as if the fact that Burdell had been " nearly too
many for him was most deeply impressed on his
mind-tEen, after minutes pause he would add,
"but then hit him under the ribs, and that fetch
ed him." 1t would seem that as the blows at
first were struck while Burdell was sitting, and
we're Tadidly repeated before he could rise up,
the knife probably was stopped by the breast.
bone, the collar bone, and, perhaps, the bones of
the neck so that most of the cuts superficial,
sues It is said tnst one OF the blows which
would have proved fatal was struck from above
downward. which Jeherds description would
easily account for Even mad q vital part been
touched by the weapon at the beginning Of the
struggle, it is exceedingly unlikely that imme-
date death would have ensued. Jeffsrds himself
was, however, convinced that il was the stab in
the kidneys that, as he expressed it, fetched
him. ...-.
The murder accomplished, Jefsrds left the
room, and was let out of the house By one of the
inmates, by whom all necessary precautions were
taken aterwsrd to cover up the tracks of the real
murderer and cast suspicion in other directions.
With regard to the wellknOwn reoklessness OF
Jeiferds with respect to human life, many stories
are told. .
He habitually went armed, and, on the slightest
provocstoD, would shoot or cut whoever CHANGED
to provoke his wrath. On one occasion, enraged
at a fellow clerk, he jabbed a geld pea into his
eye, endaDgeTing not alone the loss of the eye,
but the subsequent death Of the sufferer from H.
Elimination Of the brain.
At another time, in Newark, Nj, Jeferds be-
came enraged ina bar room about some trivial mat
ter, and IN sn instant drew his ready pistol and
fired. The intended victim saved himself, how
ever, by holding up in front of himself a common