The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1869-02-25
The Bond Street Mystery Brought to
Sr1o
Dr.. BurileIIs Murderer Confesses

New York, Feb. IL.
This city was startled this morning by
the publication in the World of the confess
sion of Charles Jeffcrds that he was the
murderer of DR.. Burdell. 1t will be re-
membered that Jetferds himself was muir
dered by fellow convict in Sing Sing pris-
on a few months ago, where he was con-
fined under sentence of death for the MUIR
of Matthews. The confession of Jeffcrds
was given to the writer by the officer to
whom it was made, and who, not five hours
after it was made, took Jetferds into custo-
dy, or caused his arrest, on the charge of
committing the double murder of Walton
and Matthews. The horrible confession is
as follows: Jetferds stated to the detect
i've that on the fatal night he was visiting
at the Burdell House and was in the par
lor with the young girls and was playing
the banjo for their amusement. The banjo,
he said, belonged to him and not to Snod-
grass, as had before been stated Snodgrass
being able to thumb on it a little. DR..
Burdell came in and met Mrs. Cunningham,
with whom he had a violent quarrel, after
which he proceeded at once to his room.
Jefferds then went to the room Of Mrs.
Cunningham, and hearing from her the par
tculars OF the quarrel, he became much in
censed against Burdell, and volunteered to
go up stairs and do for the old rascal"
il this proposition he was encouraged by
Mrs. Cunningham, and he resolved he
would do it. Accordingly, drawing two
edged, slender dagger which he habitualy
carried and being informed by her the ex
act position Of the Doctors room, he pro-
ceeded stcathily up stairs. The Doctor
was seated at his desk, looking over some
papers by single gas light. SO engaged
was he that lie did not hear the step of his
murderer, and the first intimation he had of
danger was a sudden blow struck from be-
hind over his shoulder and aimed at his
heart.
The blow was instantly repeated, and
again reiterated as rapidly as the nervous
energy Of the assassin could WELD the knife
With shout of murder" the doomed man
sprang from his chair and grappled with
.jetferds. They struggled from side to side
of the room, oyerthrowing 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
CAT one time, said Jetferds, the old fell
low caught my arm and twisted me against
the wall, and for a minute thought he'd he
too many for me, but put my hand against
the wall and 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 about the walls. The
old fellow was stronger than ] gave him
credit for and we had mighty tough tum-
bic of it, but you see | had the knife and
kept all the time iabbing him with that, and
he bled great deal and that weakened
him suppose. Yes Sir, | did the little Job
myself then musing minute as if to re-
call the scene more clearly he continued
~ es | did for him, but he tonight like the
devil. | once thought he had got the best
of me, but the punch in the ribs fetched
him" Here he sat minute, still thinking,
and then continued; "Did you 90 into the
room: Well, you remember the map that
hung on the wall. Well, they could have
found the marks Of my hand on that map if
they had looked Once when he nearly tur-
ned me threw my hand back and it struck
flat against the wall Or the map. That's the
time L thought he'd be too many for me.
But the blood weakened him, l spose, for
| soon got him under again and that's when
| hit him IN the ribs and fetched him"
The murder accomplished, Jefferds left
the room and was let out of the house by
one of the inmates by whom all necessary
precautions were taken afterward to cover
up the tracks Of the real murderer and cast
suspicion i'll other directions.