The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1869-02-24
The BurdelI Murder-A Mystery of
Twelve Years Solved.

The World of Wednesday prints u
solution of this most mysterious trag-
edy. The murderer of Mr.. Burdell,
according to his own circumstantial
confession, turns put to be Charles
Jefferds, who afterwards killed John
Walton and John Matthews, and who
was himself murdered by a fellow-con-
vict at Auburn about a year ago. The
confession as made to a detective, re-
lates that on the fatal night he was
visiting at the BurdelI house, and
was in the pallor with the young girls,
and Was playing the banjo for their
amusement. The banjo, he said, be-
longed to him, and not to Snodgrass,
as had before been stated, Snodgrass
being only able to thumb on it a lit
tie. DR.. Burdell came in and met
Mrs. Cunningham, with whom he
had "A violent quarrel, after which he
proceeded at once to his room. JEFF
ferds then went to the room of Mrs.
Cunningham, and hearing from her
the particulars of the quarrel, he be-
came much incensed against BurdelI,
and volunteered to ''go up stairs and
do for the old rascal" In this propo-
sition ne was encouraged by Mrs.
Cunningham, and he resolved he wo'd
do it. Accordingly, drawing a two
edged, slender dagger, which he ha-
bitually carried, and being informed
by her of the exact position of the
DOCTORS room, proceeded stealthily
up stairs. The doctor was seated at
his desk, looking over some papers
by a single light. So engaged wa he
that he did not hear the step of his
murderer, and the first intimation he
had of danger was q sudden blow,
struck from behind, over his shoulder,
and aimed at his heart. The blow
vas instantly repeated, and again re-
iterated as rapidly as the nervous en-
ergy of the assassin could WELD the
knife. With a single cry of murder"
the doomed man sprang from his
chair and grappled with Jefferds /;
they struggled from side to side of the
room, oVerthrowing chairs and drag
gIng the table out of place, the doctor
striving to seize the dirk or hold the
murderous arm, the every blow of
which was cutting away his life. EAT
one time," said Jefferds, '.the old fell
low caught my arm and twisted me
against the wall, and for a minute /
thought he'd be too many for me ;
but l put my hand against the wall
and saved myself from going down,
and with the other / reached under
uAAA liz I'LL III VIC k4AhGAO d anu lAAdl
fetched him. 1t was our fighting
about the room that made the blood
fly so all about the walls. The old
man was stronger than I gave him
credit for, and we had a mighty tough
tumble of it but you see 1 had the
knife, and l kept all the time jabbing
him with that, and he bled a great
deal, and that weakened him 1 sup
pose" The murder accomplished,
Jetferds 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 in other directions.
The World says: Strange as the
story seems, it was and is implicitly
believed by those IN high police au-
thority, and hat eminent officer, In.
speoJor James Leonard, who has re-
Gently passed away, told the story to
the writer as an undoubted fact, ex-
pressing his belief that young Jefferds
vas unquestionably the murderer of
DR.. Burdell.
Jefferds was put on trial for the
murder of Nj. Matthews, he was son.
Victed, sentenced to imprisonment in
the State prison for n year, and
then to suffer death. Having remain.
ed at Sing Sing the appointed year,
and the Governor failing to designate
the day for his execution, and a legal
middle also occurring as to the legal
ity of the sentence, Jeferds was still
kept in confinement until his counsel
could secure a final disposition of the
case. While thus in custody, he was
murdered in sing Sing prison, a few
months since, by a fellow convict,
which last murderer is now awaiting
trial for the killing of the wholesale
assassin, whom he had u~nwarrantably
sent to his last account. Jefferds was
the son of Mrs. Cunningham by hel
first marriage.