The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1869-03-02
The Cunningham Burdell
Murder.
The Murderer Discovered.

New YORK, February 1.-THE World
publishes the details of confession,
said to have been made by Charles jeff
erds to detective, proving that he jeff
erds) was the actual murderer of DIR.
Burtlell in 1857 Jeffcrds was convicted
of the murder Of Walton and Mathews
in 1860, but the sentence of death was
never carried into execution. Jefferds
was himself killed in Sing Sing, few
months since, by a fellow convict, now
awaiting trial for murder. The confes-
sion was made several years since, and
is now, for the first time, given to the
public.
The murderer of DR.. Burdcll is dis
covered according to his own circum-
stantal confession and all the probabili-
ties of the case, to have been the same
Charles ,Jefferds who afterwards killed
John Walton and John Matthews, and
who was himself murdered by a fellow
convict at Auburn, about year ago.
Jetferds' declaration is all the more con
vncing in that it does not release Mrs.
Cunningham from the charge Of compli
city with his crime. He, too, was
friend Of that malign woman, between
whom and his mother, Mrs. Walton.
there appears to have been a close init
macy He boasted of the same illicit
favors from Mrs. Cunningham which
we're 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 Dr. Burdelfs
house, No. 81 Bond street, on the even
ing of the assassination; that he was seat
ed in the parlor and playing on the banjo
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 in the third story
and Mrs. Cunningham to hers on the
second floor Jefferds, to whom the dis
pute had been audible, stole out Of the
parior, went to Mrs. Cunningham, and,
after hearing her account of what had
occurred, volunteered to ego up stairs
and do for the old rascar-meaning DR..
Burdel. The woman, who cordially hat
ed DR.. Burdell, and hoped to inherit his
possessions, encouraged the young des-
perado's sympathetic rage. She inform
ed him of the position of the Doctors
room he drew slender two edged dag
ger which he habitually carried, and star
ted on his cowardly errand. The Cir
cumstantial account which he gives Of
what transpired from the moment when
he glided into DR.. Burdelrs apartment
and aimed the first blow at his heart to
the moment when he ''reached under"
and fetched his victim by final stab
in the kidneys, has tone of convincing
verify. "At one timc," says Jefferds,
~ 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 fellow was stronger than
l gave him credit for, and We had a
mighty tough tussle of it; but you see
l had the knife, and l kept all the time
jabbing him with that, and he bled a
great deal, and that weakened him, I sup
pose"-which is extremely probable.
The assassin's description of the whole
struggle tallies with the appearance of
the room, and Of the wounds found on
the body of DR. Burdell after the murder
while the facts of Jefferds' intimacy
with Mrs. Cunningham and his charac-
ter as a reckless bravo help to corrobor
ate his statements. 1t is said Of him that
he "habitually went armed, and on the
slightest provocation would shoot or cut
whoever CHANGED to provoke his wrath. -"
He asserted on one occasion that "he
didn't think so much of killing man
he would put any man ont Of his
misery for Eve hundred dollars if he
was short, and rouldn't get caught at it
either"