Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-06-10
THE CINNINGHAH-RURD MIR
DER REPRODUCEn

Last mORth Mrs Sarah Parker then of % Var
Lex street, heard OF the death of her husband,
william, ut st. Joseph, Mo- As the Intelligence
was not received direct, and from sources in this
city deemed Enthusiastically, she directed a letter
10 the Register OF Deaths in that city. As st.
Joseph il not blessed with n Register, an answer
received from Mr. George Hillyer, an IN
dertaker OF that city A complete description
Heved IL wa her husband. and on the solcita-
ton of Mr. Human, the editor of the St. Joseph
RepubiicGq. she departed for the West.
SURPRISE FOR AN AFFLICTED WIPE.
On arriving at ST. Joseph Mrs. Parker sought
the residence Of the undertaken. and from him
learned that Mr.. Parker had, shortly after his
arrival in the city, married a Mrs. Cunningham
athree-ti,ne widow then living in Mer-ina street
riage with Mrs Parker of Yarick street and
Sarah. his second wife, also wore widows weeds
when he eourted her This was not known In
St Joseph The advent of Mrs. Parker of New
York created a stir in the Western city. More
20, however, when il was aseertaincd that the
man of two wives only few weeks before his
death, and hardly seven DAYS after his MARRIAGE
with the buxOm widow, Cunningham had his
life insured by the Electric OF New York for
1870, and by the Atlas OF St Louis for a. 800
This insurance was now troubling the insurance
agents Of these companies. Rumors OF poison
w Ss1g h Kn Sy tns employs OF the house
neman was engaged at the time of his ceath
These stories evidently had some foundation
ravel
THE MTsTEEY OF HEB HUSBANDS DBArH
Before she did this, however, the people of
st Joseph, looking with suspicion on the new
claimant for the 81 500, compelled her to fur
nish better evidence of her identity than her
panying letters and affidavits from persons in
this city who were intimate with the deceased
husband, were soon forwarded to St. Joseph, to-
gether with dispositions from the son OF the dis
puted husband
This apparently satisfied the agents, and the
district attorney took the case before the grand
Jury then sitting. Testimc ~ was taken SUI,
icient to convict Mrs Cunningham of MURDER
but a. will be seen, she was not summoned to
rwax HRNfh .r hNr-fs
mysterious death The fellOw-labOrers of Par
ker, knowing the woman Cunningham and
THE SUSPICIOUS TAKING OPP
Of her previous lords aroused themselves. and
under the pressure OF an excited public feeling a
further investigation was demanded. At this
examination Mr.. Wolf, the foreman of the house
of WE'LL, Kahn & Co., where Parker was en-
plOyed, swOre that Mr.. Parker one week before
his death was strong and healthy. Two days
afteTwaTd he called upon him and found him
lying in accomplishing of gripping pain in the
stomach and burning heat OF the mouth and
throat. These symptoms aroused the suspicious
OF Mr.. Wolf. and the life insurance was dis
cUssed, the latter by way of warning, acduaint-
ing the then dying man of the death of his pre-
decessors and the suspicion attached To their
hurried burial This eOnsOiing knowledge the
infatuated husband seemed 20 laugh away, and
medicine and food continued to be prepared by
the wife.
Three DAYS after this Mr.. Burlington, another
ofPsrker's fellow wOrkmen, gave the most damn
ing testimony. He said that he was in the room
with Mr.. Parker shortly before death, ana on
entering The room was followed by Mrs. Gun
ninghaI88 HON
TIE DYING VICTIM
feebly reqdA II 70 hand him glass Of water A
Light cOloretNtIid. resembling water, was given,
wheTeupOn the sick man, after drinking, pressed
his lips one receiving something sweet and
Palatable, at the same time saving:
HNhat that's YOU gave me?"
The attendant gave response, wacreupon
Mr.. Parker again asked:
Wasn't that medicine?"
why no laughingly responded the woman;
'.tEat was water, my dear
'WeII, If IL was. il was well sugared, t" returned
the man. Snnacking his lips
Mrs Cunningham informed Mr.. Burlington in
the dying mans hearing thar Parker's was sad
case Of ehills and that two Of her husbands went
OF in precisely the same way"
Testimony such 2S this was backed by that of
the undertaken, William lidentaden, of Fourth
and McSsauie streets Lidenfatien swOre that
blue mark were on Ihe tLrOsit after the BODY was
washed aTdthe beard shaved oil; and here sing
mlar point j. presented, one Ennias Craig is in
trOduced. He plays a holder part even than did
the unlucky Eekel, of
BURDELL-CUSNINGHAM NOrORIETY.
Craig, AT whose solicitation, coupled with that
Of the wife, Parker was induced TO insure his
everybody from the room but an old man named
Kelly, who was washing the body, carefully
powdered over the marks on the neck, and, in a
way known 10 himself alone, secured the burial
Of the corpse even without the customary Ger
tifcate. No plate was placed on the coffin;
attempt was made 10 mark the grave in Mount
Mora, ami pOer misguided Parker huddled
away, and the insurance policies were as quickly
presented to the several companies, Craig stil
Though ON this investigation Craig was not
summoned. neither was the doctor who pre-
scribed Tor Parker, which both 70 say the least,
gives color TO the impression in St Joseph that
the arrest OF indictment Of the widow was frus-
trated by fear OF the grand jurors themselves
coming under the lash OF the
wONAS WHO HOLDS THE LAW IN CHECK
in city like st. Joseph. In facs, If Mr.. Hill
yer's story can be believed, the foreman Of the
Jury. Jacob Headinger, never pressed fC an
Indictment after the testimony was all in.
Craig's Pertinaeity at this time was wonderful,
fbe Droceeds of the expected a 500 when IL
passed into the handsof the widow. But the de-
tectiyes OF the Company were on the track, and
they bothered Craig as much as the presence Of
the rightful Mrs. Parker did.
They gained interviews with the physicians
who attended the former husbands of the widow,
and they all held that death in each case was as
mysterious TO them as 20 the pOpulace-
The investigation finally ended, and the in
surance companies, satisfied OF foul play,
JEALOUsLY GUARDED THE GRAVE,
and one Of their Enen will keep lonely watch
over the dead until the body can DO ex-
vigil Is kept UP day and night, and tho residents
flock 10 Mount Mora 10 witness the sentry pacing
among the sePulchTes-
on the nth OF May last an effort was made by
the Coroner to get an order for post norton, but
the District Attorney hedged il with difficulties,
and 20 the matter dropped
At this Juneture Mrs. Parker returned to her
home in New York, accompanied by her attor-
ney, Mr.John q Jayne, Of Z Murray street. The
latter Is satisfied that some
DEvIIAsH SPIRIT II AT WORK
10 conceal the guilt Of this woman, who takes TO
her bosom four husbands ia the space OF ten
years and hsss already married NTH in the per-
son Of the Deputy City Cierk, Mr. Douglass
Mrs Douglas feels perfectly secure In her
position, and although baffied in her attempt TO
secure the coveted wealth from the companies,
seems little Disconnected, and among the many
driving along the streets OF St Joseph few assume
more careless air than the heroine OF 1--WE hus-
bands.
She Is described as fascinating, tall, regal, and
well formed, with dark eyes and hair. Her ac-
eomplishments are many, and her converse
HOnal powers unsurpassed
s%A customs ofacial In the vicinity OF Malone,
n. ", recently seized a horse and cart, finding
I'm the Latter, beneath q false bottom, between
three and four hundred yards OF satin The
proprietor OF the concern, IL 10 said, had been
successfully carrying on smuggling operations
FOR a space OF ten years By means OF this inge-
niOJss cOntriVance-
H~Haddam, Conn, has got her nOw-the old
LADY OF gt who walks ten miles a day and knit
.fockfn0s I'm Thirteen different languages, and