The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-04-05
MRS. CUNNINGHAM'S LIFE.
Hor Account OF IL After the Burdell Murdc
..-A Vigorous Denial Of Guilt as to ths
TRAGEDY. 49,. -... -

in New York many years sgo. A re
porter visited Mrs. Williams Qate Mrs
o. and talked with her. She said
Never have I been let alone since thu
murder Of DR.. .Burdell, and not me
alone, but. my poor children have beer
dragged before the public and slandered
Look at this paragraph !: "Her sor
supports himself and sister through
working on ranch near Loreto, In which
villaSe the latter dwel1s with her child,
although unmarried, a haggard woman
Of thirty-hve, from whose face all trace
of her former beauty has flown" .r
This is hard to bear. NY. daughter,
who lives with her brother at She ranch,
has noehild, and never had any, and
this is the first time that she has ever
been brought before the public for any
other ofense than being the daughter
Of Mrs. Cunningham. She is in delicate
health, and has been for years, but it is
not true that she is - "haggard woman" "
from whose face all trace Of her former
beauty has fed. -,
After my trial for tho murder Of Dr..
Burdell, I came to California in the Same
ship with the Rev. T. Starr King, and
landed IN San Francisco in 1850, with
two sons and two daughters, leaving one
daughter in New York. I met Hyde in
San Francisco. At or I married Hyde !
purchased Q half Interest in the copper
mine at Loreto with my own money,
and afterward secured the whole. Short
ly after marrying Hyde Iwent to Lore
to with my family and remained there
until July, 1858, when I returned to San
Francisco, leaving my family on the
ranch. !. Here I remained until 1857,
when I sued for a; divorce. Hyde re-
turned to San Francisco and lived with
me until I got the divorce. No Med:
can guperintendent ever had charge oi
tie copper mine, nor did I ever a." bolt
with Mexican " or any other superin:
tendent.: I never sold my mine for an
"immense sum-" or for any sum, but
own it still. It. is not true that / had
no son at the time of the Bnrdel TRACE,
dy. 7 had then two sons and three
daughters. Nor is it true thatmy daugh-
ter Augusta is living in jersey City, the
wife of q dentist. ,.....,. ',.i... 81.
Reporter What is the name Of your
ranch, MADAME g.. 49,. - bgi -.
Mrs. Williams-It is the Sauce ranch,
and islocated about midway between the
towns of Loreto and Comondu in Lower
California. It consists Of 40,320 acres,
and upon it are two valuable copper
mines, the Giantess and the Sauce. I
believe these mines to be worth from
81, ,OO0, 900 to 80, 600, 600, and do not in
tend to sacrifice them, but will keep
them for the use OF my surviving chill
dren, the whole Of hose lives have been
clouded and darkened by that horrible
New York tragedy. Ihave at last, thank
God, q good, kind, disinterested hus-
band in MIR. Williams. No one. can
charge him with marrying me for my
wealth, for before we were united he
persuaded me- to make over to my chill
dren all my property: 49, -. :. :,
Reporter-Mr. Williams is yourfourth
husband2
Mrs, Williams-Yes; that is, I have
been married four times, though in
reality I have had but two husbands
worthy OF the name-Mr. Cunningham
and Mr.. Williams. Ihave told you what
Hyde was: and as for. Dr. Burdeh-but
I would rather not speak about him. It
was nv marriage with him d. that
has blasted my life and made the name
of Mrs. Cunningham familiar. to the
world. Now, for twenty years, every
little while, paragraphs concerning the
! Burden murder, my name always men
toned in connection with 1T, go the
rounds of the press, and one would sup
pose from the tone Of them that the
world believed me guilty Of his assas
sination, Notwithstanding the verdict OF
acouittal by the jury. Oh, it is hard to
bear, and I wonder that I have not been
crushed. As it is, I. am nervous and
weak, as you see by the way I cry, but l
have an abiding faith that my life Will
be spared until the whole truth Of that
dreadful murder comes to Light.
r. Reporter-I should be glad to have
your theory Of the tragedy, If you have
one. 49,. .f.: ,L-.r-..I -. ~,
F Mrs.. Wlliams-I, can scarcely say that
I,haye theory, though !. have always
had some suspicious and knew some
facts which, If they had been acted upon
at the time, might have led to the dis
ceyery of the murder. But the au-
thorities had made up their minds that
he had fallen by my hand, and treated
with scorn what had to say. Indeed,
they paid, no attention whatever to my
utterances, but from the day that Cor,
oner Connery took charge OF the house
and kept me and my family prisoners in
room, they regarded me as the muir
deress, and only sought to provoke ef-
pressions from me that could be twisted
and distorted into evidences OF some
guilty knowledge on my part. ~"