Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1879-01-03

mo.
BEEN
had o
8rOsse
other
was hat
there We
of one o.
washed Oh. IL
tised for rent bu. I'll,
were few. They were
gers who broke off thei
soon as they learned the
house. Even the adjoina..
we're not regarded as very ,..sn
| residences. Still the house was a We
substantial and cOmmodious one an
| cost, when New York property was COM
paratively cheap, $4,000. 1t was the
! house in which DR.. Harvey Burdell was
murdered on the night of the Both of
| January, 1857.
Tke sale of the house serves to rec.
| that tragic event and the notable t
which followed it. The house beIon
/ to DR.. Burdell, who occupied the rot
on the parlor floor as offices and liv
rooms. The remainder of the buiI
was leased to Mrs. Ellen Augusta
ningham, who used it for a boa
! house for gentlemen. The woman
two pretty daughters, both unmarI.
Among her boarders were John ]. Eck
and George " Snodgrass, the former a
favorIte of hers, and the latter a friend
Of the daughters. The murder took
place in DR.. Burdell's private apart
ment and was committed by means of a
stillettO The discovery was made the
next morning by the office boy. Upon
the body there were about twenty
wounds; there were evidences Of
long and fierce struggle. The furniture
in the room was out of place, and some
pieces broken. The carpet and walls
were stained with blood. There was
also the mark of bloody hand on the
wall. The room Immediately above that
in which the murder was committed
were occupied by the family of Mrs.
Cunningham, but they professed to have
heard no outcry or other noise.
The murder created great excitement,
not only in New York, but throughout
the country. a coroner's jury found a
verdict against Mrs Cunningham and
Eckel as principals and the daughters
as accessories, while nearly all the in
comDIicity. The trial which followed
was long and searching. Almost for the
first time in this country scientific tes-
timony was taken. The blood in the
room was examined with a microscope
by Prof Doremus, and compared with |
that taken from the body of the muir |
dered man. His eyes were removed |
for the purpose of discovering traces of |
the form of the murderer on the retina.
The evidence, though strong, was only |
circumstantial. 1t was shown that an |
unlawful intimacy had existed between |
the landlord and tenant, and that they |
had repeatedly quarreled. Public in |
terest in the trial was greatly increased |
by two acts of the latter. She endeav-
ored to prove that she had been married |
to DR.. Burdell. She also professed TO |
have given birth to child of which the /
murdered man was the father. As wife |
she claimed dover in the estate, while /
the child, "by its next friend" claimed |
to be heir to the property. Much SYM
pathy was excited by the appearance of
the child.
The criminal trial ended in the ac-
quittal of the parties indicted. Mrs.
was less fortunate in the /
probate court. Her marriage certificate |
showed that she was united to DR.. Bur-
dell, but the minister who issued it did /
not recognize him as the contracting /
party. The child was shown to be a
bogus one obtained from work-house, /
10 which it was afterwards sent. Though }
The indicted parties escaped with their 4
lives, they lost their reputation. Mrs. +
and her daughters went to I
California, and lived in the mining
regions there for some years. Eckel was
of forgery and sent to the
Denitentiary, where he died. Twelve /
years after the murder man named
John Jefferds confessed TO the killing of
DR.. Burdell. He had killed his step |
ather, Mr., Walton, a distiller, and
Mr.. Matthews, who sought to arrest him.
jeferds made his escape, but was ar
rested at the end Of two years. The
detective who was working up the case
formed an intimacy with him, got him
drunk, and procured his confession of
.he murder of Walton, Matthews, and !
Burdell He stated that he killed the |
after at the instigation of Mrs. Cunning
nam, VINO was intimate with his step /
mother. and for whom he had a passion.
leferds was sent to Jail to await execu- :
ion for the murder Of Matthews, and :
v lille there became engaged in quar-
rel with fellow-prisoner, and was killed.
Many credited this story Of the murder
Of DR.. Burdell, while others place no !
confidence in it. It is not likely that B :
me mystery connected with the murder
TiH ever be entirely cleared up. The {
ldage, murder viii out" has come I
lown through centuries, but every year 1
is falsity is shown. Generally somf ;
me is found to confess every murder. ;
9ut lf1ople now place very little conf
ienre III confessions. Several persons {
nave confessed that they killzd Mr.. ]
Nathan, the rich New York lew. A I
;hrewd detective Gao ext comics. =
non much easier than ear up I
he mystery surrounts iurder
IS those of Burdell &c =. :