Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-05-01
MURDER MYSTERIES.
Some Famous Crimes Recall.
ed by the Preller-MaxWeH
Affair.
The Tragic End Of DR.. Burdell-The
Nathan Case.
An Old Pr0Yerb Proved False.
DIR RuRDELL

pICflOGS ~ LILO w al " l1LSLA AohAS
among the causes celebre of the coun-
try. The mystery that shrouded the
case from the outset has never been
dispsiled. Saturday, July 81, 1857,
an Office boy in a lodging house, No.
81 Bond s.raet, went as usual to the
sitting room of DIR. Harvey Burdell,
surgeon dentist, to light tie fire.
Receiving no response to his knocks,
he entered the room and found the
dcctsr lying on the floor near the
table in a pool of blood. He at once
gave the alarm, and several of the in
mates fastened to the spot. The body
was cold, showing he had been dead
some hours, and physicians exam
ination disclosed the fact that he had
been murdered, there being no less
than fifteen stabs in his neck and
breast, Inflicted with some narrow
bladed. sharp instrument. Que of the
cuts severed the jugular vein, and two
entered the heart One of the SER
wants Informed Mrs. Cunningham,
the landlady of the house, a widow
with five children, two girls and three
boys. She was about 40, her eldest
daughter IS, the other 16, the sons
several years younger. Mrs. Cum
ningham at once proceeded to go into
hysteria, but sool recovered sufficient
~ to rush into the room, and throwing
herself on the body OF the deceased,
cried out: Dear, dear husbandi'
Some of the bystanders asked her
eldest daughter what this meant, and
she replied that she was witness to
| tho ~, q rri a oa which hoJ baa,, cola,,op
lied by Rev. Uriah Marvin, of the
Dutch Reformed church on Blocker
street. She understood that the mars
riage was to be kept secret for Gers
tain period of time, at the request of
DR.. Burdell, but for what reason she
pretended not to know. Tho coroner
held an inquest, which lasted fourteen
days, and a vast amount of relevant
and irrelevant testimony was admits
ted, This much was proved: DR..
Harvey Blrdell was rGputed bach
elor, and had accumulated about $50,
600 in the practice of his profession.
He owned the house he lived in, rent
ing the upper portion to Mrs. Gun
ninsham, who having been left in
straitened CT cdmstances by the death
OF hor husband. added to her income
by taking dodgers.
On the night of the murder there
were twelve inmates in tie house
DR.. Burdell, occupyinglthe first floor,
which consisted of three rooms on the
second, Mrs. Cunningham had the
front room; Mr.. Eckel. a lodger, a
hide and tallow merchant, a small
chamber adjoining; Mr.. Ullman, an
other gentleman, the rear apartment.
Or the third floor were four rooms.
One was occupied by Mr.. Snodgrass,
a distant relative of the widow, and
the little boys, the second by the two
young ladies, the third by the two
housemaids, the fourth being vacant.
By IL: is all had retired to their rooms
except DR.. Burdell and Mr.. Ullman
The latter gentleman prominent
lawyer and candidate of the native
American party for governor of the
state, stated that he came in at - 80
o'clock, found the hall lamp out, and
went to his room, in tbs dark.
He heard no unusual sound, though
he slept over the doctors bedroom
Evidently the deed must have been
committed before Ullman reached
home or considerable period after.
The doctor supped at the Lafrage
hotel, but it was impossible to find
out where he spent the evening,
though it was surmised with a mar
ried woman with whom he was known
to be carrying on an intrigue. DR..
Burdells apartments consisted of two
large rooms, front and rear, and a
bathroom. The rear apartment was
fitted up as an operating room, and
communicated through a corridor
with the front chamber, which was
occupied by the dentist as bedroom.
The body was discovered in the sur
gerry, where undoubtedly the crime
was committed; for, although the
doors of communication Between the
two rooms were open, no blood was
found in the bed-chambyr, and it did
notappear that the doctor hao entered
there after returning home. The
furniture of the operating room con-
sisted of a sofa, operating chair, book
case, safe, and comfortable. The
stable stood between the windows,
and over it a large mirror, with gas
burners on each side, SO that no per-
son could enter the room without
being instantly perceived. It was
| also impossible for any persons to
| hide themselves in the room, SO close
was the furniture packed to tie walls.
| The gas, which was still burning
when the offce-b boy entered the room,
had been lighted some few minutes
before the attack on the doctor, for he
| Inl rnr,4-al hIe hot a,,I olN l. ~
lad them OH the sofa, had opened the
safe and sat wiring at the desk. II
was thought from marks on the throat
of the deceased that an attempt had
been made to strangle him, as he was
of apoplectic build. Being powerful
man, he had struggled desperately,
for there was blood marks ON the
furniture and downstairs to the street
door, so that the party must have
been literally covered with blood.
The theory adopted was that there
being no place for concealment in the
room, and the mirror rejecting every
person who should enter the room,
the crime was committed by some
person who was known to the doctor,
| had accompanied him home, or by
an inmate of the house. In either
case it was person whose presence
caused the doctor no uneasiness.
That he would bring anyone home
with him at that late hour was con-
sidered as improbable. Suspicion point
ed to the inmates, and Mrs. Cunning
ham ana Mr.. John Eckel were arrested
| There were two reasons for this, The
cook and the housemaid sent com,
munication to the coroner that Eckel
and Mrs. Cunningham were Grimm
ally intimate; and second. by the
death of the doctor she, as his widow
would receive one-third of his estate,
despite any will to the contrary. A
man by the name of Connery was
coroner at the time. He had been q
foreman in The Nelc York Herald
office, and adopted the theory that
no marriage had taken place between
the doctor and Mrs. Cunningham, but
that she had been married at the time
specified to a person personatlng DR..
Burdell, and that person was Eckel.
He handeled Mrs. Cunninghtm with
out gloves. and when she declined to
be examined as witness until she
had seen counsel he said: Officers,
go you ard take her by the collar,
and bring her down. I'll have no