Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1896-06-05
A NEW YORK TRAGEDY.
Mary Cunningham, n Niece OF Rev.
Father Cunningham of BrRttiebOro,
the Victim.

the Victim.
Mary Cunningham, beautiful girl of
II, was stranged to death in the home of
her mother, 315 East 37th street, New
York city, between IL A. NJ, and 2 p. NJ,
last Saturday. The mother, Annie Gun
bingham, found the body of her child on
the floor of her bedroom with her head
resting against little white shrine, before
which it had been their custom to pray
night and morning.
The tenement house I'm which the muir
der was committed was occupied by ten
families, and Mrs Cunningham was iani-
tor. Her husband, who died two years
ago, was an invalid for some time. He
left some property from which she has
since derived small income. Mrs. Gun
ningham has also received considerable as
sistance from her husbands brother, Rev.
Father Cunningham of Brattleboro. Mrs.
Cunningham was left with two children,
the daughter, and son, John, IA, who is
in the Catholic college at Montreal study
ing for the priesthood. Mrs. Cunningham
| left her home about $3.50 to do some sew
ing. She had arranged for an outing with
her daughter at the park on her return.
While she was away the young girl cleaned
the hallway, so that her mother would be
pleasantly surprised to find one of her
duties done when she returned. The
child was last seen alive by Mrs. Lafferty, one
of the occupants of the building, about II
o'clock. The girl was then scrubbing the
floor Of the hallway. Mrs. Cunningham re-
turned about , o'clock. She first noticed
that the rooms were in great disorder. A
window leading to the basement from the
kitchen to the small backyard was broken,
the bed in the mothers room was disturbed
and a broken pitcher was on the floor.
Passing from her own dark bed room into
that of her daughter, Mrs. Cunningham
noticed what she supposed to be big bun
| die at the foot of the bed. She lighted
the gas and saw that what she had taken
TO be bundle was the body of her child.
The little girl lay with her feet under the
bed and her head and shoulders resting
against a small washstand that had been
converted into an altar by Mrs. Cunning
ham and her child. On the shrine, which
was covered with white chintz, was a mir
ror, two candles,a crucifix, and an image of
the Virgin Mary.
The little ones face had been terribly
beaten. The eyes and forehead were dis
colored, and the nose was smashed and
bleeding. There was towel tied tightly
around the child's throat The brown
wrapper which she wore was thrown part
ly up over her body. The Undertaking
was torn to shreds. A towel was tied
around the girls legs just below the knees.
The mother tore away the towels that
bound the body. Her cries as she appealed
to her little one to speak to her were
heard by the neghbors, but before any of
them answered Mrs Cunningham ran out
into the hall, shIieking at the top of her
| voice.
In moment half-dozen of the men
and women in the house had crowded into
the bedroom. They picked the body from
the floor and placed it on the bed. As they
did so they noticed that the towel which
had been bound around the throat was
saturated with blood. Around the throat
was a well-defined mark, showing how
tightly the towel which had strangled the
child had been drawn. Above this mark
there were dark bruises, and the skin was
broken as though by the grip of a power
full hand.
just where the girls body had rested,
between the foot of the bed and the little
altar, there was a pillow on which there
were blood stains Beside it was a carV-
ing knife, the one used by the Cunning
hams for several years. There were no
blood stains upon it., but its blade had
been bent over about two inches, as though
some one had struck hard blow with it
against something which it could not pen
citrate, or had fallen heavily upon it.
The physician who examined the body
declared that the child had been dead for
an hour or more. That death had been
due to strangulation, he said, there was no
doubt. The fearful bruises about the eyes
and nose he thought had been caused by
the blows of fist. He said the child had
not been violated, but he was certain that
the man who attacked her had attempted
an outrage. He found bruises such as
might be made by the strong hand of a
man. on the girls back The girl undoubt-
eddy seized the knife with the intention OF
defending herself. Edward Mccormack,
forlorn, trampish looking fellow, is under
arrest on suspicion of being connected with
the girls death. He was seen running
from the house shortly after the body was
discovered. He has a slight wound on his
forehead for which he does not account.
He says he was visiting his aunt in the
house when the child's body was discovered
and his aunt corroborates this story.
Peter Farrell, %, printer, has also
been arrested, charged with the murder
He was the man who first notified the po-
lice of the crime. Keys found on his per.
son unlocked the doors of the Cunning.
ham tenement. Farrell says the keys were
given him by Mrs. Cunningham, but she
denies this.
The murdered girl was a great favorite
with all the people in the building where
she lived. Although less than Is years
old she appeared to be 10. She had an
oval face, the special charm of which was
her laughing brown eyes and even white
teeth, which were noticeable because she
was always smiling. Her hair was brown
and curly, and she wore 1t loose, so that il
fell over her shoulders and far down heI
back. The child was known throughout
the neighborhood because of her sunny
disposition and her invariable good de-
pertinent. In the st. Gabriel school she
was known as one of the brightest students
The girl was well known in Brattleboro,
having spent part of two recent summers
here with her uncle, Rev. Patrick Gun
bingham. The girl was beloved by all
who made her acquaintance here and the
story of her awful death made deep i'm
preston in the community. Father Cum
bingham received a telegram Saturday
night announcing the sad news, and he
left for New York early Monday morning.
One of the developments of the week
has been the testimony of an Italian lad
who says that he was delivering ice Satur-
day and on looking into the Cunningham
home saw man standing over the body of
the girl. The boy says he was frightened
and ran away. On being taken to the
prison he identified Mccormack as the
man 10 had saan