The evening times., 1897-05-24

! of Tenerlffe t VIC hours ahead OF the levitt
| On her arrival Baker was arrested ant
| brought back to New York, where he ami
! his friends were placed in the ToInbs and
Indicted for the murder of Poole. Baker
alone WAS placed on trial, but after pIo-
ceedings LASTING for fifteen days the jury
| were unable to agree,
One o. the most fame1s prisoners of the
| Tombs was Mrs. Emma Augusta Cunning
| ham. who was tried for the murder of Dr.
! Burdell and acquitted, after a most sensa-
| tonal trial. TIE mystery OF how tie doc
tor came by his death has never been
solved.
The doctor was a weil-to-do dentist. and
owned the house at No 81 Bond street, in
| which his body, pierced with no less than
| fifteen stab wounds. was found on the
morning OF the last day in January. 1857.
| Buried was an eccentric man, intensely
| ayasiCious and 10y no nenas OF irleproach-
! able morals He only occupied a small por-
| ticn OF THE house in which he lived and con-
| Quoted his practice and ren ted the reminder
| to Mis Cunningham, a mitldle-aged widow,
who kept boaIders. Among these was John
| j EckelS, who seems to have been q lival OF
the dentist in The affections of tie widow
Cunningham 5 two daughters, Il ellen and Au
Eusta, a youth named SnodGrass, n Mr..
Daniel UlinaR, ,andthecOok. Hannah Conlan.
BurieH was Last seen alive at 8 O'Clock
on the afternoon OF January 80, when he left
his house and started in the direction of the
Metropolitan Hotel 10 get his dinner At
half past o O'Clock that night neighbor
was reused 10y a shrek OF ''Munter." and
repeated, he went back to bed On the fol-
lowing morning a Toy who had charge of
the dentists rooms opened the deer of his
sleeping apartment, as he was accustomed
TO do, for the purpose Of maSinga fine On
entering he STUN bled over the head OF u nan
who lay youtstretched on the IlocTin a FCol OF
blood
A glance showed him that the body was
that of Ids employer, a nd he rushed scream
lag down stains to alarm tie family. lie
found Mrs Cunningham at breakflst. On
learning OF the murder she gave way TO
parOxyIns OF grief and refused to he cohi-
forted- Eckels who was with her, took the
news coolly ca ough.
An eSaiidn alton of the body the dentist
showed no noicssthanfiftcens tab wounds wi
IDENTIFY infHcted with dagger, any one of
which would have been sufficient TO pro
duCe death Around his neck was the
mark of a cord, as il he had been choked
into silence before the fatal wounds were
inflicted The disordcreG condition OF the
rooIn, the furniture OF which was thrown
about in every direction, made i t evident
that the victim had only sucCumbed after
a terrible struggle
At first no suspicion attached 10 Mrs
Cunningham, but al the inquest IL was de-
velopcd that oa the eveaing before the
murder she had told the cook, Hannah
Conlan, that She had heard thai Dr. Burlel
was about to rent the hoase to some other
woman. and added in rag that he had
better be careful, as he mi ght never live to
sign tire lease. Medical experts gave it
as their opinion that the stab wounds
were inflicted by left-handed person,
aud it was known that Mrs. Cuunn Eham
possessed this peculiarly. At the Close
CT the inquest suspicion pointed so strongly
10 Mrs. Cunning CHAM and Eckels THAT they
were both arrested and consi gned to the
Tombs.
Mrs. Cunningham was placed on trial on
May 6, S57, and was defended by Henry
l. Clinton. the prosecution being Conducted
St ~ OdhtN Ildtl ile SAlSlttlt-t 81 Il lIs4-
tive for the crime was clearly esta Bills ned,
but that was all, and at the close OF the
trial. which lasted three days. the Jury
returned a verdict of not guilty Eckefs
was never brought to trial. and all 'Grthcr
attempts to solve the Burden mystery were
abandoned
Intense additional in tereSt was given to
the tria Mrs. CUnniu CHAM by her at
tempt to prove that she was not only the
wife Of the murdered man, but the mother
of his child, born during the period OF her
imprisonment in the TombS This was
done for the purpose OF gaining possession
OF the dead rnau's property. AS his wife
she wonld have been entitled to a third,
but as the mother OF the child she could
have claimed the whole estate.
1t was shown on the trial that Mrs. Cum
DinEhaIn was married to some one in the
BUrtleu house about two months before the
tragedy According to the certificate that
person was DR. Burtlell, but his Identified
tion was never fully established, and the
presumption of the prosecution was that
the dentist was personated on the occa-
sion OF the ceremony, possibly by Eckels.
The idea Of posing as the mother of child
born in the prison was conceived by Airs.
Cunningham, and in order to carry out the
plot she was obliged to confile in the
prison physician, DIR. Uhl, after she had
completely hood winked the matran, MIS-
Foster, regarding her condition. Unfor-
tu1ately for the success of her scheme, d
UM unfolded the plot to District Attorney
Hall, who scented a splendid opportunity
for "a Etupendous joke, and eagerly went
into the game.
1t was arranged that Dr. Uhl was 10
pretend to assist the woman, for which she
promised to pay him 81 600. and that at
the proper time Mr.. Hall should take action.
1t was first necessary to provide baby,
and this Mr.. Hall undertook to do. The |
baby was expected to arrive on June IS,
but in the meantime the trial had tax N |
place and Mrs. Cunningham had been re- !
leased ana had returned to the house in 4
Bond street On the morning of the event 1
full day Mrs Cunningham, Disguised as |
a sister Of charity, went to a house in Elm \
street. where it had been arranged by Mr.. |
iIailthat baby, borrowed for the purpose /
from Bellevue Hospital, should he delivered |
to her, and carried 1t hack to Bond street 4
in market basket. That afternoon Dr. |
Uhl was sent for, and in due time Mrs Cum
was ready to receive the con-
gratulations of her friends on the birth Of |
an heir to the Burdell estate Then Mr.. /
policeman appeared onthe scene,
and Mrs. Cunningham found herself that 1
night a gain an inmate of her old quartersin in !
the ToInhS, but was shortly aftTward re-
leased.
The only persons who benefited by the
transaction were the haby, which was used /