The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-03-24

voreed.
In reply to question as to whether Mrs.
Pennelf had consented to a divorce. she
said: Sometimes she did and sometimes
she did not Witness admitted that she
had never talked with Mrs. Pennell on
the subject Pennell had hired the detec-
tives who Swallowed Burdick- Her husband
sent her away in May, 1901, on account OF
Pennel
PROMISED TO BE TRUE.
Mr.. Coatsworth showed her letter writ
ten by her from Atlantic City. May 81.
1901, in which she begged to be taken back
promising never TO see Arthur" and that
she would be loving and true wife In
the letter she said she could not promise
that Pennell would leave town. but de-
clared he would do what she said. She adj
mitted writing the letter. and said that at
that time she had hired no detectives.
A second letter written by Mrs. Burdick
to her husband in the same year was read,
I'm which she spoke of having received Bur-
dicks letter and said that Penneli had not
promised to leave town IL Mr.. Burdick took
her back; that she and Pennell had realized
that they must give each other up, but
that Pennell declined to do anything that
would mean loss of his self-respect
Another letter written by Mrs. Burdick to
her husband referred to her being taken
back home. She promised never again to
voluntarily see or communicate with Ar
thur" She made plea on behalf of the
cnlldren- She promised to be good girl
to him. Mrs. Burdick admitted she wrote
the letter in good faith and that she did not
keep her promise. Another letter was read
in reply to one from Burdick in which he
had evidently declined to take her back.
June s was the date of another letter
written by Mrs. Burdick to her husband.
She wrote of having been advised of the
divorce suit brought against her. On one
occasion Burdick wrote to her that she
could not be trusted He said that if she
loved Pennell as she said she did he did
aNf f.r 1ar frr hat clan hot hn
loved woman as she did Pennell he would
do as she was doing. He declared that he
loved her honestly long after she had
ceased to love him, and that IL she tried she
might win back both his love and his re-
spect He referred to the fact that Mrs.
Burdick was wearing ring given her by
Pennell over her lawful wedding ring. Bur-
dick declared that he had no faith in PEN
nell's promises and that Mrs. Burdick
wished to be taken back only until Pennell
was freed from his wife.
In another letter Burdick wrote that he
forgaye his wife the wrong she had done
him. In another Burdick declared he had
determined to fight for the little honor she
had left him. and, after getting divorce,
TO fight for the children He would insist
on having the counter-suit by Mrs. Bur-
dick fought out in open court. Three weeks
after this letter Mrs. Burdick was taken
back by her husband.
After returning from Atlantic City and
after promising her husband to be good
wife she met Pennell. 1t was not her habit TO
begging her to see him, and she did meet
him In house on Seventh street She was
there one time when Burdick came, but he
did not her as she stepped out of the
window and went to church. She did not
hear that Burdick and his friends on that
occasion caught Pencil as he was Jump
ing out Of the window and that they took
him back to the room.
Mrs. Burdick admitted that she met PEN
nell In another house in Seventh street after
that incident. She at first denied meeting
Pennell elsewhere. but on Mr.. Coatsworth
telling her that Pennell had told him diff
ferently she admitted that she had met
Pennell at a house in Whitney place two
or three times.
LAWYER MILLER'S TESTIMONY.
George c. Miller. attorney for Edwin L.
Burdick In the divorce proceedings against
Mrs. Burdick. was the first witness Of the
day. He told in detail all the steps that
had been taken at the request of Mr.. Bur-
dick to secure divorce. He last saw Bur-
dick on the afternoon of the day he was
murdered. Burdick spent half an hour
with him discussing the divorce case He
did not say that he had appointment
with any one at his home that night. Bur
dick was ready at all times TO sacrifice his
said Mr.. Miller. He carried a revolver
but 1 never heard him say that he feared
harm from Pennell. At a conference held
at my office Pennel1 made one or two state
ments from which intimation of suicide
could be drawn. 1 never heard Pennell say
that unless the divorce action was with
drawn he would kill himself and Mrs. Bur-
dick"
The testimony given by Henry j. Orrett.
the furnace man at the Pennen house was
unimportant. He said he removed the
ashes from Pennell's furnace on the morn
ing after the murder. He found no but
tons. buckles or metallic substances in the
ashes. Pennel put on the coal and shook
down the furnace as had been his custom
Lizzie Romance, maid at the Pennell
house at the time of the murder, said that
Pennell was with his wife in their room
reading at 7:45 on the night of the murder
She saw them again at 10 o'clock when
she passed their door. She did not see
them again until the next morning. The
servant said she did not notice the suit
of clothes Pennell wore Thursday night
before the murder or the one he had on
on Friday morning. The girl admitted that
she usually pressed Pencils trousers, but
said she could not remember which pair
he wore on either occasion. She had not
noticed whether any of his trousers were
missing; whether Pennell went to the
furnace Friday morning or whether Mr..
and Mrs. Pennell left the house after 10
o'clock Thursday evening.
Miss Romance did not notice anything
Unusual in Pencils manner on the even
ing he and Mrs. Pennell started for the
automobile ride which ended in their
deaths.
1t was after the incidents related by
Mrs. Burdick to-day that Burdick sent
her away from him the second time Her
second exile from home began last Thanks
giving and lasted until after the murder
of her husband. Tomorrow Mrs. Burdick
probably will be called on to tell what she
De- r1~Il