The Saint Paul globe., 1903-03-19
THREATENED TO
KILL BURDICK
Letter in Which Pennell
Hinted of Murder Is
Found.

BUFFALO, N. z, March 1S.-Police
Justice Murphy announced today that,
owing to the illness of District Attt,r-
hey Coatsworth, the inquest into the
murder OF Edwin L. Burdick would not
De resumed until Monday afternoon.
Mr. Coatsworth has a severe cold which
prevents him from speaking above a
whisper. 1t is expected that the in
quest will be concluded Monday unless
some new evidence of Importance de-
veiops this week. Mrs. Burdick, Bur-
dicks furnace man and the man who
tended the furnace for the Sennells.
probably will be called Monday
1t is stated on good authority that
the district attorney viii also place in
evidence letter alleged TO have been
written to Mrs. Burdick by Arthur r.
Penneu some months ago. The letter
was found in the Burdick home when
the search of the house was made by
the police. In the letter the following
occurs: Il feel that l must kill Ed
Burdick"
Mr. Pennell left will in which Mrs.
PenneH is named as sole executrix in
the event of her surviving. Three al
ternates are named to act should Mrs.
Pennell die first. In view of the fact
that Mrs. Penneu died so soon after
her husband was killed, it was sug-
gested that the executors named in
the will be allowed TO act. The matter
has not been definitely settled and an
administrator for the estate may be
appointed by the court.
When Mrs. Burdick comes to the
stand Monday she probably will be
called upon to identify the letter men
toned above. She knew both the dead
men. Burdick and PenneH, probably
better than any one person in the
world, and her testimony promises to
be the most important and interestin
or the entire proceedings.
Pennell stated frankly to the author
tiles that the relations between him
self and Bur dick were strained very
strained" In fact, after the murder
or Burdick, Pennell spoke 10 others
than the authorities of the hostility
between him and Burdick On the day
he was first arranging to give out a
statement for publication he spoke OF
what he intended to say
1t deals with Burdick," said Pen
nell. referring to this part of the pro-
posed statement. Some say that IL
comes with i'll grace from me to abuse
dead man, but Burdick was no saint
and when the time comes that I must
make statement in the newspapers
IN defense Of myself intend to let pco-
pie know just the kind of man he was
and then perhaps some of them will
turn little of their time to him that
they are now devoting to prying into
my affairs. I did not like him and he
did not like me, and we both knew it.
and have told the police frankly that
we We're not on good terms. His death
coming at this time was one of the
worst things that could have happened
to me-"
Notwithstanding all the talk about
Pennell. however, the authorities do
not consent calmly to dump the Bur-
dick tragedy onto a dead man. There
are points to be considered before any
such branding of dead man becomes
a f1nality or even is accepted as being
partial solution of the mystery.
One of the criminal authorities Is
quoted as saying:
There are several reasons TO believe
three things: First, that the murder
was committed by more than one per
SON., second, that at least one OF the
persons implicated was entirely famil-
lar with the interior of the Burdick
home, and what perhaps is most i'm
portant Of all is, third, that the mur-
der or murderers had no fear of in
terruption while at their work or i'm
nediately afterWard.
''On the first point 1 do not care to
say much.
"As to the second, may point to the
fact that after the work was done the
murderer washed his or her hands and
therefore, must have known where the
wash basin was to be found. That he
CT she washed his or her hands is sure:
for, although there was blood on the
inside knob of the den door, there was
no blood on the knob of the outer door
to the house, which had been purpose
ly left open for the purpose of creating
the impression that burglars had en-
tered the house. Familiarity with the
house is also shown by the fact that
the lunch was not brought to the der
by Burdtck, but by some other person
The analysis Of the contents OF
Burdtck's stomach shows that he had
not tasted of a particle of the crack
els, cheese and tarts found on the ta-
BILE in the den. Deliberation and free
dom from fear and apprehension is
shown by the fact that the murderer
took time to do many things which q
person in fear Of discovery would moi
nave DONE"
A rumor was current tonight that
Mrs. Maria Hull. mother-in-law of the
late Edwin L. Burdick, had been seri-
ously injured or was i'll. All requests
at the Burdick residence for informa-
ton were met by a refusal to discuss
the subject. A young man, who said
his name was Allen, and that he was
friend Of the family, acted as spokes-
man. He said:
L refuse to confirm or deny the story
that Mrs. Hull was injured or that-she
is in other than her usual health, ex-
cept to say that she is weakening un-
der the terrible nervous strain to which
she has been subjected and has moi
been herself since the trying expert
ence on the witness stand"