Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-12
MRS. PENNELL is DEAD
Victim of Automobile Acct
dent at Buffalo.
FRIENDS AT BEDSIDE
CONDITION OF MACHINE DISSI-
PATEs SUICIDE THEORY.
Police Say Later Tragedy Will Not
Stop Investigation of Death
Of Burdick.
FRIENDS AT BEDSIDE

A dispatch from Buffalo. N. Y, last night
says: Mrs Arthur Pennell died at the Sis
tiers Of Charity Hospital tonight at 8
o. clock. Four hours today the surgeons
worked over the unconscious form Of the
injured woman. A faint twitchng Of the
eyelids or murmur Of pain was the only
sign Of returning consciousness percepti-
BILE during the twenty -four hours the in
jured woman was in the hospital ward.
Toward evening rising temperature and
quickening pulse warned the surgeons that
the end was near, and word was sent to her
brother who arrived from New York this
afternoon. About the time he arrived at
the hospital Mrs. Pencils pulse ceased to
beat. Except for few incoherent words
uttered when she was first taken to the
hospital. Mrs. Pencils lips did not move.
The body Of Mr.. Pencil was removed
from the morgue to an undertaking estab
was decided that the remains Of both Mr..
and Mrs. Pennel1 would be taken to Mr..
PennelfS former home in Brunswick. Me-,
for burial.
Her Brother at Bedside.
Mrs Abbey Y. Pennell, ]. Fred Pennsl,
mother and brother Of the dead man. and
Henry W. Lamb brother Of Mrs. Pen
nell. arrived in the city this afternoon from
New York. They were at once driven to
the Sisters Hospital. They were admitted
to the ward where Mrs. Pencil lay uncon-
scious, and stood beside her for fifteen min
utes. During that time the injured woman
did not move They then left the ward and
were taken to the Pennell home on Cleve-
land avenue. All callers at the Pennell
house this evening were denied admission.
At o'clock ]. Fred Pennell, Mr.. Lamb
nv-d} otrfr off
and former partner of Mr.. Pencil, went
to the Austin building and searched the
desk Of the dead man. A policeman who
has been on guard ever since the fatal acci-
dent occurred stood by while the search
was being made. A number Of important
documents were found, including will of
recent date. It is not known when the will
was drawn up, but 1t Is said to have been
within the last year. What the provisions
OF the will were was not known, as none Of
the three men who saw it would discuss the
matter.
Evidence Furnished by Automobile.
The automobile which carried Mr.. Pen
nell and his wife in the plunge to the bot
tom OF the stone quarry on Kensington
avenue last night was carefully examined
today. The brakes and levers were given
particularly close attention. Experts in
the construction and manufactu of auto
mobiles were called in. The result Of the
examination left no doubt in the minds of
any OF the men present that Mr.. Pennell
did everything in his power to regain con-
troll of the vehicle when it careened The
brakes were tightly set the power indi-
Gator pointed to reverse" and the track of
the wheels In the soft earth on the ridge
between the street pavement and the quarry
showed that the wheels were turning back
ward when the machine sped forward to
destruction. -,
Ever since the Burdick affair Pennell has
inpa Of II
named as correspondent in the divorce suit
that had been instituted by Burdick, and
the fact preyed upon his mind. He was
cast down by its revelation after the trag-
edy, and the consequent references to him
self In connection with the crime caused
him great anxiety and subjected him to a
continuous nervous strain. He spent every
moment OF his time that he could in the
company of Mrs. Pennell since the murder
II was his custom to take a ride with Mrs
Pennell in his automobile every morning
and afternoon. Nearly every evening also
he and Mrs. Pencil took long walks.
Superintendent of Police Bull, when asked
| If the death Of Pennell would affect the in
vestigation Of the police in the Burdick
| case, replied: II think not"
| Assistant Chief Cusack said. "T have in
| vestigated the death of Pennell, and 1t is
my belief that it was purely accidental"
Speculation Regarding Tragedy.
| Did Arthur r. Pencil carry the key to
| the Burdick murder mystery with him to
| the grave? Is the question that all Buffalo
| is asking.
| Buffalo stands aghast at her two tragedies
within such a short space Of time which
seem to be linked together-the last the
| sequel to the first. On the night of Febru-
| his home 101 Ashland avenue. One of the
! first steps In the police Investigation dis
closed the fact that Burdick and his wife
were estranged. It was then discovered
hot d., l-1r l,I
vorce. naming Arthur r. Pennell as core
| spondent. Pennell was examined and re-
examined by the police. His house was
| searched and he was kept under constant
| surveillance
The police next learned that on the after
noon before the murder Burdick had con-
versation with Mrs Seth T. Paine over the
| telephone in regard to Pennell. Burdick re-
ferred to the Pencils as his dear friends, -
and this and other incidents indicated the
strained relations between the two.
Pennell showed that he was greatly an
noyed by this turn of affairs. To his friends
| he presented the appearance Of a man la
boring under a severe mental strain. He
wrote letters to friends betraying his agi-
preserve his composure. 1t is said by those
who saw him during the past few days that
| he was almost on the verge Of collapse.
Story Of Woman Servant.
Elizabeth Romance, the servant employed
| by the Pencils. has made statement re-
garding Pennelrs movements on the night
| Of the Burdick murder. She said:
II can swear Mr.. Pennell was home that
night at 10 o'clock. He had his dinner as
usual, and then went to the automobile sta
| ton. went out myself that evening, but
came In about 10 o'clock. A little after 10
o'clock passed his door on my way to bed.
and happened to look in. The door was
open. 1 saw Mr. Pennell with his back
| toward the door, sitting in q chair, reading
a newspaper.
II heard no noise In the house that night,
and think surely would have heard IL he
| had gone out or If the door had opened or
| shut in the night. He was up as usual the
next morning. and went downtown about 10
| o'clock. He usually went downtown about
| II o'clock in the morning, although often he
went at 10 o'clock or IL o'clock. OF course,
I cannot say positively that he did not go
out after 10 o'clock that night. but II he
had gone out through the night think I
would have heard him.
HE came home from New York on Wed
nesday. the day before the Thursday on
| which Mr. Burdick was killed. He went to
New York either the Sunday or Friday be-