The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-03-11
ARTHUR PENNELL. KILLED IN AN
AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT.

Following twelve days after the MUIR
der Of Burdicl1 the death of Pennell,
who has been mentioned in the case.
has given rise to all manner OF sur
misses today.
Investigations BY the police have
brought little that is new to them 10
light. The Pencils left home shortly be-
fore : o'clock. It was raining but the
coup1e did net seem to mind this and
went out the Kensingt0n road. Tho
plunge OF the automobile was seen by
two young men. who say they saw Pen
nelfs hat fly off. Then the machins
swerved and a short time later Penneif
was picked up with his skull crushed.
He was dead; his wife was lying near
unconscious. FenneH made arrange
ments to meet a friend at his home at
s O'Clock last evening and ordered din
ner for z O'Clock A cigar man frOns
whom Penneu purchased a cigar just
prior to his death says Pennell did not
appear in any way excited.
With these facts in hand and nc
statement from Mrs. Pennel the ODin-
ion is that the tragedy was an accidenS
pure and simple and the early stories os
suicide are given little credence this
morning.
A policeman stood guard at Pencils
office in the Austin building early ans
/ 1t Is believed that the attorneys are now
making a search of the papers and be-
4 lOnging5 OF the unfortunate victim. lF
was also stated that a search is beins
made of she residence Of the Pencils al
20S Cleveland avenue. 1t is known thar
! detectives have been at the house since
last night.
At 1 o'clock this afternoon it was stated
by the surgeons at the Sisters hospital
that Mrs Pennell's temperature ana
pulse are rising rapidly. There is No
( hope cf her recovery.
STORY OF THE TRAGEDY.
t Buffalo. March 11.-Arthur PenneT.
one of the chief figures in the invesfi-
cation of the Burdick murder was
killed yesterday afternoon while riding
in his electric automobile with Mrs
PennelL They were on Kensington
near Fillmore avenue, skimming along
the edge of the Gehes stone quarry 4
huge rock ribbed hole in the ground
Mr. Pennells hat blew off. The auto
mobile swerved, and in some manner
1t leaped over the curb into the abyss
below. PenneH was killed instantly
his head being crushed TO an unrecog-
nizable mass Mrs. Pencil was in
iured so severely that the surgeons at
the Sisters hospital to which she was
taken, say her chances Of recovery are
very slight.
Mrs. PenneI, when found. was un-
able to speak. She was only seni-con-
scious when taken to the hospital and
could speak no coherent words.
Mr.. PennelI left his office in the Aus
tin building at 4:05 O'Clock. He went
to his home at EOS Cleveland avenue
A friend who called up Mr.. Pennell on
the telephone about 5 O'Clock was in
that he was just going for a drive
} Mr.. PenneH himself answered the
phone and said that he would be back
between 6: 80 and O'Clock making an
appointment with his friend for that
hour.
Then he and Mrs. Pennen rode away
in the automobile
It was learned that the matter men
toned in the telephone talk was some
thing he considered most serious and
. which weighed heavily upon him. Tt
! was in connection with the Burdiclz
{ murder. Recently Mr.. Pennell made
the following statement.
: About this murder of Burdick
n have told the authorities I went away
: to New York before the murder and
that I met Mrs. Burdick while / was
away. In fact, I saw Mrs Burdick
near New York two or three days be-
fore the murder Of Mr.. Burdick
2 came home again Wednesday, the day
! before the murder. I have told it frank
: " and the meeting was q proper one.
t But they seem determined to drag all
|. this business out in the papers. ]
$ would do anything to stop it
Pennen and his wife left their home
at 4.50 O'Clock or one or two minutes
before that time. It was a gloomy af-
ternoou= as rain was falling. 1t seemed
a strange day for man to take his
# wife automobiling in the northeast sec
5 ton Of the city at such an hour.
i Pennell was not veteran at autOrnohit
d ing Yet he was an expert at handIirs
;. the machine and was experienced as to tbs
1rnr4fn,,ea m sixth r2a~s1