Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1903-03-26
MRS. BURDICK
TELLS HER STORY
BUFFALO WOMAN THROWS LIGHT
ON PAST EVENTS.
IN LOVE WITH PENNELL
District Attorney Subjects Widow of
Murdered Man to Rigid Cross Ex-
anination-Letters Between the
Two Read in Open Court-Many
Women Present.

BurdicK widow of Edwin L. Burdick,
underwent a merciless examination by
District Attorney COatsworth yester-
day afternoon at the resumption Of the
inquest of the death of her husband.
Mrs. Burdick was on the stand when
court adjourned for the day. She will
resume her testimony today.
With a package OF letters in his
hands, some of which were written to
Mrs Burdick by Arthur R. Pencil, CO.
respondent in the divorce proceedings
instituted by Burdick, and other com
munications between Burdick and his
wife. CoatsWOrth forced Mrs. Burdick
TO tell her story Of her relations with
Pencil from the time he first made
love to her in New Haven in 1898 I'M
til 1901 when these relations were re-
newed aftere Burdick had forgiven mis-
wife and had taken her back to nis
home for the sake Of Jneir children.
Mrs. Burdick was deathly pale
while on the witness stand She an
swered the questions in a low, falter-
ing tone, evading a direct answer
whenever possible and reluctantly ad-
hitting the facts when the district at
tOrney pitilessIy read extracts Of love
letters written TO her by Arthur R.
Pennell.
The courtroom was crowded early,
most of the spectators being women.
There was a hum of excitement when
Mrs. Burdick took the witness stand.
She said her age was AZ; that she
married Burdick in 1886. They had
three children. She met Pencil at a
card party five or six years ago at
which Burdick was present; went to
New Haven and New York with the
Pencils in 1898. Burdick did not go,
being detained by business. No I'M
usual friendship sprang up between
her and Pennell. The witness did not
recall the letter from Pencil written
in New Haven in 1900 in which he
said:
Yesterday | was at the gateway of
the campus grounds where more than
two years ago | drew you in the
darkness. This place is enshrined to
me-"
When the letter was handed to the
witness she trembled violently and
said she recognized Pencils hand
writing Recalling the incident she
confessed that Pencil went into the
doorway, drew her in, took her in his
arms and kissed her. She thought she
demonstrated. She did not remember
Pencil was at Shelter Island in Sep
TENDER, 1900, nor a letter from him in
which he wrote that he had found her
gloves in his pocket. In another let
ter Pencil wrote:
Il will meet you at 1, 2, 8 Wednes-
day morning"
Witness did not know the meaning.
There were two or three houses, she
said, at which she used to meet him
Other letters from Pencil to Mrs.
Burdick were produced, all addressing
her in endearing terms. In one of
these he spoke Of experiencing "the
paradise within his arms" She de-
MED receiving such a letter and did
not know what was meant by the
words quoted. In another Pencil let
ter was this sentence: There is that
in the manner of your husband toward
you that makes me fear some times
that | might kill him.
Witness said she did not remember
receiving that letter Mrs. Burdick
did not know whether her husband
was aware of the fact that she was re
ceiving letters from Pencil. She
kept her letters locked in a box. Her
husband first knew of her intimacy
with Pencil, she thought, January 1,
1901, when she told him in reply to a
question that she had been walking
with Pennen He told her she was
very imprudent. She agreed with him
then and did now. She opened the let
ter box. she said, when Burdick took
her by the throat and forced her to I'LL
lock it. Further along in the teSti-
mOny witness said she entered divorce
proceedings; that she had no love for
her husband, but did love Pennell
whom she expected to marry and who
intended to get a divorce from his
wife. Pencil hired detectives to
shadow her husband. Witness identi-
fed letters she had written her hus-
band begging to be taken back and
promising to be a loving and true
wife" Other letters of the same ten
or written by Mrs. Burdick and in
which she promised to have nothing
more to do with Penneu were read.
She also made a plea in behalf of
their children She admitted she
wrote the letters in good faith and that
she did not keep her promise. An
other letter was read in reply to one
from Burdick in which he had evident
ly declined to take her back.
Among other letters read were two
from Burdick. in one of which he said
if she loved Pencil as she said she
did he did not blame her for doing
what she did; that he loved her long
after she ceased to love him and that
if she tried she might win back both
love and respect. He also wrote that
he had determined to fight for the lit
tie honor she had left him, and after
getting a divorce, to fight for the chill
dren. He would insist on a counter
suit by Mrs Burdick being fought in
opeL court. Three weeks after this
letter Mrs. Burdick was taken back by
her husband. She said that after re-
turning home she frequently met Pen
nell in another's house; that she was
there once when Burdick came there
and avoided him by stepping out of the
window. She did not hear that Bur-
dick and his friends on that occasion