The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-03-25
DASHED OVER A PREC|P|CE
Pencil, Who Held the Key to the
Burdick Case, Killed.
WAS IN AUTO WITH HIS WIFE

The IVY Had an Important ~TsIephone
Talk Before He Started on His Fatal
Rids-Ssntiment General That the Ae-
idsnt Cleans UP tho Murder Mystery
He May BE . Suicide.
Buffalo. n. Y.-Horror piled on horror
again shakes the whole social structure
Of the city. and the shadow Of relcrt.
less fate enshrouds once light-hearted
butterflies Of the Elmw00d set. 70: the
savage murder OF Edwin T.. Buriick.
in his home. Is followed by the shock
ing death Of Arthur r. Pencil. whom
he had made correspondent IN his suit
for divorce. and who. IL lie would.
many believe. could have pointed the
finger Of justice straight at the muir
derer.
Pencil was dashed over a precipice
In an automobile with his wife a little
after 9 o'clock p. NJ. He was killed in
stantIy. and Mrs. Pencil was taken
terribly injured to the Sisters Hospital.
Their fate IS as mysterious as that Of
the rich merchant with which for ten
horrible days Pencil has been in
volved. None can say whether II was
accident or design that sent the vehicle
pIunging over the crest of n thirty-foot
embankmeut. Only two young men
saw the tragedy.
The two boys who saw the tragedy
said that Pencil was driving his ma
chine Mt n fairly rapid rate when his
hat blew Off and the automobile
swerved and disappeared with its bur
den into the bowl OF limestone n few
feet from the road. Unless Mrs. Pen
nell recover enough to tell her story.
no one may ever learn Pencils last
words and impulses. or ever know
whether the machine or Its driver was
responsible for the plunge.
Sensational in the highest degree Is
the fact that only an hour before start.
ing on the fatal ride Pencil held an
anxious conversation yer the tele-
phone with a friend; thar the informa-
ton given to him by that friend made
a strong impression upon h~im-indeed.
plainly weighed heavily on his mind
and that the subject Of that talk was
the midnight murder Of his former
friend. Edwin L. Burdick. That was
the Last conversation he held with any
one. unless. perhaps. his wife. for sixty
minutes later the lifeless body Of Ar
thur r. Pennell - successful lawyer.
brilliant society man and favorite with
-women-was lifted from a pile OF
Jagged rocks at the bottom Of the
quarry.
The Gehnes quarry. into which the
couple took their fatal plunge. has a
frontage on the south side Of Kensing-
ton avenue Of about GOO feet. The line
Is irregular. so that while. In a general
way. II parallels the street. the distance
between 1t and the street curbing va
ries at different points.
1t II asserted without qualification by
those who mistake deductions for facts
that It Is known Pennell. who Ii IN ex-
pert automobiiist. did not lose control
Of his automobile. hut Intentionally
steered It toward the brink over which
Il Is believed he found surcease from
torturing thoughts. These say Pen
nell killed himself deliberately. rs the
murderer had slain Burdick. and that
In HIS mad egotism he never paused to
reflect he was taking his faithful wife
with him to eternity.
Mrs. Pennell has been loyal to her
husband and throughout his irving ex-
periences during the past ten days she
frequently said her faith in him was
mistaken. and that she would stick to
him to the end.
Pennell carried life insurance policies
a~ggregating S2O0.OO0. 1t Is said that a
large part OF this insurance was taken
out recently. and some OF IL may he
come invalidated because Of the strange
circumstances surrounding the law.
yer's death.
Mr.. Pencil was named rs c%o-respon-
dent in the suit for divorce brought by
Mfr. Rurdick. He had been 4 friend OF
Mr.. Bnrdick until two years ago. hut
objections were finally made to his at
tentions to Mrs. Burdick. He was sup.
ported by his wife. however. in the as
sertion that he had merely acted as
NlTS. buTUlch y "Sdi IusioSt "St
troubles with her husband.
After the discovery OF the murder
Mr.. Pencil was closely questioned ny
the police. He was In the city on the
night Of the murder. hut fully satisfied
the police as ( his movements. He
was not under surveillance.
There were evidences. however. that
suspicion had been turned from women
In the case. and that there was n disDo-
sition TO look for 4 man rs the murder
or. There were several pointed refer
rnces TO the divorce suit In newspaper
articles. indicating thar there was n
new disposition 20 look into this feature
Of the case.
In this connection n statement was
printed over the signature OF Mr.. Pen
nell. II was In the form OF 4 letter
which he sent to a friend at PottsvilI".
Pa. and read:
I'm the mass Of spnsationa!ism which
has followed the affair (thr murder OF
RurlickI the truth was utterly lost.
had no connection with the crime. NV
name was brought In through I'll" iii.
vorcp proceedings which were pending.
There was no truth In the charges IN
those proceedings. They were abso.
lutely denied under oath by the defend.
ant and myself. II was dragged in out
OF vin1ictlvrnrss. because my wife ami
myself had taken the part OF tn" vii"
,.,ipst IN, and she had cOu'"