The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-03-27

ing, but she did not remember having
received it.
Il will read and see if it will refresh
your recollection: AS 1 looked into
your beautiful eyes last night, l feared
there was some trouble hidden there
l did not know but 1 feared it was be-
cause some other reason than because
l was going away. If there was dear
est, L wish you would tell. There is
that in the n of you husband
toward you that makes me fear some
times that 1 might kill him Do you
remember receiving that letter."
NC, sir"
Mrs. Burdick said she did not know
whether her husband was aware Of the
fact that she was receiving letters
from Pencil. Her habit had been to
keep her letters locked in a box. Her
husband first knew of her intimacy
with Pennell, she thought, on January
l, 1901, when she told him in reply TO
a question that she had been walking
with Pennell. He told her she was
very i~mprudent. She agreed with hin
then and did now.
dick?"
Il don't know"
Did you take some letters from that
ok and give them to him."
i unlocked it"
How did you happen to unlock it,"
H forced me to-"
How did he force you?"
H took me by the throat"
She did not remember whether at
that time Pencil was the subject of a
discussion with her husband. She did
not know whether some of the letters
read We're in h box at that time. 1t
was in January 1901 when he chOked
her. She could not remember when
she rented a box in a safe deposit COM
pany'S vault. 1t was not about the
time her husband had choked her, but
recently. when she received papers
from detectives about Burdick. Her
husband had not started the divorce
proceedings. 1t was she that wanted
a divorce from him. She had no love
for him, but did love Pennell. whom
she expected to marry. He had a wife,
but he expected they would be di-
vOrced.
In reply 10 a question as to whether
Mrs. Pencil had consented to a di-
VOrce she said:
sometimes she did and sometimes
she did not" Witness admitted, how
eve hat she had never talked with
Mrs. Pencil on the subject. Pennell
had hired the detectives who Swallowed
Burdick. Her husband sent her away
in May 1901, on account of Pencil.
Mr.. COatsWOrth showed her a letter
written by her from Atlantic City, May
9th, 1901, in which she begged to be
taken back, promising never to see
Arthur" and that she would be a low
ing and true wife. In the letter she
said she could not promise that Pen
nell would "a town, but declared
he would do what she said. She ad-
mitted writing the letter and said at
that time she had hired no detectives.
A second letter written by Mrs. Bur-
dick to her husband the same year was
read, in which h spoke of having re-
ceived Burdick's letter and said that
Pencil had not promised to leave town
if Burdick took her back; that she and
Pencil had realized that they must
give up each other, but hat Pennell
declined to do anything that would
mean a loss of his self-respect.
Another letter written by Mrs. Bur-
dick to her husband referred to her
being taken back home. She prom
ised never again to voluntarily see or
communicate with Arthur" h
made a plea on behalf of the children.
She promised to be a good girl to him.
Mrs. Burdick admitted h wrote he
letter in good faith and that she did
not keep her promise. Another letter
was read in reply to n from Mr..
Burdick in which he had evidently de-
clined TO take her back.
June 9Th was the date of another let
ter written by Mrs. Burdick to her
husband. She wrote of having been
notified of the divorce suit brought
against her. On one occasion, Burdick
wrote her that she could not be rust
ed. He said that if she loved Pennell
as she said she did, he did o blame
her for what she did; that if he loved
a woman as she did Pencil, he would
do as she was doing. He declared that
he loved her honestly, long after she
had ceased to love him and that if she
tried, she might win back both his
love and respect. He referred to the
fact that Mrs. Burdick was wearing a
ring given to her by Pencil over her
lawful wedding ring. Burdick de-
clared that he had no faith in Pen
nelrs promises and hat she wished to
be taken back until Pencil was freed
from his wife.
In another letter Burdick wrote that
ne forgave his wife the wrong she had
dOn him. In another, Burdick de-
clared he had determined to fight for
the little money she had left him and,
after getting a divorce to fight for the
children. He would insist on the
counter suit by Mrs. Burdick being
fought out in open court. Three weeks
after that letter, Mrs. Burdick was
taken back by her husband. After re-
turning from Atlantic City and after
promising her husband to be a good
wife. she met Pencil. It was not her
habit to meet him she said, but he was
constantly begging her to do so and
she did meet him in a house on
Seventh street. She was there one
time whe Burdick came, but he did
not see her as h stepped out of the
window and went to church. She did
not hear hat Mr.. Burdick n his
friends on that occasion caught Pen
nell as he was jumping out of the win
dow n that they took him back to
the room.
Mrs. Pencil admitted having met
Pennell in another house on Seventh
street after that incident. She at first
denied meeting Pencil elsewhere, but
on Mr.. COatsworth telling her that
Penrell had told him differently, she
admitted that she had met Pencil at
a house on Whitney Place, two or three
times.
George c. Miller, attorney for Edwin
l.. BurdiCk in the divorce proceedings
against Mrs. Burdick, was the first
witness Of the day. He told in detail
the steps that had been taken at the
request of Mr.. Burdick to secure a di-
vorce. He last saw Mr.. Burdick On
the afternoon of the day he was MUIR
dered. Mr.. Burdick spent half an hour