Omaha daily bee., 1903-03-15
MOTHER In LAW SCREAMS
Afraid to Enter Room for Fear of,Finding
Burdick Dead.
DESCRIBES STRANGE NERVOUS FEELING
Tells Jury Mt Inquest of First Pre-
mOnitiOn of Disaster Even Before
Knowing Daughters EstrRnged
Husband Was Murdered.

BUFFALO, N. Y, March I.-Judge
Murphy today opened the inquest on Edwin
L. Burdick, who was found murdered in
his house on February q.
Under the law we are compelled to hold
this inquest" said Judge Murphy. W
charge no one with this crime. The pur-
pose of his investigation is to lay this
crime, If possible, at the door OF some one"
DR.. Rowland said he was summoned to
the Burdick home by telephone on the
morning OF February 81. DR.. w. H. Marcy
met him at the door and told him that
something had been going on there and
that Mr.. Burdick was dead.
81 am not sure continued DR.. Rowland,
"but l think he told me that he WIS not
certain whether it was murder or suicide.
He asked me to make it out as a case of
suicide, IL possible. as there had been a
good deal of gossip in the neighborhood
respecting the relations existing between
Mr.. and Mrs. Burdick."
He then examined the body and told
Dr.. Marcy that it YVES impossible to enter
tain the suicide theory for a minute.
Murderer Moves Body
Mr.. Coatsworth brought out the fact that
Burdick's body had been moved by the muir
derer after the crime had been committed.
4 ut bS saw hO NSlpOh III Al Twin
What was your conclusion as to whether
Burdick was killed in the den?" he was
asked.
II think he was"
when he was killed was he lying on the
couch in the position in which you found
the body?"
Judging from the location OF the wounds.
he must have been lying in some other po-
sition at the time he was struck"
A moment later he described a tuft of
hair he found on the couch. He was of the
opinion that 1t was longer than Burdick's
hair.
The doctor stated that from the condi-
tion of the body he was of the opinion that
Burdick was killed about 2 o'clock. This
is regarded as important, as 1t would tend
to nullify the statements made to the dis
trict attorney by Oflcers Meyer and Rich
ard regarding the lone woman"
In reply to another question, an afirma-
tive answer TO which would have shown
that a woman had been in the room, the
doctor gave a negative repl..
Detective John W. Holmlund also had a
talk with DR.. Marcy. who gave him the
impression that he wanted the matter kept
secret.
Has Presentiment of EVIL.
Mrs. Hull, mother of Mrs. Burdiek, the
next witness, said her daughter was at At
lsntic City OF the night Of the murder.
Proceeding, she entered into a minute
account Of her doings that night and went
on to tell of finding the body.
81 went to the den." she said, land
opened the door a little and called Ed. Ed,
Ed l saw something on the couch. 1t
was dark in there / saw the Murray girl
In the hall and said: Maggie, 1 fear that
something has happened. l do not dare
go in there. do you? What shall we do?'
Then / said that we had better send for
DR.. Marcy"
why didn't you go in?"
81 was too nervous"
What did you Think
II did not know what had happened. l
thought perhaps 1t was Ed on the couch"
But you had seen him sleeping before.
Why were you afraid to see him sleeping?"
IF he had been sleeping my screams
would have awakened him / was afraid
to find him dead in there. OF course l
did not know II was Ed
Then you did scream?"
Yes, as loudly as l could. l did not
arouse him and / was frightened"
"You had no reason for expecting to find
him dead in there?"
No. except that he did not respond to
my screams"
witness PrOvOkinEIy Calm.
Al this point Mr.. COatsworth banded
her a photograph of the den with the
body Of the murdered man lying on the
couch covered as DIT. Marcy found it.
Mrs. Hull took the photograph with a
steady hand anG looked at II intently and
calmly.
Does this photograph represent the den
as you saw II that morning." asked Mr..
C~oatsworth.
II do not remember"
Continuing. she said she had never asked
and had never been told the details OF the
tragedy. She deLied having said that she