The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-03-11
Accident witnessed by Two Young
Men, who Notified the Authorities
as Soon as Possible.
PENNELL WAS WELL KNOWN
TOOK AN ACTIVE PART IN THE BUR-
DICK MURDER CASE.
Effort to Connect the Accident I'm
some Way with the Mysterious
Tragedy-A Yale Graduate.

BUFFALO, N. Y. March 1O.-More terri
bic almost than the death of Edwin l..
Burdick was the tragedy that occurred
late this afternoon. when Arthur r. Pen
nell, one OF the chief figures in the inves-
tigation of the Burdick murder. hurled
headlong into eternity. Mr.. Pennell was
riding In his electric automobile with Mrs.
Pennell- They were Kensington ave-
nue. neer Fillmore avenue. skimming along
the edge of the Genres stone quarry,
huge rock-Iiobed hole in the ground. Mr..
Penneiis hat blew off. The automobile
swervsd and in some lnexphcable manner
II leaped over the curb into the abyss be-
low. PenneIl was killed instantly his
head being crushed to an unrecognizable
mass. Mrs. Pennell was injured so Sc
verely that the surgeons at the Sisters
Hospital. to which she was taken. say her
chances of recovery are very slight
Two young men saw the tragedy. They
were too far away to render prompt as
sistance. Mrs. PenneIl, when found.
was unable to speak. She was only semi
conscious when taken to the hospital and
could speak no coherent words. After the
operations, performed Immediately by DIR.
Eugene Smith in the hope of saving her
life. she lapsed into unconsciousness and
hence there can be no true version OF pre-
cisely how the affair occurred.
Mr.. Pennea left his office in the Austin
building at 4:05 o'clock this afternoon. He
went To his home at 2OS Cleveland avenue.
"A friend who called up Mr.. Pennen on the
telephone about o'clock was informed
that Mr.. Pennell was I'm. but he was just
going for a drive. Mr.. Pennen himself
answered the telephone and said that he
would be back between $50 and o'clock.
making an appointment with his friend for
that hour.
WEIGHED ON HIS MIND.
1t was learned tonight that the matter
mentioned IN the telephone talk some
thing he considered most serious and which
weighed heavily upon him. 1t was in con-
nectiop with the Burdick murder. Recently
Mr.. Pennell made the following statement:
about this case OF Burdick. I have told
the authorities / went away to New York
before the murder and that I met Mrs.
Burdick while 1 was away. In fact, 1 saw
Mrs. Burdick near New York two or three
days before the murder of Mr.. Burdick. I
came home again Wednesday. the day be-
fore the murder. 1 have told Ii frankly,
and the meeting proper one. But
they seem determined to drag all this busi-
ness out in the papers. 1 would do any
thing to stop IT."
Penneli and his wife left their home at
$50 o'clock or one or two minutes before
that time. II a gloomy afternoon. as
rain falling. PenneIl was not a vet
eran at automobiling. Yet he was an ex-
pert at handling the machine and was ex-
perienced as TO the management. He kept
the machine in the Utica-street station.
and II was to this station that he said he
went between 7:45 and $50 o'clock on the
night Burdick was killed. returning to his
home at about 10 o'clock. He was seen fire.
quentiy i'm open weather in his machine
down town and on Delaware avenue and in
the park. So far as could be learned, he
never had any accidents. Certainly he was
not regarded as a green or incompetent
chauffeur.
What unusual about to-day's pro-
ceeding. according TO the maid, was that
Mrs. Pennell had always before told her
when they would return. To-day, how
ever" said the girl. when they went out
1t was Mr.. Pennell who told me- Mrs
Pennen went out ahead of him and he
came back and called me and said: Lizzie
we will be back between 30 and o'clock.
i said all right, and they went away That
was between 4:40 and 4:50 o'clock. just after
Mr. Pennell had talked over the telephone.
Their route on their ride no one tell
In detail Captain Cable and the police
were trying tonight to. trace the route of
the automobile.
Mrs. Pennell has been loyal to her hus-
band throughout his trying experiences
during the last ten days. She frequently
said that her faith I'm him was mistaken,
-. n L. hi q
NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS.
Pennelrs body was received at the
morgue shortly after $50 O'Clock The
features of the dead man were distorted
and out OF all. semblance TO their natural
character. In the pockets were found some
money and newspaper clippings. and iden-
tincation cards from two life insurance
companies.
Some OF the newspaper clippings We're
time-worn and stained, and had the ap-
pearance OF being carried In the case for
months. They were interesting as express
ing various emotions. a possible index of
the character OF the man who preserved
them. The titles OF some OF the verses
were: Until You Come" That Which Is
Lost" .sThe Fates." 1.-The Unlaid Ghost. !"
.sUndistinguished Dead" "A Night in
June" Opportunity"
The only near witnesses OF the first
events at the quarry were George J. Dun
bar and William Lannen. young men about
twenty years OF age. They were on their
way home from work when Mr.. and Mrs.
Pennell I'm their auto approached them from
the rear. Dunbars story OF what hap
pened Is as follows:
I'VE heard the man I'm the automobile
sang az looked back The auto was COM