The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1903-03-21
THE PENNELL RIDE.
MYSTERY OF AUTOS PLUNGE
WITH OCCUPANTS INTO
THE QUARRY.

Was it to Avoid the Newly Discov-
cred Evidence and the Ceas-
less Questionings ofRepor-
tere and Detectives
Tne Burdick Case.
Buffalo, March IA rich man
beaten to death at midnight in
his own honse; twelve days Of
mystery enfolding mystery with
scores of police, detectives and
newspaper men treading labyrinth
of divorce proceedings and strange
ge loves in the hunt of the murderer
and finally the man suspe cted
above all others be who had the
strongest motive to kill-riding
with his wife over cliff to instant
death for the one and fatal
injury for the rough quarry below!
Not even the splendid horrors of
Poe's inauguration furnish such a
picturesvuely terrible story as these
plain facts in the great Burdick
murder case at Buffalo. That final
scene in the gray twilight, with
Arthur R. Pennell and his wife
sweeping in the pouring rain over
the edege of a rocky pit-while a
newspaper man waited for him to
come back to his house and face
newly discovered evidence - the
plunge of the swift automobile, the
scream of Mrs. Pennell and the hor-
rifed roadside boy clambering
down among the rocks to find a
dead man and dying woman-it
sounds like a page from Victor
Hugo.
Now there are three deaths to
explain. Mrs. Burdick is still liv-
ing behind closed blinds with her
mother and children in the house
in which her husband was slain
before he. conld press tossa CLIMAX
the divorce suit based on her rela-
tions to Mr.. Pennell. Mrs. Psnnell,
who told the police that her
husband was at home on the night
of the murder is dead and no word
of explanation has come from her
lips. Pretty, witty, clinging Mrs.
Payne, the dentists wife, who has
been go closely watched and so
sharply. questioned by the police,
still dweils under sem-surveil-
lance in Ter house, a four-minute
walk from the scene of the murder.
That wild plunge to death in the
stone quarry has riven the veil a
little. Now we hear that Mr.. PEN
nell was in an agony of anxiety,
that he sat in his law Office day
after day in an almost hyster-
ical condition, fearing to remain at
home lest it might be thought he
had broken down under the strain.
Innocent or guilty, he found it
hard to keep up an appearance
of confidence, for wherever the
changing trail of investigation
led, whatever might be the chan
ging clues that set the clamor of the
nswsboys in the streets against
some new suspect, the unchangeable
fact remain that Mr.. Pennel was the
only man known who had direct
and sufficient motive for desiring
Mr.. Burdick's death, and that fear
of him had persuaded Mr.. Burdick
to carry a revolver. And Mr.. Pen
nell. being shrewd lawyer, k new
that the police must come to his
door again, in spite of the alibi wit
messed by himself and his wife.
The news from Buffalo is that
the police have doubts as to wheth-
er or not Mr.. Pennell deliberately
committed suicide. It might have
been an accident. They are still
looking for Mr.. Burdicks slayer
among the living.
The situation at the time of Mr..
Pennell's death was intensely dra-
matte and suggestive. He had
been the shadow on Mr.. Burdicd's
home. Three times Mr.. Burdick
had forgiven his wife on her prom
ice to keep away from Mr.. Pennell,
Then came the last phase of recre-
ancy and Mr.. Burdick hired pri-
vate detectives, secured evidence,
and sued his wife for divorce, nam
ing the young lawyer as co-respon-
dent. Mrs. Burdick left her hus-
band, her children, and her mother
and went to live at Atlantic City.
Thither Mr.. Pennsll went also.
The two were seen together. These
facts were known to the, injured
husband. He pressed his suit for
divorce and amended the complaint.
Mrs. Burdick's answer to her hus..
bands suit was counter-suit for