The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-28
MURDERED IN
HIS OWN HOUSE
Mysterious Taking Off of a
Prominent Buffalo
Man.

BUFFALO, N. Y, Feb. 27.-Edwin
L. Burdick, president Of E. L. Burdick
& Co. and of the Buffalo Envelope
company, was killed early today at his
home on Ashland avenue in one of
the finest residence sections of the city.
The theory at first advanced that the
crime was the work of a burglar was
abandoned as the police probed deeper
into the case, and tonight, while they
claim to have several important clews,
no arrest has been made.
Mr.. Burdick was last seen alive last
night at 10:30, when he bade the other
members of the household good night
and started for his room, apparently
with the intention Of retiring for the
night. This morning his body, clad in
an undershirt, was found lying on q
couch in a small room off the lower
hall used by Mr.. Burdick as a smoking
room. The body was covered with a
rug and sofa pillows. The couch was
saturated with blood and the walls and
floor Of the little den were bespattered
with brains and blood. The head had
been crushed with some blunt instru-
ment.
A thorough examination of the house
and it's occupants was made by the
police. Nothing of value was missing.
The outside door was locked and the
spring lock was in its place when the
servants got up this morning. The
inner door was ajar A kitchen win
dow was partly raised, but there were
| no marks on the snow outside or upon
the window sill to indicate that any
one had entered there All the other
windows and doors of the house were
securely fastened. That shattered the
theory Of an unknown intruder.
Some interesting discoveries were
| made in other parts of the house. To
begin with, no weapon could be found
anywhere. The body was clad only in
an undershirt. At the foot of the
couch were found the drawers and
stockings. The trousers and other ar
ticles of clothing which Mr.. Burdick
had worn were in his bed room on the
| floor above. The bed had not been
occupied. On the table in the smok-
ing room the detectives found bottle
| partly filled with whisky and the re-
mains of a light lunch Members of
the family declare that Mr.. Burdick
never partook Of the food of which
the lunch was composed and never
drank liquor while eating. Ia this con-
nection Chief Detective Cusaek this
afternoon gave out the following state
ment:
From what Investigations I have
made I would conclude that Mr.. Bur-
| dick was called down stairs by ring
or knock at the door after he was
ready for bed, for he was clad only In
| his underclothing. He evidently ad-
mitted some one he knew well and
| took the visitor into the den for talk
and to partake of luncheon found there
| There are some signs of struggle
/ The fact that two Of the fingers of Mr.
Burdick's left hand We're broken indi-
! cate that he put up his hand to ward
off a blow"
The force with which the blows that
killed Mr.. Burdick seems to preclude
| the possibility that a woman delivered
| them.
Mrs. Burdick, the murdered mans
| wife, left home two months ago, with
the intention, it is said, of not re
turning. On Dec. proceedings fol
divorce filed by Mr.. Burdick. 1t is un-
derstood that Mrs. Burdick went to At
| latte City. What connection Burdick's
domestic trouble may have had with the
crime the police do not presume to say
The police tonight found a hackmaI
| who carried a man to the-ffrSt corner
east of the Burdick home last night
about IL o'clock. After leaving the
carriage, the man, of whom the police
have a good=description, walked up the
street toward Burdiek's house.