The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-03-25
NO KNOWLEDGE OF MURDERER Mrs. Alice Burdick So
 SWearS. EXAMINATION CONTINUES Relations With Pennell Are
 Gone Over. Children of Dead Man Placed on the Stand and Tell of Events
 the Night of the
 Murder.
EXAMINATION CONTINUES

Buffalo, N. r., March 2.-"Have you received any information as to who killed your husband?" No, sir" You swear you have no knowledge or information as to who killed hm? 'I do.' Thsse questions were addressed to Mrs. Alice Hull Burdick this afternoon by District Attorney Coatsworth at the in quest into the death of her husband. The answers were returned by Mrs. BurolcK in a calm, clear voice. The questions came abruptly while the District Attorney was drawing from Mrs. Burdick information about her relations with Arthur R. Pennell. She had denied that Pennell took her key to the front door of the Burdick home while they were in New York together, and had duplicates made of 1t. The District At torney put the question regarding the key to Mrs. Burdick in number Of differ ent forms, but the answers always were emphatic denials that she or Pennen had ever ordered duplicate keys made or that the key had left her possession during her last exile from home.
 Mrs Burdick was calmer today than yesterday while tesr1fying. She left the stand at 4:15.
 Children are Cal1eu.
 To complete the examination of every one known to have been in the Burdick home on the night of February 26, when Edwin l.. Burdick was murdered. the District Attorney today called to the stand the two youngest Burdick chill dren, Carol and Alice, aged respectively l3 and 10 years. The District Attorney questioned the children closely about the events that occurred at their home on the night before and the morning after the murder of their father. The children displayed no more sign of emotion than did their grandmother or mother, or old CT sister. while talking about the terrible death of their father. Their recollection of the happenings at the time of the tragedy was rather hazy and T don't remember was usually the answer they gave when the District Attorney pressed them closely on a point.
 Mrs. Burdick's testimony covered the week in which Burdick was murdered and the name of Arthur R. Pennell was con stantly upon her lips. She trusted him implicitly in everything. The District Attorney read a number of letters, writ ten to Mrs. Burdick by Pennell in which he said life was not worth living with out her and that death would not be un- welcome. She knew nothing of docu- ment found in her safety deposit vault bonding Pennell to pay her $25.0Oo in the event of his being unable to marry her. Although 1t was among Mrs. Burdick's private papers in the vault, she claimed to have been ignorant of its existence.
 Note of Sympathy from Pennell.
 Mrs. Burdick declared that the last time she saw Pennell was on Tuesday before the murder. He left her that night in Atlantic City, arriving in Buff falo Wednesday. She was informed of MT. Burdicks death by message from Mrs. Hull on the following Friday and hastened to Buffalo. She reached her home Saturday morning. A brief note of sympathy came to the house that day She never heard from him or saw him, she said, between that time and the day he was killed by his automobile plunging into the stone quarry.
 Before leaving the stand, Mrs. Burdick. In reply to questions by her attorney, said that nothing improper or immoral had occurred between her and Pennell. At the same time she said her husband was fond of the society of other women and for some reason, not quite clear, said that Mrs. Pennsil was quite familiar with the dining room and "den" in the Burdick home.
 At the opening of the afternoon session Mir Coatsworth showed Mrs. Burdick a letter written from New York to MT.
 
 1902 In 1t Mrs. Pennell asked MT. Bur dick if he was absolutely crazy in talk ing the burden of pressing the divorce proceedings. She called attention to the fact that Pennell did not value life too highly and intimated that he might com init suicide and take Mrs, Burdick With him.
 What did she mean by that?' asked MT. Coatsworth.
 dO
 A Threat of Suicide.
 Tn a letter written December 8, 1902. by Mrs. Burdick to MT. Burdick. she told him she intended to go to Atlantic City. The letter also contained yelled threat at suicide. She had never talked with Pennell about putting himself out of the way or of committing suicide her self. In another letter written by Pen nell to Mrs. Burdick from Portland. Me. he addressed her as dearest Alice
 '"The night is beautiful and as I look up at the moon try to put my thoughts away. l love you and must have you. Fate Is inexorable unless we choose to beak it and you can never be mine"
 She had received letters from him writ ten in similarly melancholy moods. He was a very emotional man.
 MT. Coatsworth read another letter written by Pennell to Mrs. Burdick from Boston in which he said:
 Dearest love, this is also very nasty note. I got your letter. I was not surprised that your note was unhappy We seem to be powerless against our fate. But we had our opportunity and failed to take advantage of it,"
 'What did he mean by We had our opportunity and failed to take advantage of it,"
 q do not know unless he was referring to the time when we went to Atlantic City and came back again"
 In another letter Pennell said his ''heart dragged him to her and 1t would so long as the breath remained in his body. how long that was, he did not care"
 T am never happy now unless I an with you" he declared.
 What did he ever say to you about putting an end to his existencST