The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-02-28
SKULL CRUSHED
IN HIS OWN HOME
Mysterious Murder of E. R. Bur-
dick of Buffalo, N. Y.
NO CLUE TO The MURDERER
POLICE HAVE A THEORY BUT
HAVE MADE NO ARRESTS.

d UFFALO, n. Y, Feb. 27-Edwin r.
ID Burdick, president of E L.
Burdick & Co. and of the Buffalo
Envelope company. was murdered early
today at his home on Ashland ave
hue, in one of the finest residence sec
lions of the city. The theory at first
advanced, that the crime was the work
of burglar. was abandoned as the
police probed deeper into the case. and
tonight. while they claim to have sew
eraI important clues, no arrest has
been made.
Mr.. Burdick was last seen alive last
night at 1890 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
couch in a small room. off the lower
hall, used by Mr.. Burdick as a smOk-
ing room. The body was covered with
rug and number of sofa pillows
The couch was saturated with blood
and the walls and floor of the little
room were spattered with brains and
blood The head had been crushed with
some blunt instrument.
Nothing Stolen.
charge of the case. A thorough ex-
animation Of the house and its occu-
pants was made. Nothing of value
was missing The outside door was
locked and the spring lock was in it's
place when the servants got UP this
morning. The inner door was ajar
A kitchen window was partly raised
but there were no marks on the snow
outside or upon the window sill to in
haf hs,,l
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 in an
undershirt. At the foot of the couch
were fround the drawers and stock
ings- The trousers and other articles
Of clothing which Mr.. Burdick had
worn were in his bedroom on the floor
above. The bed had not been Occu-
pied. On the table in the smoking
room the detectives found a bottle
partly filed 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
Theory of Police
In this connection CHIEF Cusack gave
out the following statement
From what Investigations have
made. / would think that Mr. Burdick
was called downstairs by ring or by
knock at the door after n was
ready for bed. for he was clad only
in his Undertaking He evidently ad-
mitted someone he knew well and took
the visitor into the den for a talk and
to partake of the luncheon found there
There are some signs Of a strug-
gle. The fact that two of the fingers
of Mr. Burdicks left hand were brok-
en- indicates that he put up his hand
TO ward off blow which he saw COM
ing The body was covered with a
rug and several pillows. so that
nothing could be seen but the blood
which flowed from under the body.
Not Woman's Work.
The force with which the blows that
killed Mr.. Burdick were delivered
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 return
ing On Dec. 3 proceedings for flivorce
were filed in the county clerks office
by Mr. Burdick. It is understood that
Mrs. Burdick Went to Atlantic 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 hackman
who carried a man to the first cor
ner east of the BuTdick house last
night about u o'clock. After leaving
the carriage the man, of whom the po-
lice have a good description, walked
Up the street toward Burdicks house.